Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1914-02-15

young Oldroyd and which remained with
him, was that people in great stations
were born great. But, in that Campaign
Life of Lincoln for sale on ms news
stand he read of lowly origin, log cabin
birth, rail splitting. poverty and strus-
gle, and here was a man born as nun
dreds of thousands of other men We're
born, aspiring to the presidency OF the
American republic and voicing the cause
and opinions of a great section or the
people on the vital. immense questions or
that tense period. In this way the news
dealer got his first interest III Lincoln
and then he began to clip cartoons and
all else of interest in the papers ana
magazines relating 10 Lincoln and the
pending campaign
The war breaking out. Oldroyd left his
newsstand and enlisted in the goth Ohio
Infantry and served throughout the war
in the western armies, not reaching
Washington until the grand review m the
spring Of 1860. In 1895 Mr. Oidroyd be.
came steward of the National Soldiers
Home at Dayton. remaining in that ca
pacity for two years. Then he secured
the position of steward at the ONO IN
sane Asylum, remaining there for seven
and a half years. being relieved on
change of political administration in 1915.
During those years he had been collect
ing Lincoln relics and spending all his
salary and all the money he could raise
in that work In 1888 he removed to
Springfield, H. and rented from Robert
Lincoln the old Lincoln family home:
Then his collecting industry found fun
play He bought all furniture and books
and other articles used by Lincoln that
ne could pay for. He correSponded wits
all persons he could learn Of who had had
any association with Lincoln. He in
creased his collection by great stores of
Lincoln relics. He remained in Spring
field until 1897. when Robert Lincoln
presented the Lincoln home to the state
of Illinois.
In 1892 the Memorial Association of
the District of Columbia had been formed.
It was Incorporated under the laws of
the District March Is, 1892. The asso-
citation was formed for the threefold pur-
pose of preserving the most noteworthy
houses at the capital that have been
made historic by the residence of the ma
tion's greatest men, of suitably marking
by tablets or otherwise the houses and
places throughout the city of chief in
terest to our own residents and to the
nultitudes of Americans and foreigners
who annually visit the capital. and of
thus cultivating that historic spirit and
that reverence for the memories Of the
founders and leaders of the republic upon
which an intelligent. and abiding patriot
ism so largely depends" The officers of
this association were Melville w. Fuller,
president: Teunis 5. Hamln, vice presi
dent: Myron NJ. Parker, secretary, and
James L. Fitch. treasurer. The members
of the association We're: Melville w.
Fuller, John NJ Schofield, John w. Fos
ter. Il. II. Warner, 5. 7. Langley. A. Is.
Hagner. J. c. Bancroft Davis, Walter $.
Cox. S. II. Kaufman, \. K. Spofford,
John Hay. ]. w. Douglass, Myrou NJ.
Parker, Gardiner G.. Hubbard, W. ID.
Davidge. 5. r. Franklin, Charles c. Glov-
and Teuns 5. Ha1nlin
The memorial association, learning
of the presentation of the Lincoln
House at Springfield TO the state of
Illinois, invited Mr.. Oldroyd to bring
his Lincoln collection to Washington,
installing it in the Lincoln death
house. the association planning that
the national government should pur-
chase both the house and the col
lection.
Among its objects as stated by the
Memorial Association. was this: And
we especially wish to purchase the
house 10th street in which presi-
dent Lincoln died. 1t is the only
building at the capital distinctly asso-
ciated with him. We wish to restore
it to the condition in which it then
was, both externally and Internally
and to make it u perpetual shrine of