The Spokane press. [volume] (Spokane, Wash.) 1902-1939, 1909-02-06

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Practically every city in the
United States is preparing to cele-
brate in one form or another the
centenary Of Lincoln's birth, Feb.
~, 1909, but the central celebra-
ton of all will be held on that
day at the Lincoln farm, two miles
south of the little village of
Hodgenville, KY, the geographical
center of the state.
Here, contemplating the sub
Unity Of the deeds of Abraham
Lincoln. Theodore Roosevelt, with
only 20 days of his presidential
career then remaining, will inform
ally lay down the burden of his
great office.
No president before him will
ever have faced greater inspira-
ton.
Even the occasion of Lincoln s
Gettysburg address could not
have meant so much to Lincoln as
this occasion of celebrating Lin
coins great century must mean to
Roosevelt
There would have been no
Gettysburg but for Lincoln: no
heroes graves but for this great,
sad. noble man.
For the American people on
that day, Roosevelt will accept
from the Lincoln Farm association,
of which Robert j. Collier of New
York is the founder. the farm on
which the great president was
born, and will ay the cornerstone
of noble memorial hall of granite,
the design of John Russell Pope of
New York
The building will cover and
house the little one room log
cabin in which Abraham Lincoln
was born and on the exact spot
where it stood when the bare
footed little Abraham trod it's
earthen floor.
This gift to the American people
by many thousands of American
citizens. who have Joined in the
contribution that has extended
over three years, will include the
ragged, sterile old farm which
Mark Twain has called with poetic
humor, 1.-The Little Farm That
Raised a Man"
That the American people feel
the inspiration of this coming
event is shown by the fact that
committees in many cities sought
at the general offices of the Lin
coin Farm association, "a Broad
way, New York. for advice as to
the trend that local celebrations
ought to take, in view of the Ken.
lucky celebration. =.
No uniformity of program in the
cities has been arranged. but the
trustees of the Lincoln Farm asso-
citation. who include William H.
Taft, Henry Watterson. Lyman ].
Gage, Samuel l.. Clemens MARK
Twain, William Jennings Bryan.
James Cardinal Gibbons, Samuel
Gompers. John A. Johnson and
other leaders. desire that publicity
be given in the celebrations to the
fact that the birthday of Lincoln
is, on that day, being dedicated as
a shrine of American patriotism.
Addresses by prominent citizens
describing the Lincoln memorial,
thus acquainting the public and
especially the school children with
its existence, will be particularly
in place.
A glance at the historic careers
and events that have been me-
morialized by the American people
will show that the coming celebra.
ton of the Lincoln century is of
vast import.
In 1889 Grover Cleveland called
upon the people of the United
States to celebrate the centennial
of the Inauguration of Washington
and monument was erected in
New York city, memorializing the
event.
Two other great memorial events
in American history are the Phila-
delphia exposition of 1876, which
celebrated a centpry of independ-
ence, and the Chicago exposition In
1898, In honor of Columbus, to
celebrate the fifth centennial of
the discovery of the continent.
In that first 10 years of the nine
teenth century was sborn, in New
York. Willard Fillmore, in 1900: in
New Hampshire. In 1904, Franklin