The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1907-02-09

a -rnt IN r~uurres>. n r7UerIIrorr1i Or n
presidential chair. but such belong not
to the family OF the lion or the tribe OF
the eagle. What. Think you these
places wcuid satisfy mn Alexander. a
Caesar or a Napoieons Never! Tower.
ing genius disdaIns q beaten path. II
seeks regions hitherto unexplored. It
sees no distinction In adding story to
story upon the monuments OF fame
erected to the memory OF others. Ii
denies that II Is glory enough 10 serve
under any chief. It scorns to tread in
the footsteps OF any predecessor. how
ever lllustrious. 1t thirsts and burns
for distinction. and II possible Il Will
have 1t. whether at the expense OF
emancipating slaves or enslaving free
men. . Another reason which
once was, but which to the same ex-
tent is nowAno more, has done much in
maintaining our institutions thus far.
l mean the powerful influence which
the Interesting scenes Of the Reyolu-
ton had upon the passions OF the peo-
pie as distinguished from their iudg.
ment." This Influence the lecturer
maintains was kept alive by the pres
ence of the surviving soldiers OF the
Revolution, who were in some sort
living histories" and concludes with
this striking pcroratIon:
but those histories are gone. They
can be read no more forever. They
were a fortress of strength. But what
Invading foemen could never do the
silent artillery Of time has done-the
leveling of It's walls. They are gone.
They were a forest Of giant oaks. but
the all resistless hurricane has swept
over them and left only here and there
a lonely trunk, dcspolled Of Its verdure,
shorn OF its foliage. MISLEADING and un-
shaded, to murmur In a few more gem
tie breezes and to combat with its mu.
alated limbs a few more rude storms.
then to sink and be no more. They
were the pillars OF the temple OF tib-
erty. II now that they have crumbled
away that temple must fall unless we,
the descendants, supply their places
with other pillars hewn from the same
solid quarry or sober reason. Passion
has helped us, but can do so no more.
1t Will In future be our enemy. Rea-
son-coli, calculating, unimpassioned
reason-must furnish all the materials
for our future support and defense.
Let those materials be nodded into
general Intelligence, sound morality
and in particular n reverence for the
constitution and the laws, and that we
improved to the last. that we revcred
his name to the last. that during his
long sleep we permitted no hostile foot
to pass or desccrate his resting place,
shall be that which to learn the last
trump shall awaken our Washington.
Upon these let the proud fabric Of
freedom rest as the rock of its basis
and, us truly has been said OF the only
greater institution. The gates Of hell
shall not prevail against IT."
These extracts from n lecture care
fully composed by Mr.. Lincoln at the
mature age of twenty-eight and after
considerable experience in the public
service nre worthy Of attentive peru
sal. To those familiar with his sober
q pure style at Il later age these
sophomore passages will seem incred-
iDle. But they were thought cable and
eloquent" by the Young Mems lyceum
W TIC was SUlltlltu ~
furnish a copy for publication and
they were duly printed in the Sanga-
mon Journal. In the mere matter of
rhetoric they compare favorably with
some of his other productions of nearly
the same date. This was what he
would have called his growing time
and it is intensely interesting to wit.
ness the processes Of such mental
growth us his. In time-graduafIy but
still rnpidIy-bis style changes COM
pletely. The constrained and unnatu.
raj attempts at striking aud lofty met
aphor disappear, aud tho qualities
which produced the Gettysburg ad-
dress. that model of u~nadorned elo-
quence, begin to be felt. He finds the
people understand him better when he
comes down from his stills and talks
to them from their level:
tTo be Continued Monday