The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1909-02-10
1909 1909
The Lincoln Centenary
By James a. Edgertcn
Copyright. 1908. by the
American Press Association
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local committee of the Lincoln Cen.
tennial association are such diStin-
guished men as former Vice President
Adlai E. Stevenson, Chief Justice Full
Ter Of the United States supreme
court, Senators Cullom and Hopkins,
Speaker Cannon, Governor Deneen,
General Manager Melville e. Stone Of
the Associated Press and other old or
new friends of the martyr president
equally eminent.
Among those who will participate In
the centenary exercises are the Brit
iSh and French ambassadors, the two
recent candidates for the presidency,
ex-Secretary Taft and Mr.. Bryan, and
others whose names are household
words in more than one land. Now
that the Springfield program has been
adopted by the educational authorities
Of so many of the states this simple
ceremony will become the most widely
observed and impressive memorial
service ever given to a single man on
the American continent if not in the
world. But this will by no means end
The observation of the Lincoln cente-
nary. Almost equally notable will be
the celebration at the Lincoln birth
place farm, which will then be dedi-
Gated and thrown open to the public
as a national park. At this Kentucky
ceremony President Roosevelt has
promised to be present; also Mark
Twain, Governor Folk and others dis
tinguished in politics, law and letters.
There is a generous emulation with
out rivalry between the two commit
tees that have in charge the respective
celebrations at the birthplace and the
tomb. Thus the two ends Of MIR Lin
coins pathway will be bright with
glory, while the fame of his life will
stretch like rainbow between. But
the chief celebration will be neither at
Springfield nor at the Rock Spring
farm. 1t will be in the hearts of the
plain people, who loved him while on
earth, who love him now and ever will
love him as their true friend They
have not means or time to travel to
distant ShrineS nor elOquence to voice
their appreciation, but by their own
firesides and in their own hearts they
will tell in simple words of their faith
and trust in this plain and unassum-
ing man who was one of themselves.
They are the final arbiters of all mems
fame, and he who is secure in their
regard is established for the ages
One of the features of the centenary
at Springfield will be the meeting of
those who knew "Old Abe and who
can give history first hand We have
so much secondhand history in the
world that this will be an improve
ment. If we could only have conven-
ton of those who knew julius Caesar
or Charlemagne or Oliver Cromwell,
how many errors could be corrected!
An experience meeting of the friends
of Shakespeare would likewise be
worth going miles to attend. We new
er appreciate an immortal till he gets
out of reach. While he is on earth we
say, "Oh, yes, old So-and-so-everybo
knows him." But 200 years after he is
dead the world discovers that it does
not know him. but wishes it did. 1t is
fortunate that we have taken this
great interest in Lincoln while some
of those who used to meet him behind
the grocery stove and argue politics
and swap stories with him at the post
Office are still on earth. Otherwise we
should be In the same deplorable state