The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-02-13
LITTLE OLD LOG CABIN IS BURIED IN FLOWERS
 GIVEN BY CHILDREN
President Roosevelt Delivers the Prin- cipa Address and the Corner stone of Splendid Monu-
 ment Is Laid With Ap-
 priate Ceremonies.

Hodgenville, Ky, February 12-Hence- forth the birthplace of Abraham Lin coin is to be marked by a pile of stone. The emanclpator of a race, and more than that the liberator of the thought of a nation, builded his own monument in the heart of the world and appropriately the physical structure which has now found beginning at the place where Lin coln first saw the light takes the simpler name of a memorial. It is to be a sim pie, but classic building of granite, and it is hoped that 1t may be completed some time next fall, when the then Presi- dent Taft will officiate in dedicating it as the present President, Theodore Roose- velt today officiated in laying it's foun- dation stone.
 The corner stone laying took place af- ter appropriate forensic ceremonies, which were participated in by the President of the United States, Governor Augustus D. Wilson of Kentucky, former Governor Joseph w. Folk of Missouri, president of the Lincoln Farm association; Hon. Luke E. Wright, Secretary of War who spoke as an ex-Confederate soldier: General James Grant Wilson of New York. who represented the Union soldiers, and I. T. Montgomery of Mississippi a negro and an ex-slave. With one exception the orators spoke from the same platform and with the same flag. splendid new specimen of the stars and stripes. fiut-' tering over them. Novel Features.
 The ceremony was full of interesting and novel features apart from the oc- interesting was the character of the crowd which composed the audience. There were probably six or eight thousand peo- pie present. Many of them had come in on special trains from Louisville and other Kentucky centers, and some had been attracted to the scene from far away states.
 The bulk of the assembly was com posed, however, of the country folk from LaRue and adjacent counties.
 The site of the birthplace of the great American is an out-of- the-way corner of the world, but while there was contrast
 
 the city-bred dignitaries, there was no marked difference in department There was a notable absence of negroes in the crowd, but those present were wedged in among the whites, showing that none had been kept away by race prejudice. Among those who had been expected to be present was Mrs. Ben Hardin Helm the only surviving sister of Mrs. Lin coin, 92 years old, but she was kept at her home in Louisville, much to the re- gret of all, by her infirmities
 Exercises In Tent. s The exercises were conducted under wide-spreading, opensided tent, which had been erected alongside the cabin in which Lincoln was born one hundred years ago today and while the weather might have been worse 1t was sufficiently disagree able to render the tent useful. Raw and damp was the atmosphere, but the heads were barred during the ceremonies and there was liberal and judcious applause. There was an earnestness of expression and 1t was evident that most of those there felt that they were engaged in pay ing a long deserved tribute to a na- tional hero. President Roosevelt and his immediate party arrived shortly before 1 o'clock after a drive over a heavy red
 
 minutes afterwards, Governor Wilson called the assembage together and in- troduced Rev. Dr. E. L. Powell, of the First Christian church of Louisville, who delivered an extemporaneous prayer.
 The speakers platform was small and accommodated few except the participants in the exercises and the Presidents i'm mediate party including Mrs Roosevelt, Miss Roosevelt Mrs. Augustus E. Will son, Capt. A. w. Butt, Dr. Rixey and others.
 Brief Addresses.
 Commencing with Governor Willsons address, the speaking began at 1 o'clock, and notwithstanding there were six set speeches. one prayer and considerable band music, to say nothing of the laying of the cornerstone, the entire ceremony had been concluded by 2:45 and a few minutes 9fterward the visitors had begun their rough carriage ride back to Hodgen- vile.
 The President was frequently interrupt ed by applause, but it was well timed and never boisterous enough to cause either annoyance or much delay Other speak CTS were also liberally applauded
 MT. Roosevelt aroused special enthus- iasm when he mounted a chair and gave the crowd better opportunity to see and hear him. In the main he confined him. self closely to his manuscript but at the beginning departed from it to make reply to complimentary allusions to himself by Governor Folk. The eXtemporaneous part of the speech was as follows:
 Greeting of Roosevelt.
 Before I begin my set speech I wish to say one word as to the composition of the people who address you today and what that means Here we have to greet us men of both political parties, men representing the north and the south: we have a governor of Kentucky of one party and at the last presidential cleo ton his state went the other way; we have an ex-governor of Missouri of the other party and at the last presidential -~-----~---->~>--~- --~-->----~-~~, CONTINUED ON PAGE 2.)