Evening star., 1915-02-13
Memorial Will Stand as Evil
dence of Devotion and Graft
tude of His Countrymen.
SENTIMENT EXPRESSED
AT CORNER STONE LAYING
Veterans of G. A. R. Hold Services
in Memory of the Civil War
Executive.

Declaring that the Lincoln memorial
can add no Iuster to the name and
fame of Lincoln. but that it viii stand
through coming ages as evidence of
the gratitude and devotion in which
Lincoln is held by his countrymen.
former Senator J. c. ). Blackburn of
Kentucky, resident commissioner of the
Lincoln memorial, yesterday afternoon
laid the corner stone of the memorial
i'm west Potomac Park. in the pres
ence of a small group of interested
spectators
Commissioner Black kburu made no
speech. nor was there any address by
any other person present. in accor-
dance with the idea of the commission
that there shall be no celebration
until the building is dedicated follow
ing its completion three years from
row. Mr.. Blackburn contented himself
with a few remarks intended to be
a statement of the nature and purpose
of the stone-layinS occasion.
MI. Blackburn's Remarks.
They were as follows.
The Lincoln memorial commission
at its recent meeting determined that
the laying of this corner stone should
not be attended by any public func-
tion, as there was not time in which
to prepare for such a gathering as
would be commensurate with the oc-
casion.
The purpose of this memorial that
we are erecting is not to perpetuate
the name or fame of him in whose
honor it is builded. but Is intended,
rather. as an evidence to the genera
tions that shall follow us of the ad-
miration and love cherished by the
American people. 1t can add no luster
it is to stand through coming ages
evidence of the gratitude and de-
votion in which Lincoln is held by his
countryroen-"
burn. among those present. besides the
workmen actually engaged in building
the foundations and memorial, were:
Henry Bacon. the architect of the me-
mortal; Col. w. w. HartS, l.. s. A. ex-
ecutive officer Of the commission: Capt.
James A. OConnor, U. S. A, inspector
of construction: H. A. Vale secretary
of the commission: James Baird, vice
president of the George A. Fuller Com
pany. which is building the memorial;
A. F. Conner. head of the company,
which has built the foundations; Miss
Mabel Boardman, Mrs Mary Butter
worth Hazelton, Mrs. NJ. r. Blumen-
berg, F. F. Gillen, Frederick d. Owen,
Oscar Wenderoth, supervising architect
of the Treasury Department, and John
F. Bethune.
Grand Army's Tribute.
Veterans of the Grand Army of the
Republic honored the memory of Lin
coin last night at services of their own
IN tho First Congregational Church, at
which one of the principal features was
an address by Gen. Isaac r. Sherwood,
representative in Congress from Ohio.
Gen. Sherwood compared Lincoln with
some Of the commanders-in-chief now
engaged in the European conflict.
Gen. Sherwood said. In part:
Lincoln was the commander-in-chief
of an army in the most desperate and
bloodiest war in all the history of the
world, despite the desperation and
bloodiness of the conflict now being
waged
IN the civil war every man behind
but today the fighters in Europe do not
The peasants on one side of the Rhine
have no quarrel of their own with peas
ants on the other side. In our war we
had an old Springfield rifle that would
carry to kill 500 yards: but today they
have a rifle that kills at 2,400 yards,
and they shoot that rifle ten times as
fast as we fired ours.
I'll bet a months salary against an
old Panama bond that you can't find
five soldiers in all of Europe's hos
pitfalls wounded with a bayonet, and yet
thousands of our boys got bayonet
thrusts. Only now and then we hear
of an European general killed, yet in
one battle 1 remember twelve Confed-
crate generals lost their lives in five
hours fighting on a two-and "a half
mile battle front.
Rawlins Post Celebrates.
Rawlins Post, No. l. G. A. r., re-
garded as being the Oldest chartered