The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1912-02-15

presidency; and he assumed that office at time when state after state was seeding and when the people of the south were arming themselves for a struggle that has been known as the irrepressible conflict LincOln's attitude tWard the questions which he ingIy illustrated by his farewell ad- dress delivered to his friends and neIghbors on February II, 1861, when he departed from his home to go to to start MT. Lincoln appeared on the platform of the car and raised his hand to command attention. His words were these:
 Farewell to Neighbors.
 Friends, one who has never been placed in like position can under stand my feelings at this hour, nor the oppressive sadness feel at this part ing. For more than a quarter of a century I have lived among you, and nothing but kindness at your hands. Here have lived from my youth until now, and I am an old man. Here the most cherished ties of earth were born. and here one of them lies buried: To you, dear friends, I owe all that I have-all that I ann All the strange, checkered past seems to crowd now upon my mind.
 Today l leave you. go to as- sume a task more difficult than that which devolved upon Washington. Un- less the great God Who assisted him but if the same omniscient mind and mighty arm that directed and protect ed him shall guide and support me, shall not fail shall succeed. Let us all pray that the God of our fathers may not forsake us now. To Him l commend you all. Permit me to ask that with equal sincerity and faith you will invoke His wisdom and guild ance for me. With these words must leave you-for how long I know not. Friends, one and all. must now bid you an affectionate fareweH.'
 6 Subject to Abuse.
 "It Is almost impossible for us at this time to realize the dithcuIt1es un- der which he labored, and the forces which were at work to discourage him. He was subjected to the grossest course that he had selected, patiently and persistently.
 His second inaugural address, on March f 1885, contained these i'm mortal words:
 'Fondly do we hope. fervently do we pray, that this mighty scourge of war may speedily pass away. Yet if God wills that 1t containue until ali the wealth piled by the bondman's 250 years of unrequited toll shall be sunk, and until every drop of blood drawn by the lash shall be paid by another drawn with the sword. as was said 5000 years ago. so still it must be said that the judgments of the Lord are true and righteous alto gether.
 charity for all. with f1rmness in the right, God gives us to see the right, let us finish the work we are into bind up the nations wound; to care for him who shall hSve born& the battle and for his widow and or phans; to do all which may achieve and cherish just and lasting peace amongst ourselves and with all ma tions.'
 Had Foreboding.
 At length, after the great contest had been won, Lincoln. at the height of his career died at the hands of an assassin. MT. Lincoln had a forebod- ing. A vague presentiment of inn pending doom haunted hIm. On April Is his cabinet gathered. T am very anxious to hear from sherman, Lin coin said. You will hear good news from Sherman was the reply. T do not know MT. Lincoln replied, and then he repeated, I am very anx ious to hear from Sherman.' adding these words T feel some great dis aster is coming upon us. Last night I was visited by a strange dream-the same dream that. in the darkness Of the night, has three times visited me, before the Battle of Bull Run, before the battle of Stone river: before the battle of ChancellorsvilIe, it came to me. and the following day came news
 
 to me last night, and I feel that some great disaster is to befalI the nation in which am to be personally affected" The news from Sherman never reached him. Before it came his spirit had departed.
 The fame and influence of Lincoln increase as the years go by. His name has become one of the famous names of all history The story of his life has penetrated into the most remote lands.
 His Labor Ended. When the great man closed his eyes in that eternal sleep which, soon CT or later, is the portion of all his labor of service was at an end, but ! he bequeathed to all his countrymen and to lovers of liberty and free gov ernment everywhere a priceless herit- age.
 The example of his life will be an inspiration as long as popular govern ment endures. The struggles of his early manhood and the supreme ac- compEshments of his days of maturity make one proud to be an American citizen. He taught the entire world how a man can be gentle and yet not weak; patient and long suffering and yet strong; cautious and yet courage ous; kind and yet just; modest and yet equal to all that might come. More than any other man since i Revolutionary days, he revived the i faith in ancient truth and brought his l people back to the principles of the
 
 ton of Independence, and sought to i apply the doctrines to the problems which confronted him. Time and time again he stated that he never enter tained a policy or advocated q princi- | pie which he did not believe was founded on that great instrument. He knew it for its supreme worth, where lesser men criticized its philosophy and sought to weaken its binding force. He called the framers of the Declaration wise statesmen,' and said that they knew the tendency of pros perity to breed tyrants, and therefore, set forth, in a written instrument, these self-evident truths that in all the time to come, if any man or any class or any party denied their force, | the descendants of these patriots might look again to the Declaration to take courage to renew the fight their fathers began
 Assassination of Lincoln. Dr. George L. Porter, a leading member of Elias Howe, Jr., post, G. A. R., and a man who knew Abraham | ,T-s~,