The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1917-12-06
LINCOLN INSPIRATION
is NEEDED TO-DAY
T. p. 0'Connor of the British Parliament
Declared in Address Delivered Beside
the Tomb of the Martyred Presi-
dent in Springfield, Ill.

Springfield, H., Dec. 6.--Standing al
the tomb of Abraham Lincoln to-day, 7
p. 0'Connor, member of the British par
lament, declared in an address that
"there never was a moment in the his
! tory of this country since the death OF
the illustrious man by whose ashes we
stand to-day when the inspiration and
lessons Of his life were more needed by
his people and his country
Gas man. declared Mr.. O'Connor
Lincoln stands as much alive as though
he were still among us. He is a flaming
torch which leads on the inner soul of
every American, whether 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 unselfshness is recorded in every
page of his history? What American
can prefer the claims of ambition or
party in face of his forgetfulness of all
personal and partisan feeling before an
imperiled nation What American can
entertain or tolerate the very thought of
divided allegiance in face of his pas
sionate patriotism and of the inhexible
resolution with which he fought for
united nationf
"Can any man doubt where he would
stand if in the crisis through which his
country is now passing he was still its
ruler? What was the first and most
fundamental of Lincoln's convictions
Was it not passionate love of liberty
and passionate hatred OF slavery Is
there any difference in essentials between
the enslavement of the negro and such en-
slavement 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 stained partner does in the
plains and mountains of Armenia?
To-day, as Lincoln said, two prinei
Piles stand face TO face and will ever con.
tinue to struggle, the common right of
humanity and the divine right of kings,
or, as we would say, the kaiser and the
liberty of the world To-day, as Lincoln
said, there is but one duty--to fight
II is true to-day, as it was in Lincoln's |
lay, tHht tHOupH BtlHtEtO III the WoIlu |
history might made right it is for us
and for our times to reverse the maxim
md to show that right makes might.
81 know he said that liberty is
light and so do we. Like him, we hope |
hat peace win come soon, but, like him,
We want it so to come as TO be worth |
he keeping in all future time Finally,
AN we do better than obey the imperish, |
lble appeal from Gettysburg, to dedi-
ate ourselves so that the nation may
ave a new birth of freedom, and that
the government of the people, by the
'eople, and for the people, shall not per
sh from the earth
Spirit of Lincoln, ! do not call upon
-ou to come to-day to us from this
omb of yours. Your spirit has never
eft us. In hours of solitude, when we
re thrown back on our own souls, that
pirit has ever whispered to our inner
ar words of comfort and appeal. Rather
It me say to your people that it is for
hem to be of, and in, and with, your
pirit, so that, like you, they may be
'orthy of this great hour in their his
DRY, and, like you, be ready to strive,
nd hope, and suffer, to the end