The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1913-05-30

COUNTRY
Lincoln's Gettysburg address is a
classic in lyric literature. There can
be no doubt that this unframed rail
splitter from the prairies of Illinois,
in scribbling this marvellous speech
of one hundred and twenty-seven
words. in dedicating this National
cemetery gave to the world as fault
less apiece of diction DIS may be found
anywhere in all the realms of htera-
ture.
He said in one striking sentence, |
want to impress upon the thought OF
the men and women listening to me
here. THE world will little note, nor
long remember what we say here, but
1t can never forget what they did
here At this very hour the fiftieth
anniversary of the battle of Gettys,
burg is in preparing. On July 1st
there will gather from the four cor
ners of the earth, the men who par.
ticipated in that great battle. They
are coming up from Iowa, and the
state is Loyalty and lovingly contribut-
ing to the enjoyment of that occasion.
These men who remain will gather
there to recount the experiences of
those three days, but as they mingle
one with another, should they pause
to reflect upon the great emancipation.
they will if they understand the
spirit and genius OF the man know
that when he stood there that day
dedicating this piece Of sacred soil as
the burial place of our honored dead,
that he knew when the dust of these
men and the dust of countless multi
tudes had been forgotten In charnal
cities OF the dead that the world could
not forget what these men did
here" They saved the union.
1t was the spirit of freedom mani
Testing its tremendous power. 1t was
the onward sweep OF those great prin.
ciples Of liberty which had found their
first expression on Mount Sinai and
had been echoed back upon Calvary.
Heroic, majestic, the name o. Lincoln
energies grander still. Towering over
all the pickering strifes of political
preferment of national policies, him.
self the greatest figure of them all.
1t was time for the vast evil of slav-
cry to fall and it did fall. It had been
daorood Il, ~ ;pfpito tbo{ fhjc IN ;n,,f-
tous institution should not abide. Be
sides a series Of events had been In
preparing and among the greatest was
the evolution of Abraham Lincoln.
The evil of slavery had destroyed the
balance of the moral universe. but the
excessive weight of Lincoln restored,
the equipoise of justice and the reek-
ing sword of vengeance declared four
million bondmen free. With the war
finally over, rejoicing swept over the
north. The south was In ashes. But
this hour of great rejoicing in the
north was interrupted by the tragedy
of Lincoln's assassination and as
David wept for Saul and Jonathan
and his muffled harp tuned to the
funeral dirge exclaimed, How are
the mighty fallen,' so the nations
heart in one great melancholy surge
echoed How are the mighty fallen" "
His labors were ended The book of
his life had been closed forever. But
he could not be forgotten. Monuments
have been erected to his memory and
upon the banks of the sangamon riv-
err. under stately granite shaft, his
precious dust reposes, but
useless the bronze and the granite
Lincoln cannot be forgotten
Days may rise over the prairie,
Stars rise and set in their glory
Or fade in the far off night Swallowed
heavens:
But, as long as the Sangamon river
flows
Through the long Mississippi,
Onward and into the ocean
Lincoln cannot be forgotten
Rehabilitation.
Immediately peace had been estab-
lished the country entered upon
period of rehabilitation. The death
of Lincoln had served to great ex-
tent to modify the acrimony and bit
terness which was felt In the hearts
both north and south Of the Mason
and Dixon line. Indeed the chastise'
ment of God had been upon the ma
ton and the national sin had been
expurgated by the blood of American
citizens. There was sorrow at every
fireside. The nation was in weeds,
Frustrated by the war. The American
spirit, however, began to manifest it
self and the returning soldiers soon
took their places in the industrial de-
velopmept of the country II is need