Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-10-30
A LINCOLN MEMORIAL
Tentative Plan for a-Peristy|e
on the Plaza.
CONGRESS YET TO ACT
Other Projects That Have Been Out
lined.
GREAT ROAD TO GETTYSBURG
Universal Hope That the Lincoln
Anniversary May Be Marked by
Enactment of Law.
GREAT ROAD TO GETTYSBURG

On the 18th of next February the hun
dredth anniversary of LincoIns birth Will
be celebrated The press throughout the
land will herald the centenary; the lead
ing magazines will have special Lincoln
numbers: public institutions will arrange
Lincoln exhibits, and out on the little
farm in Kentucky where the portentous
event took place there will be a great
celebration in which the several states
will take part. Here in Washington. how
ever, besides these things the question of
a national memorial to Lincoln will be
considered and brought before the people.
1t is forty-three years and more since
Lincoln died, and yet no monument has
been erected to his memory in this the
capital of the nation. To be sure, effi-
gies of him stand in front of the court
house, in the Capitol and in the park
which bears his name, but in such wise
are many other heroes commemorated,
and in the history of our country Lincoln
looms large. Perhaps it is partly on ac-
count of Lincon's eminence that TINS
state of affairs exsts-it is so much easier
to commemorate a little hero than great
one, for whereas in the first instance
many forms of expression would seem
suitable, in the second almost none ade-
quately measures up to the man. In the
problem seems to have been admirably
solved, but there is none of sound sense
who would advocate the building of
second similar obelisk to commemorate
Lincoln
Water Front Proposed.
Six years ago. when the Senate park
commission drew up it's plan for the
future artistic development of Washing
ton, i: specified a site for Lincoln me-
mortal and made it a chief factor In its
design. This site was on the water front,
one mile from the Washington Monument,
and at the eastern approach of the pro-
posed memorial bridge from Washington
to Arlington. 1t was on the axis OF the
Capitol and the Washington Monument
and at the .juncture of the drives leading
to Potomac and Rock Creek Parks-that
is at the gateway to the proposed park
system. 1t was agreed at that time
that whatever exact form was selected
for the memorial structure it should pos
sess the quality of universally, and also
should have a character essentially differ
ent from that of any monument either
then existing or thereafter 10 be erected
in the District.
The form suggested by the commission
was a great portico of Doric columns
forty feet in height, occupying space go
feet in length and 10 feet in width. APP
preached by broad flights OF stairs on
the east and west, embeHlShed by appro-
pirate groups of sculpture and surmount-
ed by a central group of statuary but
having as its chief function the support
ing of a panel, or frieze. bearing an In
scription taken from the Gettysburg
speech or. from some other of Lincoln's
great utterances. At the eastern APP
proach to this memorial it was proposed
to place a statue of Lincoln-the one great
man. 1t has been said. who in our history
as a nation is worthy to be named with
George Washington-and as background
to the portico it was suggested that linden
trees in rows four deep should be
planted. t-t ;s&S@ s~sf*