The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-11-10
LINCOLN MEMORIAL FARM |S DEDICATED. l BY PRESIDENT TAFT Drizzling Rain Mars Open ing Exercises, But
 Skies Clear TAFT PRAISES THE
 WAR PRESIDENT Governor Folk of Missouri, Governor Wilson, Gen. Black and Gen.
 John B. Castleman Prin-
 cipal Speakers

Hodgenville, Ky, November s.-ln drizzling rain. 10000 persons from all sections of the nation today assembled at the Lincoln farm near here to take part in the dedication of the granite tenn pie which enshrines the cabin in which Abraham Lincoln was born 102 years ago The skies cleared. however, shortly be- fore President Taft was introduced as the principal speaker.
 Special trains from Louisville, New York and other cities brought large crowds to pay their tribute to the mem ory of the martyred President
 Former Gov. Joseph ". Folk or -lis- souri, president of the Lincoln Farm as- sociation presided, introducing President Taft. who spoke for the nation; Gov. Augustus Wilson of Kentucky, who spoke for Lincoln's native state; Gen. John C. Black, former commander in lie, who spoke for the soldiers of the north, and Gen. John B. Castleman of Kentucky. who spoke for the soldiers of the south. Senator ". E. Borah of idaho delivered an address on Lincoln, the Man.
 Mackay Speaks
 Clarence J. H. Maclsay. treasurer of the Lincoln Farm association. spoke of the work which had been accomplished by this organization.
 1T L.. oF ba of and the lowly." said MT. Maekay Tt has come from gift of S25,000 from one and from many thousand like the good wom- an who sent me so cents for herself and seven children. and the two miners who. from their Alaskan diggings, sent me $1o in gold dust. The association has raised a total of about sSS3ooo. The memorial is paid for, and an endowment of s5o0o0 set aside for maintenance. There is lit- tie else to say. It is a simple, direct tribute of great nation to the memory of great American. The success of this enterprise has been due chiefly to the generous and patriot spirit of Robert J. Collier. who nobly responded to the sug- gestion that a national memorial be made of the farm on which Lincoln was born. He made the Lincoln Farm association possible once the plans of the associa- ton were formulated, the people of the nation promptly did the rest. It has been democracy's tribute to a great dem- ocrat."
 With the close of the exercises today at Hodgenvile President Taft and his party continued on their trip to Nash vile and Knoxville. The Presidents tour will be brought to a close in Washington Sunday morning.
 President Taft
 "There is nothing so fascinating on the one hand and nothing so difficult on the other as the tracing by heredty or tho development of genius or real greatness" said President Taft, beginning his a,l- dress.
 "Perhaps," he continued, ''this is be- cause there are so few instances in his- tory that prompt the search. The expla- ratior, of Lincoln and his wonderful char acter from his origin and environment is a,rnast as difficult as the explanation Of Shakespeare, but the passion of the world grows for more intimate knowledge of his personality and a deeper inquiry Into 
 Tho Rsesident noted the appropriateness of tie memorial on the Lincoln farm and went on, saying:
 Few men have come into public prom thence who came absolutely from the soil as die Abraham Lincoln. 1t is difficult to imagine the lack of comfort, accomm"- cation and the necessities of life that there were in the cabin in which he wss torn. With an iliterate and shiftless father, and a mother who, though of ed- ucation and force, died before he reached youth. his future was dark indeed. In the stepmother that his father found for him, however. he had woman ot strength of character and of education enough to assist him.
 "1'te almost squalor in which he passed his early life made him familiar with tho suffer:ngs. thoughts and sympathies ,f the plain people, and when he came :o great power his understanding of the.r req soning and of their views gave him an advantage in Interpreting their attitude which cannot be overrated.
 His evident sympathy for the coored race. his sense of justice in their benaif. his earnest passions to secure them free dom ana equality of opportunity had their Inspiration in the sufferings and lin- itations Of his own early life.
 His Characteristics
 He had imagination, ana ne loNeu poetry. He had the rythm of lam guage and, though purely self edu- cated, these circumstances developed power of literary expression that the world and especially the literary world has come fully to recognize and enjoy.
 He was lawyer and a good one. He studied his cases hard, and he pre- pared his arguments with the force and -ciearness that might have been ex-
 .E I,t 4..r .l~ 4. up. His mind was luminous with truth. His conscience was governed by devo- tion to right and the tenderness of his heart was only restrained by his in- tellect and his conscience.
 The story of his dealings with Me- Clellan. with the members of his cab inet and with others unconscious of the great genius and heart with whom they were in personal touch. exasper- ates the sympathetic reader and arouses a protest that vents itself in contempt toward many of those who surrounded him and yet did not measure the great nature they were privileged to know. The diary of his cabinet officers shows how under his very nose and gener- ally with his clear perception of it, political combinations were formed, only to be dissolved and fall harmless through the patient tact of this master of men, this greatest of diplomats.
 When he came to the presidency he had only the experience of two terms in the legislature, of one term in Con-