The National tribune., 1908-11-05
ONE HUNDRED YEARS.
The Centenary of the Birth of Abraham
Lincoln and Its Proper Observance
by the People of the Country.

Feb. IL, 1909. will mark the Tooth
year since Abraham Lincoln was born.
Unlike most men who live in history,
| the star of Lincoln began to shine be-
| fore he died, and the years have
! brought luster to his name above and
beyond that of any man since WASH
| ington. The coming of the centennial
anniversary of his birth is being antici-
pated by all the patriotic people of the
country, and this Is as 1t should be.
The whole life of Lincoln was typical
of the boy who worked and won; abso-
| lutely typical of the American boy who
may aspire to the highest honors the
country can bestow, and win them If he
has the stuff in him.
Born in a log hut in the wild woods
of Kentucky, Lincoln had only the ami
mails of the forest, the birds, the brooks
and the trees for teachers, and mayhap
| they are the best of all teachers. His
| father was ignorant and il1iterate, tho
| a man of kind heart, but his mother
| could both read and write. At her
knee he learned the rudiments of the
| three RS" and he once said after he
| entered the White House, ITO my
mother I owe all I am, and all that l
| have achieved. She was my inspira-
| ton"
No mother ever had grander epi-
| taph.
Anticipating the calls for items of
! interest about Lincoln and stories, songs
and incidents to be used in celebrating
| the anniversary of his birth, Capt Os-
| born H. Oldroyd has prepared a beau
| tiful little book Of "a pages, which is
| filled from cover to cover with q "Pro-
| gram of Exercises" that is positively
| captivating. 1t contains all the salient
| dates in Lincoln's life; those portraits
| that are considered his best ones; the
L cnr tna n. Z
| favored; humorous anecdotes of Lin
coln-real ones, and not trumped-up
ones saddled on him by irresponsible
writers; his Gettysburg speech, that
classic which has been translated into
some 35 languages; cuttings from the
pens of great writer's concerning Lin
coin; in fact, a book that everybody
will want, tho he never got up a pro-
gram or took part in a public demon
stration in his life
1t is book that should be I'm every
| library for its historic data, and its cost
is only 10 cents.
And who is Capt. Osborn H. Old
royd? Just one of the most patriotic.
| most progressive veterans living in
| Washington to-day. Capt Oldroyd,
| who served in Co. e, goth Ohio, has
been collector of Lincoln relics for
over 40 years. He never saw Lincoln,
yet he is the sole owner and possessor
to-day Of the largest museum of Lin
lcoln relies in the world. For many
fsyears he had his collection in the home
of Lincoln in Springfield, Ill. Some is
years ago he brought the collection To
| Washington, and 1t is now displayed in
the house in which Lincoln died, lust
across the way from Ford's Theater
where Lincoln was assassinated. Capt
| Oldroyd keeps every scrap of prip,
which has Lincoln's name in 1t; every
picture that is printed. painted OF
etched of him; every opinion that has
been expressed of him; in fact, he lets
nothing escape him that bears in any
way upon the life of Lincoln. He owns
much of the furniture that belonged
to Lincoln-the tables, desk, rocking
chairs, the cradle in which his children
were rocked, the chair In which Lin
coin sat in his law office. But, then, II
would be impossible to mention even
one little corner of the things in that
wonderful collection.
From boyhood. and Can't. Oldroyd
was one of the kid soldiers when he
enlisted, he has been collecting his
Lincoln relics, and he has become
famous the world over. He took a
tramping trip thru England and Ire
land year ago, and was entertained
most handsomely in various sections by