The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1922-05-30
PRESIDENT HARDING ACCEPTS
WORK In The NAME OF AND ON
BEHALF OF AMERICAN PEOPLE

Vantage about the memoriam to take
their silent part in the solemn trans
fer of the marble statue from the
keeping of those who built it for
America to those who will guard it
and preserve it for America and pass
| it on to Americans to come.
A Veterans Tribute.
Washington. May 30.-The Lin
coin Memorial, the gift of the nation
to memory of Abraham Lincoln as
one of the worlds most beautiful
structures and the greatest shrine of
the man who saved the union. I'm
pressive In it's simplicity, the memoir
/ ial probably is the masterpiece Of all
public buildings and memorials in
| the United States. 1t stands in Po-
| tomac Park facing the Washington
monument, and it's construction was
begun on Lincoln's birthday anniver-
| sary in 1914. he total cost has been
approximately $3,000,000.
This monument to Lincoln is alarge
rectangular building of white marble
designed by Henry Bacon, a New
York architect. 1t has a beautiful
setting on a direct east and west
and the nations capitol and rises 144
feet above the level of the park. 1t
| is composed of four principal feat
ures-a statue of the man, memoir
ial of his Gettysburg address,
memorial Of his second inaugural all
dress and a symbol of the unio2 of
the United States.
The most important object in the
memorial iG the statue of Lincoln i'll
marble. by Daniel Chester French, d
| New York sculptor, placed ir the
place of honor, it predominates all
else The statue is Colossal in s.
G'ze and yet distinctive ely perscn4. D.
represents. Lincoln. seated in a
thoughtful mood, and is the first
thing that meets the eye as one pass
es through the immense colonnaded
entrance. Smaller halls. one at eth
er side of the the central hall, con
tain monumental tablets in which
deeply incised letters reproduce word
for word, Lincoln's Gettysburg ad-
dress on the left wall and the ad
dress made by him at his second in
auguration on the right wall. Above
these are two large mural paintings
one typifying Emancipation" and the
other typifying Reunion" Their pro
duction occupied three years time.
Surrounding the exterior of the the
walls inclosing these memorials is a
magnificent colonnade forming a SYM
Dol of the union. each column repre-
senting one of the states existing
at the time of Lincoln's death On
the outer walls above the colonnade
and supported at intervals by eagles
are 4S festoons, one for each state
existing the present time.
At one end of the great axis plan
ned over a century ago. is the capitol
of the nation, which is the monumen.
of the government and a mile west
ward from the capitol is the $50 foot
granite shaft, which is the monument
to George Washington. Now on this
same great axis half mile west of
the Washington monument stands the
Lincoln memorial. This completes
an unparalleled composition, a tri-
! ology which imparts to each of its
monuments a value in addition to
to that which each standing alone
possesses.
More than a dozen years ago Po'
tomac Park, one of the most import
ant units of Washington's great sys-
tenn, and which lies along the Po-
! tomac river. was first suggested as
the site for a memorial to Lincoln.
he late John Hey. one Of Lincoln's
| secretaries and biographers, and later
secretary TO state of the United
States. favored its selection. In ex-
pressing his approval. he wrote:
"As | understand it. the place of
honor is on the main axis Of the plan
Lincoln. of all Americans next to
Washington, deserved this place of
honor. He was of the immortals.
You should not approach too closely
to the immortals. His monument
should stand alone, remote from COM
i mon habitations and set apart from
the business and turmoil of the city
Isolated, distinguished and serene. OF
all the sites this one, near the Poto-
i mac, is most suited to the purpose.
/ BY means of terraces the grounds
around the site are raised until the
floor OF the memorial is 40 feet
higher than the grade above the
/ Park. A. circular terrace, 1000 feet In
i diameter first rises above the Park.
i On its outer edge stand four concen'
trio rows of trees, leaving plateau
in the center 755 feet in diameter.
In the center Of this plateau surround
ed by wide roadways and walks rises
4 an eminence supporting rectangular
!, stone terrace wall IA feet high, 256
4 feet long and 1856 feet wide. On this
rectangular terrace rises the white
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