The Hartford republican. (Hartford, Ky.) 18??-1926, 1909-02-19
By Apr oprate and impress
sive Ceremonies.
President Theodore Roosevelt paid
A Glowing Tribute to the Mem
DRY Of Great Emancipator.

while the sun played hide and seek
with the clouds and the winds sang
q tune In the dueetops last Friday
nation pausd and paid revedrent trd-
butte 30 the memory of us greatest
son The Lincoln Farm of a hun
dred years ago is now one of uhe
Meocas of the world, and the yellow
clay soil the rude log cabin and the
purling spring underneath the rocks
henceforrh will lie close TO the heart
OF the American nhtion.
At 2:33 O'Clock President Theodore
Roosevelt laid the corner stone of the
Lincoln Memorial Hall and dedicated
the Lincoln Farm; and the hitherto
insignificant field that Tom Uinco m Gu
tivRted a century ago became a
place of universal renowm and shrin
of American liberty while Hodgenvile
KY, demonstrated once and for an dts
irrefutable claim 10 a permanent place
upon the map.
1t was a scene every spectator will
remember all his days. Kentucky was
there 5000 strong. The Uniued States
was there in the person of their Presi-
dent, Theodore Roosevelt. Though the
winds blew and tine clouds rolled by
and the rain fell drizzling over all
nature was still rbeneficent for the roll
ing hills the picturesque valley the all
most subterTanean spring and dhe far
stretching lanscape lent poedc hue
to tine scene. Blu more than the lavish
ness of nature, more than the glamor
and entnancng magnfficence of the oc-
casion over the above and through
everything else was the spirit of pa
tTdotism evoked by the memory of tine
Great Bmancipator, in Whose honor
the people were gathered there.
And the people We're There, many
thousands in number though many
more would have been there had rhe
weather been more favorable and hhe
roads more passable. The atmosphere
could not have been more chilling
without freezing; the rain could
NOT have fallen faster without pouring
down and could not have fallen slower
Without stopping altogether and the
day ,onthe whole could NOT have been
more uncomfortable without. being I'M
bearable. Only a strong patriotism in
their hearts together with the inrin-
sic attractions of tie Lincoln Farm,
could have induced them to venture
out of doors. But the patriotism was
there, and the Lincoln Farm was to
be dedicated and thousands came from
the hillsides, from the valleys and the
stretches from Kentucky the United
States and even a few from foreign
countries.
President Roosevelt in dedlcaGing
the famous Lincoln farm spoke as
follows:
We have met here to celebrate the
hundreddh anniversary of the birth of
one of the two grsaleSJ Americans;
Of one of the two or three greatest
men of the nine zenith CENTURY; of one
of the greatest men in the worlds his-
tory. This rail splitter this boy who
passed his ungainly youth in the dire
poverty of the poorest of the frontder
folk, whose rise was by weary and
painful labor lived to lead his people
through the burning flames of srug
gle from which the nation emerged
purified as by fire, born anew to a loft
Ter life After long years of iron eff
fort, and of failure mat came more
often than victory he at last rose to
the leadership Of cne Republic at tina
moment when that leadership had be-
come the Supendous world-taslS of The
time. He grew to know greatness but
bu, never happiness save that which
springs from doing well a painful and
a vi al task. Power was his but not
pleasure. The burrows deepened on
his brow but his eyes were mdimmed
by either hate or fear. His gaun,
shoulders were bowed, but his steel
thews never faltered as he bore for
burden the destinies of his people.
His great and tender heart shrank
from giving pain; and the task allot-
ted him was 10 pour out like water
the lifcblood Of the young man, and
10 feed in his every fiber the sorrow
Of the women. Disaster saddened bu.
never dlsmayed him. As the red year
Of war went by they found him ever
doing future with faerless front high |
Of heart and dauntless Of soul. I'm /
broken by hatred mistaken by scom
he worked and suffered for the peo-
pie. Triumph was his at the last;
and barely had he tasted 1t before muir
der found him, and tine kindly, pad
ent, fearless eyes were closed forever.
As a people we are indeed beyond
fortunate In the character of
he two CREATES. Of oir public men,
and Lincoln. Widely |
lhough they differed in externals, tine
Virginia landed gneleman and the