The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1909-02-04

and his example
are so widely
ARa.ss ramifying tina
LINCOLN DENoUNcING they cannet be
THE GOLD noARDERs. traced. If these
are true and durable they go on for
ever. They win and shape uncon-
sciously. They are seeds blown about
the earth. and every heart is recep-
tive soil into which they may fall. In
this view the results Of Lincoln's life.
toll and faith have only begun. They
will furnish light for mems feet and
will lead them to liberty, truth and
mercy so long as America IS nation
or there is republic upon the earth.
That Lincoln preserved the Union
and freed the slave is much. That he
showed us what American manhood
can be, that he gave us an everyday
illustration of democracy, that he
taught us charity and forgiveness. that
he proved to us over and over again
that nothing is durab BILE but truth, that
he revealed to US how high soul can
overcome poverty and that he held be-
fore us the white example of blame
less life are more.
Fortunate is the land which has such
man for its patron saint. His life
becomes an inspiration for the young,
his precepts a guide for the old. He
has marked out new moral paths and
pointed the way to new individual and
social heights. Because he went
through the wilderness of trial and
temptation and turned not aside we
can better find our way. Because he
was SO gentle, so honest, so true and
so friendly in all the relations of life
we can all be gentler and truer, more
| honest and more friendly than we
should have been without his helpful
example.
America is just beginning to know
Lincoln. She has yet to learn the real
depth of his political philosophy, his
unwavering confidence in the triumph
| of right, his contempt of money and
/ all that money can buy, his divine
| faith in the masses of men, the I'M
| selfishness of his motives and, last and
| highest of all, his supreme spiritual
quality. There are enough lessons In
| Lincoln to afford profitable study fol
century. If any man can go te
school to that life and not get over
being a snob, prig or all aristocrat
1t will be because the pupil has moi
enough brains to comprehend what
the master is trying to teach.
Already it is safe to say that NJ
American has been so illustrious since
Washington Concerning none has 81
much been written, nor has what ha.
been written been SO eagerly read
This interest has grown up spontane
ously from the people themselves. Tha
is the beauty of it. There is nothing
forced nor artificial in his fame.
When certain bankers of New Yorl
tried to corner the supply OF gold dur
ing the war, Lincoln rather heated.
said of them that they ought to hav'
their 'infernal heads shot off" 81
uttered other opinions in kind. Abou
the only really biting things the NaZa
} rene ever said concerned the "scribes
} Pharisees and hypocrites," and In tn
same way the most caustic Of Lincoln
J remarks related to the money changer
and other like gentry who are tn
modern counterparts of those denoune
ed by the Master Lincoln had enoug
, real insight to see just who are tn
! worst enemies of the human race.
No, 1t is not from these that the pht
nomenal growth of Lincoln sentimer
has come. 1t is from the toilers in til
fields, the shops and the mines, frol
| the lowly race he freed, from the so
; diers he befriended, from the young I
. whom be gave inspiration, from tn
average man and average woman, VIII
|. felt in him brother and a friend.
z One Of the manifestations Of the Lii
: coin wave that has swept the countr
, has been seen in the celebration of b.
t birthday. This was by no means gel
. eral at first, but was spontaneous
q taken up by societies and soldier
: posts, finally by states and few veal
8 since was made a holiday by the NJ
o tional government. 1t has now culm
mated in making his birthplace shrir
n and his centenary worldwide eel
; bration.
!, AS America grows more democrati
as all forms of slavery disappear ;
genuine manhood and womanhood al
), more highly priced. as forms are aba
doned and spirituality becomes mar
fest as mercy, charity and brotherhood
;. are enthroned. as the plain people con
y to their own and as men grow In the
Z 80 ,-t~ nd
!, mercy, the fame of Abraham Linco
and his influence over his country W
= increase, for of all these things he WI
the champion and the exemplar.