The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1904-02-18
]. 2. Shaw,s address on LINCOLN.


Lincoln day, Friday, February l2, was
observed in Hood River by half holi-
day in the public schools. In the alter
noon, members of Candy post, G. A. X
met with the pupils in Miss Sehungel' g
room, where addresses and talks were
made by Captain j. P. Shaw, Comrades
A. G. Buck and f. E. Kellogg.
Captain ]. ?, Shaw's address on the
"Life and Character of Lincoln" was
In part as follows:
Not since the birth Of that divine character
at Bethlehem has there appeared on earth a
character so Chrst-like as that of the immor-
tai Lincoln. In the lives of these two men
the one who died on Mount Calvary for the
sins of the world the other whose life was
sacrificed because of his love for eveFy human
being of whatever nation, creed or coor-we
have the achievement Of all that goes TO make
up the highest type of man,
Conceive, ii you can, more lowly conditions
under which these martyrs came into the
World-the one seeing the light for the first
time In the manger OF a stable the other born
in rude cabin built of unhewn logs, the
scenes of his birth dense unbroken wilder
ness, surrounded by pioneer hardshtps and
poverty to an unusual degree, and we have
the beginning the lives of Christ the Savior
and Lincoln the emancipation.
Before attempting to place an estimate upon
the character of Abraham Lincoln, let us turn
if we can, some comparisons of events thai
nodded great characters, 10 those enacted in
our own day and by men whose lives were
eOntemporaneous with our own.
Since the dawn of the Christian era, five
momentous events have taken place in the
worlds history for the betterment of man.
kind. Standing at the bead of these was that
awful tragedy enacted on Mount Calvary two
thousand years ago. Then, following on
down through the centuries of time, an ep och
extending through twelve centuries to the
10Th day of June, 1915, the second took place
at Runnymead, little island of the Thames
Here King John was forced by the English
people to sign the great charter which gave to
them liberty. Five hundred years thereafter
the third occurrence took place. this time on
American soil an event OF tfanScendent effect
on the destnies of the American colonies
The 4th day of July will ever be celebrated in
commemoration of the dawn of the American
republic. In fancy we may see the Watchman
with barred head and arms "grasping the rope
with his skin bony hands" as he watches and
waits with anxious mean for the word to ring
out the peal which should proclaim liberty
through the land. We see the last signature
penned to the blessed document, then the
messenger start in haste TO give the word to
the watchman to ring out the glad news that
the people had thrown off the yoke of English
tyranny and that a new nation had been
born. In fancy we see the young messenger
as he hastens with all speed, shouting as he
nears Liberty hall, "Ring the bell, watchman;
ring, ring ringF fhen the refrain from the
throats of the eager and excited people as
sembled, "Yes, yes, they come, and with It'd
ings to tell, glorious and blessed tidings ring,
ring the bellY' And thus, like meteor shot
across the sky this republic was born.
Following close upon these momentouS
happenings, the French people, catching the
spirit and the refrain from the iron throat of
the liberty bell, as its tones were carried over
the waters, rose in one mighty effort born of
long suffering and rid themselves of their OPP
pressors And in that year of l779, Louis XVI
lost his crown and his head went with II.
Eighty-three years following this event. the
scene once more Is shifted to the new world,
memory gave TO the world the greatest doe
ument ever peuned by man, and as he put
his immortal name 10 this sacred paper, the
shack les fell from the CALLED limbs of the poor
black man with a clanking noise that went
round the world and proclaimed liberty and
equal rights before the law to four millions of
bOndsmen held in slavery in one part of our
fair republic, which up tO this time had been
a living lie in a constitution that declared to
the world that "all men were created equal"
Bless the name of Abraham Lincolni
Antedating the last act of the drama some
eight years-lS57-we find the two greatest
men of their time engaged in what might be
termed death struggle, at least In political
sense, on the great prairies OF Illinois. HIS
tory mentions these debates as the "battle OF
las, the "lttle giant" ana Abraham Lincoln,
the real giant, the prize being the United
States SenatorShip. Judge Douglas won the
prize but lost what he most coveted and for
which he had long been an aspiraut, the pres
ideney. AS long as time shall last and record
ed history shall be read these debates be-
tween Lincoln and Douglas viii he regarded