The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1913-02-01
THE LINCOLN MEMORIAL.

mas passed. and the pfASl.
dent will sign, if he has not already
done SO, a hill aprropriating two mill
ion dollars for Il memorial to Abraham
Lincoln to be erected in the city Of
a commission of which President Taft
is chairman. The only organized op.
position to- his plan came from a
group in congress who favored a me-
mortal. hut advocated instead of the
plan proposed by the commission the
Washington to Gettysburg. The coun.
try has reason to congratulate itself
on the fact that the plan Of the com
mission has been adopted.
4 good road is Il splendid thing. a
fine road from Washington to Gettys-
Of this character would not he at all
an appropriate memorial to the great
war president. 1t would be a work Of
utility. and of commercial advantage.
If so it is worth while to build it as
a commercial undertaking. Blu, it the
nation wishes 10 honor n Of its great
rs, men, and tbs mar who shares with
Washington the supreme place in the
honor and affection Of his countrymen,
sometime. different from a work Of
utility and commercial value is ap-
propriate.
II. has been said that Lincoll. vas a
man Of Il practical turn Of mind. and
nj the simplest tastes and that he
himself would have chosen to have his
name attached 10 a great work Of use-
fulness which could he made to serve
a practical purpose, rather than by a
great marble structure which could
merely be looked upon. We have no
means Of knowing what Lincoln would
have chosen, and il does not make
much difference. a man is not usual
ly a good judge as to the character
OF his own monument. Lincoln was
practical. in many ways. He had a
good sense. in some respects, Of the
relative value of things. But he was
an idealist, n Of the greatest
dreanlers that the world has ever
seen. The country was full Of men
who saw the practical difficulties Of
the situation which confronted him.
They saw the south embattled against
the nation. pouring forth its men to
make effective the threat Of national
dissolution which it had made They
saw business at a s%tandstill; they saw
the armies Of the north beaten back
and discouraged; they thought. with
their practical mind, that the things
that Lincoln was striving for were i'm,
possible. But Lincoln had dreamed
his dream of a united nation in which
all men should be equal before the
law. of the sweeping away Of discord
and hatred. like cobwehs across the
path. and the cemcnting Of a greater
nai"n than most of his fellows had
ever Imagined. And as he dreamed
he worked. And lie was s~teadfast.
through evil report and through good
report. and at last he inspired o Ners
with belief in his vision, and the cause
was; won.
Gaze upon the st. Gaudens statue of
Lincoln in Chicago. See in that face
the lines of care and sorrow. through
which shines forth the steadfastness
to a mighty purpose which made Lin
DIN Il prophet among his people. and
as you look upon it and take in its
spirit and its meaning. let some one
tell you that with the money that IL
cost several streets could have been
paved. Could there be a greater alb
surdity: The paved streets would be
useful. The statue is an inspiration 10
higher thought inc better life. And
so the erection of a suitable memorial
to Lincoln in the city Of Washington,
where he suffered and sorrowed. where
he fought the greatest Of his battles
and won his final triumph, will be an
inspiration to millions. We have
wealth enough to build roads where
they are needed. We have men who
are able to build them. And, IL the
lofty ideals Of Lincoln take posses.
sion Of the people We need not fear
that they will not be built. and well
and honestly built. But we need
something of the sentiment which goes
with the building Of noble monuments
md much Of. the inspiration which
comes from their study.