The Birmingham age-herald., 1907-07-07

had accepted that position, as he nearly did, what would have happened to us ds a nation? When the civil war broke out would Lincoln have been standing In Ed w.rd Dickinson Bakers shoes as the United States senator from Oregon? Might not William H. Seward or 8. P. Chase have Leen delivering the inaugural address as president of the United States in 1861. Had the great forensic foe of Douglas been removed from the strategic battle-ground of Illinois, what would have been the outcome of our civil strife? These are mighty questions, and yet these are all dependent upon the yes or no wk.ch Abraham Lincoln gave to Presi- dent James K. Polk In 1S49 in reference to .ie governorship of the far away Ore got territory.
 And then as I delve into the auto- biographical recollections of pr. Hale and into the life stories of other Amer leans I cannot but read strange signs of the times as I lolter by the tombstones of some of the nations many men who died In young manhood. l cannot but say to myself, What would have been the history of this country had the bril- liant elder of brother Ralph waldo Emer- son lived? Far more brilliant was he than the Concord sage. He was the Arthur Halam of Harvard. He had just entered the law, and all success was to be his Yet he went out one cold night and made a speech, and pneumonia set in, and in few hours he was dead. What would have been the history of the civil war if Sergent s. Prentiss had lived? He was the most brilliant orator the south ever sent to Congress. Yet he was cradled among the Maine pines. He was born only one year previous to Abraham Lincoln. What would have been the history of this country is Henry Clay's brilliant son had not been killed in the Mexican war or If Websters brilliant son had not lost his life in the same in- ternational strife? These are questions which I love to ask for many reasons It is to prove to you and me that no ques- ton In our dives Is too insignificant to weigh carefully. We may think we are deciding an insignificant matter, but that seemingly insignificant decision may gov ern not only the destines of our own lives, but the destines of many lives di- rectly or indirectly dependent upon us.
 Another Lesson.
 Another great lesson which we learn is that each generation has a different and a distinct work to do. When we go back to the time of Bradford and Miles Standish. there we find the stern stuff of a Puritan life. The foundations of national character had to be laid. There we found men who were hewers or great rocks or truth. They were hard headed set. They did not believe in flowers and rainbows and apple blos- sons. But they had great work to do. Foundation stones are rarely beautified by the sculptors chisel. They must be laid in the dirt. But they are the most important stones in the temple of national life. Thus these broad brmmed Puritans did their work well, for they laid for the nation the foundation stones of moral character and spiritual truth.
 Then came the age of Washington, Samuel Adams, Otis and Franklin. They were builders of our political and consti- tutional life, as the Puritans were the builders of the nations spiritual and moral life. Then came the early years of Edward Everett Hales own life. That was the growing age of our nation, the time of acquisition of extensive territory, of new states and the scatterings of many peoples. Then came the eniancipa- tion age of Lincoln, Seward, Grant and Lee and Alexander H. Stephens. That was the age when the many states were welded into one firm, unbreakable nation Ours Is the age when we are to battle for social rights and for the downfall of the saloon and for the triumph of Gods church and for the union of all hearts as brothers. Wealth, untold wealths. is ours