The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1909-02-16
ORATORY AND
MUSIC At THE
OPERA HOUSE


Americas great defender of democ-
racy and equality at the Opera House
last night. The exercises began with
music by the band of the Fifth Cav
airy, followed with an address by Col.
w. S. Schuyler of that regiment, who
declared that his troops brought a
message of peace, not war, to the PEG
pie of the Hawaiian Islands. Then
followed vocal solo, the "Star
Spangled Banner" by Mrs. Bruce
McV. Mackall, accompanied by the
Fifth Cavalry banda most effective
thing.
Captain C. P. Rees commandant of
the Naval Station, delivered a brief
address, picturing the great obstacles
which Lincoln overcame in his deter
mination to preserve the Union and
maintain a free republic. Captain
Rees concluded with the reading of an
original poem, which wildly traced
the career of Lincoln, from the log
cabin of his youth, to Washington, as
the Chief Magistrate of the nation.
Following the Grafton of the even
ing by Walter Clifford Smith, John C.
Lane read the Gettysburg address, and
the exercises closed with the benedic-
zion by Bishop Restarick.
1t was a cosmopolitan audience that
did honor to the memory of America IS
great commoner, and, despite the rain,
there were few empty seats in the
Opera House during the exercises. The
Consular Corps was in attendance, and
many representative men and women
of the community were present in the
audience.
Among those seated on the stage
were Governor Frear and his staff;
Major Dunning, U. S. A; Captain c.
p. Rees, U. s. N; Major Long, U. S.
M. c.; Colonel Schuyler, U. S. A;
Bishop Restarick, Consul-General Uye-
no, of Japan; Consul-General Canavar-
70, of Portugal; Acting Consul General
Forster, of Great Britain; F. A. Schae
fer, j. F. Hackfeld, H. NJ. Won Holt,
Chief Justice Hartwell, DR.. Cooper,
Superintendent Babbitt, Miss Knapp,
Miss Pope, Mr.. Bliss, Professor Grit
fiths, Professor Wood, Miss Marsh,
Mr.. Merrill, Mr.. Fits, Mrs. Frazer,
Miss Backman, Rev. Mr.. Okamura,
Rev. Mr.. Imamura, James Morgan,
Frederick Waldron, the Grand Army
Post, Chairman A. L.sC. Atkinson and
the people on the program.
Chairman's Opening Address.
In opening the evening exercises,
Chairman A. L. c. Atkinson dwelt on
the lessons of democracy that could be
learned from the career of Lincoln,
and declared that the influence of Lin
coin g policy of kindness and good will
is one of the precious heritages of the
American people. Mr.. Atkinson spoke
as follows:
'We have met to pay our homage,
to give our unstinted tribute to one of
the greatest men who ever lived. We
are eighty millions of people, living
under the Stars and Stripes, yet we
know not who will be even mentioned
as men of national prominence one
hundred years hence. But as long as
time shall last, the hero, whose hun
dredth natal anniversary we are now
as statesman of eminence, as man
whose love reached out and embraced
all his countrymen.
"Tall, sun-crowned, rugged of form,
homely in appearance, the acme of
physical power, he possessed a big
heart, which was as sympathetic and
warm as that of any gentle lady. Dur
ing his last years he went about with
sad face, but with firm tread and
steady hand, guiding wisely the ship
of state through dangerous breakers,
his heart filled with unutterable love
for all his people, and in mental an,
guish at the thought of suffering on
both sides of struggle.
"He loved the sunny South; he loved
the Southern people, he recognized
their spirit of patriotism, the fact that
they were fighting for what they be-
heved to be their rights, and while
1t was his duty to oppose them, he OPP
posed them without bitterness, with
regret and with that paternal love
which father feels for an erriRg son.
He was inspired by principle, and not
animosity.
"But the les=on learned from the
life of this great man is the fact that
greatness is not inherited, nor the ac-
compartment of wealth. Born of
humble parentage, he struggled for
knowledge, and by sheer force of will
forged to the front, and has left his
influence impressed upon his own and