The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1909-02-13
LINCOLN BANQUET
WAS FEATURE
OF UPLIFT
High Ideals and Public Spirit
We're the Themes
ADDRESS BY PROF. THOMAS
One Hundred and Thirtyfive Were
Present at Dinner Arranged by
Rev. Frank r. Morris.

Inc Lincoln day meeting and ban
quet at the Putnam house Friday eve
ming when 1876 business professional
and working men OF Benz 'ugton met
in honor of The centorar of Lin.
coins birth was one of the BEST gath
erings ever held in BENIN ton in
more ways than one The company
was composed of men OF an walks of
life, from all the churches md socie-
ties-all meeting together for a com.
mon purpose. Not only was the gath
| erlng a success as a memorial TO
Lincoln but as get together of the
citizens of Bennington and a lesson
IN public spirit il should be of last.
ing benefit and ought to be repeated
every year in the future. Credit is
due Rev Frank r. Morris who con.
ceived the idea, made all the arrange
ments and carried the plan through 10
a successful culmination
The banquet served by Landlord
Cornell was one of his best and the
service was excellent, CONSIDERING that
the dining room was crowded to IFS
utmost capacity Music was furnish
ed by the Goldsmith orchestra.
me bust OF Lincoln was placed at the
right of the door and behind the
speakers table was a picture of Lin.
coin draped with flags Rev. Frank
X. Morris presided Grace was said
by Rev A. j. Barron The principal
speaker of the evening was Prof
Ralph w. Thomas, president OF Col.
gate university whose subject was
Lincoln. He was followed BIZ DR. l.
II. Ross who spoke on THE Goth Cen.
fury Bennington.
Mr.. Thomas address was one of the
finest ever heard in Bennington. ful!
OF high ideals and inspiration drawn
from the lifework Of the Great Eman
cipator Lincoln, said the speaker
was a man of two lives. the first of
hard stern service, the second. benign
gracious and glorifed; the first of
thankless toll, labor and danger lead
ing up 10 a bloody and cruel death.
the second even now In the midst of
a glorious Immortality
Born In what YOU and / would call
a hut and reared with no idea of com.
fort or luxury, his entire schooling
was not more than equal to one wear
His real education he got for himself
from borrowed books through the
sternest kind of self denial and appli-
cation and in the midst of the most
absolute poverty. He worked his OK.
amples with piece of charcoal on
the back side of a fire-shovel Think
OF him, as young man, a rail.splitter.
clerk, and later partner In a small
country store--a slave to work in
which his heart was not. At "a
bankrupt and smothered by debt
Then into the law to which he took
a conscience and high ideals that led
MN to refuse many cases that would
have been profitable. He would not
defend man of whose guilt he was
convinced. On one occasion when ne
threw up a case OF this character the
Judge sent word to him to come back
and resume the case He sent word
back Tell the judge that | am not
coming back. | have soiled my hands
and | am trying to get them clean"
Ihence he got into politics. but in
the Illinois Legislature and later in
Congress he refused TO abide by his
party mandates in support of the doc.
trines of slavery and was soon retir
ed to private life
In his great debate with Douglas
he told the people that this country
could not exist half slave and half
free-that house divided against if.
self could not stand He was defeat
ed for the time but in taking this
stand he placed upon his head
wreath of glory that has not faded.
His life was all hard work and bitter
trial. Elected to the presidency he
found with amazement those who had
helped elect him trying to comprom-
Use with those he had been elected to
hght. When his cabinet of strong
men tried to dominate him he declared
that one war at a time is enough and
demanded that they work together for
the one great cause.
On top of all the problems of the
war was the continual hetcheling of
the people of the north with criticism
and advice. A delegation of clergy
men who had been Offering him advice
Ventured to hope that the Lord was
on their side. He told them In his
homely, manly fashion that that did
MT worry him but that he hoped they
were on the Lords side. in the midst
of many defeats of the Union army he
told one delegation that he would
rather be a dead soldier in the field
of battle than be the president of the
United States.
So his hard life went on. He was
seeking man. Commander after
commander was tried for the army of
the Potomac and one after the other
failed. One night he was at the tel.
egraph Office in the war department
getting news, all of It of disaster. Be
tween the dispatches Lincoln walked
about the room with bowed head and
oblivious to the presence of others In
the room he prayed aloud, 20, God.
give me mani" Finally there came
in a dispatch from the west in which
1t was stated that Grant had sent the
following message to pemberton:
THE only terms that can accept are
immediate and unconditional surren-
der. | shall move on your works to-
morrow morning" Lincoln read the
dispatch and remarked simply,
lnaptt.,..I -. I..4