The Chanute times. [volume] (Chanute, Kan.) 1897-1913, 1909-02-19
AN ELOQUENT SPEECH.

the Methodist church, Feb II, 'O9,
on the occasion of the celebration of
Lincoln's birthday, under the aus
pices of the G. A. r., WOman's Relief
Corps and ladies of the G. A. r.
The illustrious character, the
memory of whose life and deeds are
the occasion for this demonstration
tonight has been and now is in the
minds and hearts of all our people.
The fact of his humble parentage,
the meager opportunities to prepare
himself for the greatness to which he
attained, his unassuming life are all
known to the American people.
have therefore blocked out some
thing of new line of contemplating
what was the probable condition and
contemplations that led our hero to
the very summit of human greatness.
In other words l want to contemplate
him from new view point. l will
therefore ask you to go with me in
your imagination over line OF
thought that governed his life and
in all probability was responsible in
great measure for the preparation of
his great work.
He was a great reader of ancient
history and a most profound thinker
and was well acquainted with the
history of the great past. He had no
: use for fanatics or fanaticism or loud
! and empty professions, a man with
out profession and yet the very
embodiment of a Christian ideal life.
. When he was elected president of the
United States and was confronted
J with the mighty problems of govern
ment in the midst of gigantic up
i heavel he no doubt called up all the
great incidents of governmental af-
fairs within the scope of his knowl-
Il edge. And it is reasonable to believe
= he took retrospective view of the
!. eternity past as far as history and
" human imagination could possibly
9 carry him.
. Let us therefore imagine him stand
@ ing on the summit of the pyramids of
n Egypt, and looking long and thought
fully into the great solemn unrecorded
{ history of the eternal past, and in his
u Imagination calling up the mighty
W nations whose monuments and ira
n ditional history can only exist in the
pictures drawn from our Imagination
and wondering why no history re-
y mains of these great nations and
y their deeds
'g For an explanation he turns to the
" historic side of the nations of earth
a, and contemplates the romantic
troubled times and grandure of en-
passioned Chaldea, and views Assyrias
t. dazzling magniticence. The stupend-
lie ious wealth and luxury of Babylon,
" of Greece's pomp and splendor, and
ie with sad heart reviews the dazzling
glitter of usurping Rome and the
i, heartless tyrants she produced. The
l. culture and refinement of the Moham-
al medan empire with it's creed es-
tabished and maintained by the
;, sword, French elegence and polish
parading its armies before the world
er headed by the greatest military
is genius of all ages and the miserable
re end of it all.
l., British power, greed and usurpation
; all pass in solemn review before him.
IL Then he heard from the buried cities
l. Campania from the faded splendor
i. and crumbling walls of the once
N mighty Rome from the marble wilder
ness of the once proud gay Athens.
A wall, yea cry as it were. A
10 government founded on Injustice
N cannot permanently stand.
He then takes up some of the in
dividual characters on the stage of
national life. He contemplates Alex
, ander the great, the patriot worrior,
l. statesman, and diplomat of Greece
;. and crowning glory of the nation.
-, Xerxes with his five million worriors
- and over a thousand ships going down
&c before the Greek invaders. Nero upon
the greatest throne of earth, whose
name stands as the synonym of the
y most savage cruelty the world has ever
g witnessed in ruler. The gruff Bis
~ mark, giant diplomat, but void of
&c all sympathy Then a thousand
empires that have crumbled and
passed into history, all passed in
review before him, and he drew u
plan of public life and public policy,
q and when the test came he stood there
e grave, thoughtful, proof against the
II wiles of foreign diplomats and the
poisoned darts of false and designing
frinrndc nt hama