The Bridgeport evening farmer. [volume] (Bridgeport, Conn.) 1866-1917, 1917-12-06
need LINCOLN'S
INSPIRATION NOW
MORE THAN EVER
T. P. O'Connor of British
Parliament Delivers Ad-
dress at Lincoln Tomb.

4 Springfield, ILL.,, Dec. 6.-Standing
at the tomb Of Abraham Lincoln to-
day T. p. O'Connor, member of the
British parliament, declared in an
address that there never was a mo-
ment in the history of this country
since the death of the illustrious man
by whose ashes we stand today when
the inspiration and lessons of his life
were more needed by his people and
his country"
CAS- man." declared Mr.. OCon-
nor, Lincoln stands as much alive as
though he were still among US. He is
flaming torch which leads on the
inner soul of every American, wheth-
er he is standing by the honor of his
country in his work at home or
marching over barbed wire trenches
against shell and cannon, to wounds
or death. What American can be
cowardly when his courage inspires?
What American can be selfish when
his utter unselfishness is recorded in
every page of his history? What
American can prefer the claims of
ambition or party in face Of his for
getfulness of all personal and partisan
feeling before an imperilled nation?
What American can entertain or toll
crate the very thought of divided
allegiance in face of his passionate
patriotism and of the inflexible reso-
luton with which he fought for a uni
ted nation?
Can any man doubt where he
would stand if in the crisis through
which his country is now passing he
Was GILL &c ,-111oro UTbo+ NO. A. f;,..
and most fundamental of Lincoln's
convictions? Was it not passionate
lover of liberty and hatred of slavery :?
Is there any difference in essentials
between the enslavement of the negro
and such enslavement as Germany to-
day breaches in her gospel of world
domination, and practices while her
sinister mastery lasts in Belgium
France and Serbia, as her blood-stain-
ed partner does in the plains and
mountains of Armenia?
To-day, as Lincoln said, two prin-
ciples stand face to face and will ever
continue to struggle, the common
right OF king or, as we would say,
the Kaiser and the liberty of the
world. Today as Lincoln said, there
is but one duty-to fight 1t is true
today, as it was in Lincoln's day, that
though hitherto in the worlds history
might made right it is for us and
for our times to reverse the maximum
and to show that right makes might.
I know he said, that liberty is
right and so do we. Like him, we
hope that peace will come soon, but,
like him, we want it so to come as
to be worth the geeping in all future
time Finally, can we do better than
obey the imperishable appeal from
Gettysburg to dedicate ourselves so
that the nation may have a new birth
of freedom and that the govern
ment of the people, by the people, and
for the people, shall not perish from
the earth
Spirit of Lincoln, I do not call up
on you to come today to us from this
tomb of yours. Your spirit has never
left US. In hours of solitude when
we are thrown back on our own souls,
that spirit has ever whispered to our
inner, ear words Of comfort and ap-
peal. Rather let me say to your peo-
pie that it is for them to be of, and
in, and with, your spirit, so that, like
you, they may be worthy of this great
hour in their history, and, like you,
be ready to strive and hope, and suf-
fer, to the end