Evening journal., 1909-02-12
ROOSEVELT
LAUDS LINCOLN
contlnued From FIrst pnro

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
devoid of so much as the understand
ing Of the words by which we signify
the qualities OF duty, of mercy. Of de-
votion to the right, OF lofty disinter-
oatedness in battling for the good of
others. There have been other men
as great and other men as good: but
in all the history of mankind there
are no other two great men as good
as these, no other two good men as
great Widely though the problems
OF to-day differ from the problems set
for solution TO Washington when he
founded this nation. TO Lincoln when
he saved itA 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 to-day.
Lincoln saw into the future with the
prophetic Imagination usually vouch-
safed only TO the poet and the seer
tie had in him ali ;hc lift toward great
ness of the visionary, without any Of
the visionarys fanaticism or egotism
]
! jealousy of the practical man and in
ability to strive in practical fashion
for the realization Of an ideal He had
/ the practical mans hard common sense
and willingness to adapt means TO
ends; but there was in him none OF
that morbid growth Of mind and soul
which binds 80 many practical men
TO the higher things of life. No more
practical man aver lived than. this
homeiy backwoods idealist; but he had
nothing i'm common with those prac-
teal men whose conscienccs are warp
ed until they fall to distinguish be-
tween good and evil. fail to understand
that strength. ability, shIewdness,
whether in the world of business or Of
politics, only serve TO max, their
possessor q more noxious, a more evil
member of the community. if they are
not guided and controlled by a fine
and high moral sense.
Duties of the Present.
We OF this day must try to solve
many social and industrial problems,
requiring to an especial degree the
combination of indomitable resolution
with cool-headei sanity. We can profit
by the way in which Lincoln used
both these traits as he strove for re
form. We can learn much of value
from the very attacks which following
that course brought upon his head. at
tacSs alike by the extremists of revolu-
ton and by the extremists of reaction.
He never waycred in devotion to his
principles, in his love for the Union
and in his adherence Of slavery. Timid
and lukewarm reople were always he
nouncing him because he was too ex-
IRENE; but as a matter of fact he
never went to extremes, he worked
step by step; and because of this the
extremists hated and denounced him
with a fervor which now seems to us
fantastic in its dedication of the unreal
and the impossible. At the very time
when one side was holding him up as
the apostle Of social revolution because
he was against slavery. the leading
abolitionist denounced him as the
slave hound OF Illinois" When he
was the second time candidate for
President, the majority of his oppo-
nents attacked him because Of what
they termed his extreme radicalism,
while minority threatened to bolt his
nomination because he was not radical
either halt or hurry. as he strobe to-
ward it, through such a morass of
difficulty that no man of less courage
. would have attempted it. while it
would surely have overwhelmed any
man Of judgment less serene.
Fighting Against Wrong.
Yet perhaps the most wonderful
thing of all. and from the standpoint
OF the America OF to-day and Of the
future the most vitality important, was
=. the extraordinary way in which Lin
coin could fight ,valiantly against what
he deemed wrong and yet preserve I'M
I dimipished his love and respect for the
= brother from whom he differed. In
the hour % a triumph that would have
= turned any weaker mans head. in the
p heat Of a struggle which spurred many
% a good man TO dreadful vindictiyeness
he said truthfully that so long as hS
had been in his office he had never
willingly planted a thorn in any man:
bosom, and besought his supporters (
study the incidents of the trial through
which they were passing as philosophy
from which 10 learn wisdom and moi
as wrongs TO be avenged; ending viii
the solemn exhortation that, as tn,
strife was over. all should reunite in Z
common effort to save their common
country.
IAt AiNtu III QAlNo Alldl were great alit
terrible, when brother fought agains
brother for what each sincerely deem
ed to be the right. In a contest 81
grim the strong men who alone cal
carry II through are rarely able to d'
justice to the deep convictions OF thos
with whom they grapple in morta
strife At such times men see through
a glass darlxly; to only the rarest ant
Hottest spirits IS vouchsafed that clea
= vision which gradually comes to all
even to the lesser. as the struggl
fades into distance. and wounds ar
forgotten. and peace creeps back &
the hearts that were hurt. But {
Lincoln was given this supreme vision
He did ut hate. the man from whom
he differed. Weakness was as foreig
as wickedness to his strong, gentle ma
ture; but his courage was Of a quallt
so high that Il needed no bolsterin
Of dark passion. lie saw clearly tina
the same high qualities, the same cour
age and willingness for self-sacrihcS
and devotion to the right as 1t wa
given them to sec the right, belonge
both to the men of the North an
To the men Of tho South. As tn
years roll by. and as all of u'
} wherever we dwell. grow TO feel a
equal pride in the valor and sel-devc
ton. alike of the men who wore III
blue and the men who wore the era,
so this whole nation viii grow TO fe'
a peculiar sense OF pride In the ma