The Montgomery advertiser., 1909-02-13

rodxenvnle, Ky. Feb. i2.--The chief faat>re of the Llncoln centenary ex- 4rclzes here today was the- speech or President Roosevelt: The full text Of the Presidents tribute to Lincoln follows:
 xre have met hsre to celebrate the hnndredth anpiyersary ,of the plEtn ok one of the two greatest Americans. oL one Of the two or three greatest men e H4 the nineteenth Eentury; or one ot fhe Kreatest men in the worlds his- f9ry. This rail splitter, this boy who passed his ungainly youth ,n s,ssss sns esse <olk. whose rise was ty weary ana saif1fui labor. lived to lead his people zhfough the burning flames or q s.rusr sss ..ny,aeS 1 as bv fire. born anew to . 's. Alter long years of iron sftort. ,snS sna et failure that came sn morc tc the leader ship. of the Republic. at the monnshs @ shs when that leadership had become sne stupendous world-task oa ins hnt never ease. Success came to him. pu. rss rsnss happiness. save that which spr.5nssii from doing well q painfnnl, n, ano mot pleas ure. The furrows deepened on nls hrow but his eyes were undiEamSo gy either hate. or fear; H,s sstnnI sstsnI thews never faltered as he bore for oarasl fhe destinies of his people. HIS srssns and tender heart shrank from ssns Dain, and the task allotted nim ,mcS meSs kn pour out like water the ltiespi9oo svers aber the sorrow ot the women; men
 Disaster 9Ssensd sSs nsd Sss Sears neosr of war went ils inc present, ever facing the iuturss with Fearless .d dr9ni I,nheaken h,ga @ Sy hatred, ssashaken by scorn. he workea ano sufrered for the people. Triumph wss { nis at the fast; and 0are.y ynd dHI hirn. % ana fhe kindly. patient, fearless eyes were ssesso ws~hinxton and Ilnceln,
 A. nsonie we are Indeed beyond measure fortunate n the charasters .S,st rssn 0f the two greatest of our pnbi'SS Sv;ass1, msr, Washington and Lncoln. ths , Virginia landed gentleman and sne Kenfucky backwoodsmans tney Mpss alike in essentials, they were aslKe lh z, lh sh ahle to render service to his nation ss or did render. Each had lofty Ideals. hat esshs ss,. sn ssslylnIEd anIdes o by the soand- al eomfrios, seflse Each possessed Tn. asxibie courage in diversity, and soul wholly unseoilsd ny ,sr prcspsT1sy ,rt,ea conn conn ssiorslv exhibited by good men Who leck rixred strength Of character. Eacn possessed also all tho strong .grs,ss gManHsss lrasterB of mankind who have too often shown themselves devoid or % much As the understanding or tne tsss s'o of duty. of mercy of devotion to inc right, 6f lofty disinterestedness in battling for the good of others and good; but in all the history of Ynnnlxfnd there are no other two greae men as good as those. no other two
 Widely though the problems of today diner from the problems set For soia- tion to Washington when he fonn1ee this nation. to Lincoln when ne he savga n,,sga tties they showed in meeting tnese problems are exactly the same as those we should show in doing our work to-
 Tincoln saw into the future with the prophetic imagination usually youcn- safed only to the poet and the seer: ms haa n ot el ehe h Without any Of the visionary's fanatteism or ege- kssn, without any. of the yiTonarys nsrrow Ieslcnsy Of ..rS she pEscena practienl sd fashion for the realization of an ideal He had the practical mans hard com mon sense and willingness to aaaps n0nS Of that morbid growth Of mind and soul which blinds so many pFac- EIcai men to the higher things 2f Hfs; than this homely baclkwoods tdeallst; but he had nothing in common with 4hose practical men whose ,conecieuces guiBli between good and evil fail to understand that strength, ability. nhrewdness whether in the world of DuSsssS Sr oo pSsss 0msy more sssss noxiou more evil member of the community, if they are not guided and controlled by 3 hne and high moral sense.
 Profit By ExamDAes
 We of this day must try to solve many social and industrial problems, requiring to an especial degree tne with cool-headed sanity. We can profit by the way in which Lincoln used both these traits as he StroVe TOT From the Very at attacks which following that course brought upon his head, at- kaClxs alike by the extremists of revo- iutton and by the extremists of re- ton to his principles, in his love for the Union. and in his abhoNence Of slavery. Timid and Iukewarm people were always denouncing him because he was too extreme; but as matter of fact he never went to extremes, ne worked step by step; and because Of this the extremists hated and de- nounced him with fervor which now seems to us fantastic in It's deification of the unreal and the impossible.
 At the very time when one side was holding him up as the apostle of social revolution because he was against slavery, the leading abolitionist de- nounced him as the slave hound or 4iiinois." When he was the second time candidate for president, the majority of his opponents attacked him because of what they termed his ex- trems radicalism. while minority threatened to bolt his nomination be- cause he was not radical enough. He had continually to check those who wished to go forward too fast. at the very time that he overrode the 'op- position of those who wished not to go forward at all.
 The goal was never dim before his vision; but he picked his way cautious " without either halt or hurry. as he strod etoward it, through such a morass of difficulty that no man of less courage would have attempted It, while it would surely have overwhelm- ed any man of judgment less serene
 Yet perhaps the most won ierfui thing of all, and, from the standpoint of the America of today and of the future, the most vitally important. was the extraordinary way in which Lin- coin could fight valiantly against what he deemed wrong and vet preserve un- diminished his love and respect for the brother from whom he differed.
 Tn the hour of a triumph that would have turned any weaker mans head in fhe heat of a struggle which spurred many a good man to dreadful vim tiictiveness. he said truthfully that so long as he had been in his office he had never willingly planted a thorn in any mans bosom, and besought his supporters to study the incidents of the trial through which they were passing as philosophy from which to learn wis deru and not as wrongs to be avenged SDFfuU with the solemn authorization