Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1909-02-13
THE CORNER STONE
is LAID TODAY AT
THE LINCOLN FARM
Continued From Page ~


men, Washington and Lincoln. Widely
though they differed in externals, the
Virginia landed gentleman and the
Kentucky backwoodsman they were
alike in essentials, they were alike in
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
did render. Each had lofty ideals,
but each in striving to attain these
lofty ideals was guided by the sound
est common sense. Each possessed in
flexible courage in adversely, and a
roul 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 SO much as the understanding
OF the words by which we signify the
qualities OF duty. of mercy, OF devo-
ton TO the right, of lofty disinterest-
edness in battling for the good of 9TH
ers. There have been other men as
great and other men as good; but in
all the history of mankind there are
not other two great men as good as
these. no other two men as great.
Widely though the problems OF today
differ from the problems set for solu-
tion to Washington when he founded
this nation, to Lincoln when he saved
1t and freed the slave, yet the quail
ities 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
vouchsafed only TO the poet and the
| seer. He had in him all the lift toward
/ greatness of the visionary, without
any of the visionarys fanaticism OF
egotism, without any of the visionary's
narrow Jealousy of the practical man
| and inability to strive in practical
! fashion for the RECITATION of an ideal.
He had the practical mans hard com
mon sense and willingness to adapt
means to ends; but there was in him
none of that morbid growth OF mind
and soul which blinds SO many prac-
tical men to the higher things of life.
No more practical man ever lived than
this homely bacliwoods idealist; but
he had nothing in common with those
| practical men whose consciences are
warped uptil they fail to distinguish
between good and evil, fail to under
stand that strength, ability, shrewd-
ness whether in the world Of business
or of politics, only serve to make their
| possessor more nOXious, more evil
member Of the community, if they are
not guided and controlled by fine
and high moral sense
How Lincoln Was Criticised.
1--WE of this day must try to solve
many social and industrial problems
requiring to an especial degree the
combination of indonitabIe resolution
with cool-headed sanity. We can profit
by the way in which Lincoln used both
these traits as he strove for reform
We can learn much of value from the
very attacks which following that
course brought upon his head, attacks
alike by the extremists OF revolution
and by the extremists or reaction. He
never wavered in devotion to his
principles, in his love for the union
and in his adherence of slavery
Tlmid and lukeWarm people were al
ways denouncing him because he was
too extreme; but as matter Of fact he
never went to extremes, he worked
step by step; and because Of this the
extremists hated and denounced him
with feyor which now seems to us
fantastic in its dedication of the un
real and the impossible. At the very
time when one side was holding hin
) up as the apostle of social revolution
because he was against slavery, the
, leading abolitionist denounced him as
the slave hound of Illinois," Wher
he the second time candidate fol
president, the majority of his oppo
nents attacked him because Of wha
they termed his extreme radicalism
while minority threatened to boil
his nomination because he was no
radical enough. He had continually
to check those who wished to g
forward too fast, at the very time tina
he OVERRIDE the opposition Of thost
who wished not TO go forward al all
, The goal was never dim before hi!
, vision; but he picked his way cautious
| ly, without either halt or hurry, as HI
strobe toward it, through such ,
> morass of difficulty that no man o
: less courage would have attempted il
, while i. would surely have overwheln
ed any man of judgment less serene.
Yet the most wonderful thin;
thing of all, and, from the standpoin
| OF the America Of today and of thu
future, the most yitally important, wa
the extraordinary way in which Lin
coin could fight valiantly against wha
he deemed wrong and yet preserv
undiminished his love AMI respect fo
the brother from whom lie differed
In the hour of a triumph that woult
have turned any weaker mans head
in the heat of struggle which spur
red many good man to dreadful win
dictivenes;, ne said trutnfully that s.
long as he haG been in Gis office h
had never willingly planted thorn il
any mans bosom, and hescught hi
supporters to study the incidents o
the trial through which they wer
passing as philosophy from which t
learn wisdom and not as wrongs TO b
avenged; ending with the solemn q,
horation that as the strife was ovel