The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1909-02-11
Anniversary "reminiscences.

History maketh young man to be
old, without either wrinkles or gre,
hairs, privileging him with the expert
ence of age, without either the infrmit.
les or inconvenience thereof"
The approaching centenary anniver
sary of the birth of Abraham Lincoln
calls to mind the fact that the present
year is also the centenary anniversary OF
the birth of Tennyson, Darwin, Glad
stone, Mendelssohn, Poe, Elizabeth Bar
rett Browning and Oliver Wendell
Holmes, and no doubt of others whom the
collaboration of dates might suggest.
Of the three Americans in the grout
mentioned Poe's centenary has already
been noticed by those friends who ere
noble enough to separate his art from
his career.
The Lincoln centenary is already the
theme of the press and the pulpit, the
topic of the orator and the essayist.
The custom, now so general, of prize
essays in the schools, is to be specially
commended, in the present case it opens
out career not too difficult to be follow
ed by the average healthy boy or girl.
The advantages of wealth and position,
of influence ahead and energy (translat-
ed into push) behind the man, had no
part in the history of the man whose
birthday we celebrate. In this respect
he stands unique.
One advantage of the essayist of to-
day is that he will find prepared for him
in print, and the accounts will agree, -
Lincoln's honest purposes, under God, to
to preserve the union of states freed
from human slavery, and his implicit
faith in a guiding and upholding power
much greater than his own; else how
could he have directed the war? We
who passed through the double period of
his presidency had these things to learn
for ourselves.
When the expenses of graduation
shall have been applied toward visit to
the National capitol, sane and sensible
the essayist will see at the
White House the venerable Tom Pendel,
Mr.. Lincoln's doorkeeper, a living link
connecting the past and the present,
whose term of service numbers forty
five years.
1t he is interested he may learn that
Lincoln's assassin, John Wilkes Booth,
was loved and humored; that he was
gentle, winsome, but most cruelty mis-
guided youth of twenty-six, fact which
the exigencies of the times did not per-
NIT US to know To us he was the villain
incarnate.
DR.. Geo. L. Rice of North Adams,
Mass, one of Lincoln's bodyguard, tells
the following story to the Boston Herald;
"The city of Washington was in state
of turmoil, and orders were given to ar
rest any one of a suspicious character
who was found on the streets after
certain hour at night, and DR.. Rice with
a patrol one night arrested a seventeen
year old boy whom they found riding an
old mule on Pennsylvania avenue, and
took him before their commanding offic-
err.
The officer demanded the boys bust
ness and was met with the reply, Faith
er told me to tell it to no one but Secre-
tary Stanton" The officer threatened,
but the hoy, badly frightened, would
make no other answer. The officer Or
1ered squad of six men to line up with
their muskets loaded, stood the bow
against the wall, gave the order to aim
and then told the boy it was his last
chance to tell his business; but with tears
streaming down his face which was
white as chalk, the overgrown country
BOY stuck to his text; "Father told me to
ell it to no one but Secretary Stanton. -
The order to fire was not given, and
he next day the boy delivered his mes
sage"
That boy was hero in the strife, why
should not his name be known?
My heart goes out in sympathy to those
households in which the coming celebra-
Jon will stir feelings of sadness. Those
we're not Spartan mothers, who gave
heir sons for their country!
81 own my natural weakness; l have
lot yet learned to think of indiscriminate
murder without some sense of shudder-
n.y."
AS child, there comes to me my first
realization of the National struggle,
when one bright morning, squad of
'oldiers from Searsport passed my Bel
asst home on their way to join the Bel
asst company, formed soon after Pres.
4incoln's draft of 500, 900 men, early in
1854. They were without fife or drum,
md were not soldierly: but they seemed
lappy, and good-naturedly chaffed pas
ers-by, who received their squibs with
quail good nature, for were they not 60
ng to the war, to save the Union from
isbonor and possible destruction? The
Incident caused no sadness on my part,
or the pretty blue uniforms and the
right buttons, so dear to the childish |