Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1912-02-15
Lincoln Speeches
dndLetters
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NEtNE Lundredth anniversary OF
wv the birth OF Abraham
Lincoln With the recollec-
ton Of that vast volume of eulogy still
fresh upon us, II may sound para.
doxical to hint that Lincoln is even
now without honor in his own coun.
try.
Perhaps you have noticed that while
paradoXes are not always true as Mr..
G. X. Chesterton would have us be-
lieve an astonishingly large number
have much truth in them So it is
with this one.
or course we are all able to re-
count anecdotes about the young rail-
splitter, the country storekeeper, the
struggling lawyer, the stump speaker,
the presidential nominee, the Great
Emancipator. We can tell some of his
own yarns and jokes. / wonder II
Lincoln's habit OF joking is not the
full need of worship We are so
prone to laugh at, as we'll as with, the
man who seems to aim at entertain
ment. Let us not forget that Loncoln's
stories and mastery funning were
only escape valves for his feelings.
Well, all these superficial things,
say, we know and appreciate, to be
sure; we listen to little sermons on
qualities" that he Is said to have
possessed; we have heroic half mys-
teal notions about him; he has be-
come a myth But do we know his
words? Have we drunk his bottom.
less wisdom? Are we vaccinated by
the Lincoln literature against cant
and cowardice?
The man, statesman, martyr, Is writ.
ten In letters so large that TO many It
may seem anti-climax to turn to the
smaller print and read Lincoln. the
writer of letters and maker of speech.
es. Yet here | venture that he Is no
less great. No real man of letters is
a mere man of letters. You and | and
all sensible people have no patience
with the man who writes or talks, not
because he must, but because he can.
The writer who has no purpose in
not be as obnoxious as some other
parasites, but his importance in the
real world of victory and defeat is
certainly represented by minus
sign. Lincoln is one of the for
tunate few whose genius kept pace
on all sides.
Loyal Americans have perhaps been
too close TO the massive features of
their hero TO admire sufficiently his
symmetry. The colossal effect has
blinded us to some of the colossal de.
tails. The British have done better.
understand that one and only one
specimen Of American oratory is pro.
nounced perfect at Oxford university
and studied with loving care. OF
course this Is the Gettysburg speech.
Il know there are good reasons why
Englishmen dislike the speeches of
John Adams and Patrick Henry, but
their Judgment is right in this case,
despite their prejudice) No more
nearly perfect utterance ever issued
from the mouth of man.
More OF less homage. certainly. has
been paid to the Gettysburg address.
THAT government OF the people, by
the people, for the people, shall not
perish from the earth" is becoming
the slogan Of newly awakened
America in her battle against "princi.
palities and powers" The second in.
augural address also, and the Cooper
institute speech with its famous end.
ing,
let us have faith that makes right.
and i'm that faith let US to the end dare
TO do our duty as we understand it,"
are fairly well known by name, and
sometimes read
But there are SO many wise. tender
magnificent things from the pen of
Lincoln, which. though they are with.
in the reach of all, remain practically
unread. We doff our hats 10 them.
when they are referred TO. and take
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