Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1904-02-11
TALMAGE
SERMON
BY Rev.
FRANK DE WITT TALMACE. DID.
Pastor Of Jefferson Park Presby.
terrain Church. Chicago

ing the memory of Lincoln this ami
versary sermon sheds new and inter
esting light upon the character of tn,
statcsman-presidcnt. The text IS Jane.
v, 8, "Bc ye also patient"
What was the most powerful nd
dress you ever heard:" I once uskcc
my father in one of our conversations
when journeying around the world
We'll" he replied Il lave listened ts
nearly all the great American ora tor.
of my time. / have been personally
acquainted with most of them and have
spoken from the same platform witt
many of them. But without any doub
the create address | ever hearl--if II
Is TO be judged by its electric anc
overwhelming instantaneous effect
was that delivered 10y Henry w. Grady
of Georgia In 1856 at the annual ban
quet of the New England society. !
had Just finished a speech on The Com
ing American when Mr.. Grady arose
After a fGw Introductory remarks be
said: MY friends. DR.. Jalmage ha!
told you that the typical American la.
got to come. Let me tell you that ht
has already come. Great types, like
valuable plants, are slow TO flower ant
fruit. But from the union of tLest
'colonists. puri.ans and Cavaliers. from
the strengthening Of their purrosci
and the crossing of their blood, SLOW
pcrfecting. through century, can't
the man who stands as the first typica
. 4 In Erc hn 1,,,,, Iof
within himself all the strength anC
gentlencss, all the majesty and grace
of this republic-Abiaham Iincoln.'
These words We're quoted almost yer
balm from memory.
The tremendous impression produced
by Henry Grady's speech was not due
to the fact that he was saying some
thing that no other man had said be
fore but to the fact that, for the frs
time since the civil war, the great lead
ers of the north realized that Lincolr
was appreciated and honored Ms muci
south of Mason and Uixon's line as Ii,
was among the Michigan pines ant
upon the Illinois prairie.
Second to Only One.
Since that time | have read almos'
every biography written about the per
sonulity OF that man who stands see
ond to only one, if ne does not stand
side by side with George Washington
in the affections of the American PEG
pie. l find that Henry Watterson %
Kentucky has as deep reverence 70.
Lincoln as had Charles w. Dana ol
Nicolay or Joseph Medll OF William
Ierndon or David Davis or SWEET OF
Speed. who knew him by personal con
tact. Therefore | am sure that on thi.
Sunday preceding the celc bration of
Lincon's birthday | shall have will
me the cordial appreciation Of the south
as well as Of the north as draw from
his character lessons of inspiration anC
pay tribute to his memory. AT hear
he was Il true friend of the south, anC
l believe that his untimeIy death re
tardcd the contamination of reconstruc
ton ut least "A quarter of century.
Most Lincoln culogists start. as Hen
ry Wattcrson beautifully expressct
it, by looking into a "crystal globe
that, slowly turning. tells the story %
| his life, and they see therein a littl,
heartbroken boy weeping by the ont
| stretched form Of a dead mother" Bu
! this | do not intend To do. You are nj
! ready familiar with the facts Of tina
evcntful life. In speaking of him TO-DAY
! would try to get the keynote of hi
| character and show the predominant
| quality which made him so great an,
so useful to the nation. That quality
conceive to be his patience, and shall
| recall to your minds the times and tn,
circumstances in which, by the exercise
of that quality, he proved the grandcu
of his nature. At the base of tho 81
gantic statue of Faith, overlooking til,
! pilgrims graves ut plymouth and thu
harbor whore the MayhOWer cast an
clor, arc figures symbolizinN Freedom
Education, Law and Morality Blu
here today, standing by the grave o
this great man. we see the figure o
sanctiiied Patience. We find this fig
urc not cut from stone or cast In iron
but made out of dust which was one,
living, breathing. throbbing. mGvin.
flesh and blood. AS the paramount he
sire of L!ncoln's last four years OF
earth and those tumutuous years which
led un ~ them was to save the Union
! shall try in this brief culogy to show
how, by glorious patience. that grca
purpose of his life was accomplished.
\ Positive Nan.
In the first place, We must start witt
Nd "a, ilN ~,
knowlcdGed fact that Abraham Lincoln
was A man OF positive characteristics
William HtrndOn just after Lincoln
nomination wrote to senator Wilson
of Massachusetts, that when LincC'i
made up his mind to do anything h,
had a will of iron" After the asSas
sination in Ford's thentcr Senator Wi
son wrote Il letter 10 Lincoh's old Law
partner that he had truly analyZct
Lincoln's character in reference to thu
one characteristics. Bnt, though Lin
}oin was a positive man and had wei
settled convictions, he never believe,
that two wronAs make one right" IL
order to accomplish his patriotic par
poses he was unwilling to dctilc tn
majesty Of the law. He was Away
ready to try 10 change the law. bu
never to break it. In his methods an,
principles he was neither violent no
revolutionary He was MOI, us mani
people supposed in 1860, a wild eye,
visionary or a cr02ed enthusiast VIII,
would, TO reach beneficent end, tram