Cayton's weekly. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1916-1921, 1919-02-15

was Lincoln Was greatest of all as an
organizer; the orderly arrangement was the
idea that dominated Lincoln entire being,
and dominated it increasingly from his earli-
est manhood and splendid vision was ever
in his minds eyes, That vision was ever
within, that of reconstructing this country
and government and making it a country
cleansed of it's impurities free from it's
weaknesses. strong in it's equity imperial III
it's scope and in it's influence.
That Lincoln was ambitious is granted,
but there is much to show that his ambition
was of the large, personal stamp, indicated
above, and that if he wished to become the
foremost man of all the world, it was solely
to the end that he might organize society
in way to make the world better and
every man regardless of color or previous
condition of servitude an equal show and
equal rights before the world; such was
Lincoln's dream.
Lincoln desire was to be supreme for the
purpose of using his almost God-like power
for the completion Of his plans, which he
well knew would result in much good to our
race. He knew that he Oincoln) was the
one man, who could arrest the downward
career Of the human race for which he shed
his blood to protect, but in the midst of his
work, while the greatest organizer that the
planet has ever know, was lovingly engaged
in task, which was to him joy, the fatal
blow was struck, and the only man who had
proven himself Saviour to this country
through the dark Ages, was dead.
The day on which it was decreed that
Lincoln should die, was perhaps the most
calamitous, that ever overlook the human
race; for when it was decreed that Lincoln
c1,O i, no. loa,
that the hand on the dial of civilization
should be set back at least a round hundred
years.
This day is sacred day-a day of graft
tude and love. Today we commemorate more
than the birth of nation, more than indie
pendence, more than the fruits Of the rev.
olution, more than the accumulation of
wealth. more than national prestige and
power, we commemorate the great and bless
ed victory over ourselves, the triumph of
civilization, the reformation Of a People,
the establishment consecrated to the Pres
ervation Of Liberty and the equal rights of
man. Nations can win success, can be rich,
and powerful can cover the Earth with
their armies, the seas with their fleets, and
yet be small selfish and mean. There is
something above land and palaces, above
raiment and gold, it is the love of might,
the desire to do justice, the inextingush-
able love Of human liberty. This was Lin
colns motto. On this day we honor the
heroes who fought to make our nation llst
and free who broke the shackle Of the
slaves, who freed the masters of the south
and allies of the north, who made America
the hope and the beacon of the human race,
the foremost nation of all the world. They
did away with that ignorance and cruel
prejudice that human rights depend on race
or color.
The past seems like a hideous dream; the
present is full Of pride, gratitude and love.
When Beauregard fired upon Fort Sump-
ter he inaugurated the cruelest and bloodi-
est war in human history. When John
Wilkes Booth fired upon President Lincoln
he perpetrated the cruelest and bloodiest
crime this side Of Calvary. Between these
two shots, Fort Sumpter and Ford's The
alter, what awful pages of American history
are recorded written in her richest and red
deSt blood