Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1909-02-13

by fire born anew to a lOttler life. AT
ter long years of iron effort. and of
failure that came more often than
victory, he at last rose to the leader
ship OF the Republic at the moment
when that leadership had become the
atupemGous worid-task OF the time. He
grew to know greatness, bur never
case Success came to him. but never
happiness. save that which springs
fron doing we'll a painful and vital
task Power was his. but not pleas
Urc. The burrows deepened on his
brow. but his eyes we're undimmed by
either hate or fear. His gaunt Shout
ders were we'd, but his steel thews
never faltered as he bore for a burden
the Gestines of his people. His great
and tender heart shranll from giving
pain; and the task allotted him was to
pour out like water the life-blood Of
the Young men. and to feel in his every
fiber the sorrow of the women. Dis
aster saddened but never dismayed
him. AS the red years of war went by
they found him ever doing his duty in
the present. ever facing the future
with fearless front, high of heart, and
dauntless of soul. Unbroken by ha
tired, mistaken by scorn, he worked
and Suffered for the people. Triumph
MAS his at the last; and barely had he
tasted il before murder found him,
and the kindly. patient. fearless eyes
were Flosed forever.
AS a people We are indeed beyond
measure fortunate in the characters of
the two greatest of our public men,
Washington and Lincoln Widely
though they differed in externals, the
Virginia landed gentleman and the
kentucky backwoodsman, they We're
alike in essentials. they We're alike III
the great qualities which rendered
each able to render service to his ma
ton and to all mankind such as no
other man of his generation could or
lid render. Each had lofty ideals
but each in striving to attain these
lofty ideals was guided by the sound
est common sense. Each possessed ia
flexible courage in adversely. and a
soul wholly unspoiled by prosperity
Each possessed all the gentler virtues
commonly exhibited by good men who
lack rugged strength of character
Each possessed also all the strong
qualities commonly exhibited by those
towering masters of mankind who
have too often shown themselves DE-
void of 50 much as the understanding
Of Tho words by which we signify tie
qualities of duty, of mercy, of devO-
lion to the right of lofty diSintereste l.
ness in battling for the good OF others
There have been other men as gre II
and other men as good; out in all the
history of mankind there are no 9th er
tW" great men as good as these. no
other two good men as great. Wide
~ though The problems of today differ
from the problems set for solution to
Washington when he founded this ma
ton, to Lincoln when he saved it and
freed the slave. Yet the qualities they
showed in meeting these problems are
exactly the same as those we should
show in doing our work today.
Lincoln SAW into the future with the
prophetic Imagination usually voucii-
sated only To the poet and the seer He
had IN him all the lift toward great.
ness of visionary. without any of the
visionary's fanaticism or egotisn,
without any of the visionary's narrow
jealousy of the practical man and in
ability to strive in practical fashion
for tho realization Of an ideal He had
the practical mans hard common
sense and Willingness to adap, means
to ends: but there was in him none Of
that morbid growth of mind and soul
which blinds so many practical men to
the higher thirgs of life. No more
practical man ever lived than this
hnm@iy backwoohs idealst: but lie
had nothing IN common with those
practical men whose conscienoes are
warped until they fail to distinguish
between good ana evil. fail to und. r.
stand that strength, ability shrewd-
ness. whether in the world OF business
or o: politics. only serve to make their
poscssor more noxious, more EVIL
member of the community. if they are
not guided and controlled by 4 fine
and nigh moral sense.
We of this day must try to solve
many social and industrial problems
reuuirinr to an especial degree tie
combination of indomtable resolution
with coo.-headed sanity. We can pro-
i by tho way in which Lincoln used
10th those traits a. he strovc Cor r.
'or:H We can learn much OF va'';e
from IRE v"'v attacks which following
t:tat course brought upon his head. "a
tatl'e alike by the extremists of revn-
tuition and by the extremists of rear-
tion. He never WaVered in devotion to
his principles in his love for the Union
ard IN his ahhnrrance OF slavery. Tin
i'll ard iukewarm people were alwaTs
derourcing him because he was tao
extreme: hut "a Il matter of fact he
y. ,'e,' vent to e~treU1eS. he work cd
stcu bv stem; and because of this the
cXtrotrists hated and denounced him
with .: terv0r which now seems 10 Us
fantastic in It's dedication OF tho un~c ~
and the IMPOSSIBLE. At the Very tim"
" hen ora side was hnlling hirr up rs
the apcstln Of social revolution b
cause he was against slavery. the lead
Ing abolitionist denounced him as the
"SlaVe hound of Illinois," When he
was tie second time candidate for
President. the majority of his oapo-
nentS attacked him because of whit
tl.,>v termed his extreme radicalisT.
willie Il minority thre atened 10 bolt his
nomination because he was not radical
enough. He had continually to check
those who wished to go forward too
fast at the very time that he over
Of -l,n xxFlSl