Evening journal., 1909-02-12
ROOSEVELT
LAUDS LINCOLN
President Delivers Grafton
at Kentucky Celebration
To-day
LINCOLN AND WASHINGTON
THE GREATEST PRESIDENTS
By United Press Leased Special Wire.

By United Press Leased Special Wire.
HODGENVILLE, Ky, Feb. 12.-
President Roosevelt today honored the
memory Of Abraham Lincoln. At the
celebration on the Lincoln farm near
here he characterized the emancipator
and Washington as the greatest of
American presidents. and drew lessons
from their lives for the benefit of pres
ent day Americans. The exercises were
most impressive.
Governor Folk. as president Of the Ma
tional Lincoln Farm Association, opened
the. speech making. The laying Of the cor
- ner stone and President Rooseveit's ad-
dress followed. Governor Wilson. of Ken
lucky. and Secretary Wright followed in
the order named. and Bishop Galloway
Of Mississippi pronounced the benedic-
tion. The president said:
We have met here TO celebrate the
hundreth anniversary Of the birth of
one of the two greatest Americans: of
one Of the two or three greatest men
Of the nineteenth century: of one Of
the greatest men in the worlds his
tory. This rail splitter, this boy who
passed his ungainly youth in tho dire
poverty Of. the poorest of the frontier
folk. whose rise was by weary and
painful labor lived to lead his people
through the burning flames Of strug.
rr-t.f
purified as by fire, born anew to z
ioitier life. After long years of iror
effort, and OF failure that came more
often than victory. he at last rose tc
the leadership of the Republic. at the
moment when the leadership had be.
come the stupendous world-task of the
time. He grew to know greatness
but never ease. Success came To him
but never happiness. save that which
springs from doing we'll painful and
vital task. Power was his, but no
pleasure. The burrows deepened OF
his brow, but his eyes were undimmet
by either hate or fear. His gaun
shoulders were bowed. but his stee
thews never faltered as he bore for
burden the destines of his people. Hi
great and tender heart shrank from
giving pain; and the task allotted hin
was to pour out like water the life
blood of the young men, and to feel il
his every fiber the sorrow of the wo
men. Disaster saddened but never dis
mayed him. As the red years of wa
went by they found him ever doin.
his duty in the present. ever facing
the future with fearless front, higl
of heart. and dauntiess of soul Un
broken by hatred, mistaken by scorn
he worked and suffered for the people
Triumph was his at last; and barrel,
had he tasted it before murder foun,
him. and the kindly, patient. fearless
eyes werc closed forever.
Men of Lofty Ideals.
AS a people we are indeed beyon,
measure fortunate in the character
of the two greatest of our public men
Washington and Lincoln. Widel.
though they differed in externals, tn
Virginia landed gentleman and tn
Kentucky backwoodsman. they wer
alike in essentials, they were alike II
the great qualities which rendered eacl
able to render service to his natioi
and to all mankind such as no othe
man Of his generation could or did ren
der Each had lofty ideals, but eacl
I'm striving to attain these lofty ideal
was guided by the soundest common
sense. Each possessed inhexible cour
age in adversely, and soul unspoile
by prosperity. Each possessed all tn
geatler virtues commonly exhibited b.
Continued on Second Page.