New Ulm review., 1908-09-02

What a fitting memorial to Lincoln
would be a noble highway, a splendid
boulevard, from the White House to
Gettysburg, from the house where his
record for craftsmanship was achieved
to the spot where he struck the highest
note of human eloquence! The seven
ty-two miles would give sufficient
length to the highway to justify its
use as national memorial. The coun-
try to be traversed offers no special
engineering difficulties. It is just
about sufficiently rolling to afford fine
landscape effects and to furnish oppor-
tunity for handsome bridge here and
there. The width of the road should
comport with it's memorial character.
Let us say tentatively that the width
should be 200 feet.
Down the middle of the road let
there be a greensward forty Or fifty
feet wide, well-kept lawn looking like
beautiful green carpet of velvet. To
lend variety to the central line OF
beauty, here and there flower gardens
and other decorative features could be
introduced. At intervals could be
erected fountains and other monumen
tai embellishments that might be ap-
propriate.
On each side of this central line of
beauty let there be a smooth roadway
forty or fifty feet wide, constructed ac-
cording to the highest engineering
standard of 'sgood roads, One of
these roadways may be reserved for
swift-moving vehicles like automo-
biles, and the other for slow-moving
| vehicles like carriages and wagons.
Outside of these driveways could be
double-tracked electric railways, occu-
pying width of twenty feet each and
separated from the driveways by
hedges. One of these railways could
be for express trains of high speed
and stopping only at intervals of ten
or fifteen miles; the other could be for
local trains moving slowly and stop
ping at short intervals.
Bordering "The Lincoln Road" on
each side there should be row or
rows of stately trees, the rows broken
at points where could be obtained fine
views of the mountains or valleys or
river.
In order that ''The Lincoln Way
may be built with certainty and with.
out delay, it should be constructed un.
der the direction Of national com
mission and should be paid for out OF
the national treasury.::But full oppor-
tunity should then be given to the in
dividual states to express their regard
for Lincoln. To each state in the
union may be allotted a portion OF
''The Lincoln Way" to be embellished
in accordance with it's taste and
means, subject to the approval of the
national commission. Other spaces
could be allotted for establishment to
national patriotic societies. Oppor-
tunity should be afforded to succeeding
generations to add something to the
beauty of "The Lincoln Way" Solong
as patriotism glows in the hearts OF
the American people, it will be for
them a labor of love to add from time
to time to this expression of national
affection, keeping ''The Lincoln
Way" at the forefront as the best and
most attractive highway in the entire
world.
Having in mind the possibilities Of
electrical illumination, the beauty Of
this boulevard when lit up at night
may be left to the imagination.
What is really proposed is not sc
much a perpetuation of the fame o1
Abraham Lincoln, which is already
secure, as an appropriate expression
of our appreciation of him. 1t is OF