The Colorado statesman., 1921-01-29

E4S
bench under the inviting shade of an oiu 90 .
tree II was lust such bench as this and uhuei
this identical tree that Lincoln during the u"
days of the war sat until late into the night .
few hundred yards behind stands the ram ran,
house in which he spent many night III -
to have freedom from the cares of his once. Pol
more than fifty years veterans of the CNli "al
have been visiting this spot in the SOLDIERS hoi
which Lincoln liked so well. and now IL Is Ie
quented by men who fought in the Spanish AIN,
lean war and men who did service in the Woriu
war From this SPOT one can see the new LIN
coin memorial three miles distant to the SOUTH
west and Just across the Potomac beyonu the
memorial looms up Arlington cemetery.
Other Reminders of Lincoln.
To the north and west of the Soldiers home
on the outskirts of the city but within the DIS
trict of Columbia, many material reminders
of the DAYS of Lincoln. For instance there IL
the old fort from which Lincoln witnessed the
repulse of the would-be invaders OF the capi.ai'
And extending east and west from this oiu Ior'
are remnants of numerous fortihcatlons th"l LII
coin visited many times.
On Tenth street there still stands the OLD foru
Theater building in which Lincoln was assns-
sinated, and across the street in the twos.ory
brick house in which he died Is Lihcoii
museum supported in part b. appropriations
from congress and in part from private sources.
One may see there the many reminders oi .ne
early career of Lincoln such as a log Iom his
boyhood home fence rail which he spit III
1880. the commission of captain which he won IN
the Black Hawk in 1882, many autographed
letters the chair in which he sat in his Spring
field home when he accepted the first nomination
TO the presidency and the old family Bible In
which Lincons name appears.
AS the years have gone by congress has placed
in the halls and corridors of the Capitol num-
her of busts and paintings of Lincoln. The Dust
by Albert Degrout is in the east corridor OF lhe
senate wing. There is also in the senate wing
Lincoln portrait about which sightseers may oe
seen any day. In the house wing there hangs
nointinp that represents the first reading of the
emancipation proclamation before the cabinet
September %, 1862. In the portrait are seen
secretary of war; Edwin NJ Stanton; secretary
of the treasury Solomon p. Chase; secretary Oh
the navy Gideon Wells; secretary of state VIII
liam Fl Seward; secretary of the interior, CaeD
b. Smith; postmaster general, Montgomery blalr'
and attorney general Edward Bates. Ihis paint
ing was presented to the United States Dy fsllza-
beth Thompson In 1870. Alexander H. Stephens
ex-vce president of the Southern Confederacy'
who was then a member of the house OF repre-
sentatives made the speech of presentation.
There are few outside statues to detract from
the interest that will always center arouhu 'he
great memorial in Potomac park. There Is
Lincoln statue at Fourth and d streets, by scout
Flannery and also statue In Lincoln park
which is called the Emancipation monument IL
is by Thomas Ball.
Dedication Of Memorial.
AS the years go by men In public lie Ut the
copital of the nation refer with increasing ire
ouency to the wise utterances of Lincoln
glance over the speeches in the two houses Oh
congress will show that 1t is rare thing tor
senator or congressman to make speech Oh
consequence without quoting Lincoln. The retr-
ing President of the United States In MS last
general message to congress told the legislators
that as he approached the end of his term ne
found his thought dominated by an immortal
sentence uttered by Lincoln:
ST OF have
in that faith let us dare to do our duty as we
understand it..
Apparently the present year Is to bring an
increase in the interest in Lincoln In his own
country If such a thing is possible. The dedlca-
ton of the national memorial will be more than
a national event. The plans for this affair In so
far as they have been perfected call for the par
ticipation of the representatives of all foreign
governments here The eClogy may be delivered
nv the President of the United States. The
preference was for dedicatory exercises on Febru-
ary 12 the birthday of the martyr President, but
1t has been decided that it would be better to
wait for the bamy weather of spring.
1t is nearly ifty-fve years since Lincoln passed
on To quote George Bancroft. the euogian,
again: d.
mot in vain has Lincoln lived, for he has
helYysd to make this republic example of JUS
tice with caste but the caste Of humanity