The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1922-05-30
Distinguished Gathering
At Washington Paid
Tribute To the Mem
ory Of the Martyred
President At N e w
Shrine Of Democratic
Liberty

Gribute to it's glorious dead reached
Aclimax today at the dedication of
memorial erected beside the
Potomac to Abraham Lincoln. by his
grateful countrymen A former pres
ldent headed the commission which
has lavishtd endless thought on maxi
ing this stone emblem of American.
gratitude worthy of the memory of
the great man whose work it will
perpetuate for Americans always.
The president accepted the work in
the nations name.
Spread across the wide terraces,
the lawns and the circling driveways
that have been wrought to give the
memorial building a setting were
thousands of Americans and the most
distinguished men in this country
from foreign lands also came to pay
their homage at this new shrine of
democratic liberty.
Close in about the rising tiers of
marble steps were gathered the men
who today hold in their hands the
destinies of that government of the
people, for the people and by the peo-
pie, which Lincoln gave his life to
maintain, but behind these over a
mile wide sweep of the Mall and clear
away to the base of Washington
monument a mile distant from the
memorial were the common folk
from whom Lincoln came and for
whom he toiled endlessly until he
was. cut down by an assassin's bullet.
Foremost among the men who gath
II I,,,fx Ne
decoration day were the aged vet
Grams of the Grand Army of the Re
public, men who at Lincoln's call
put aside their citizenship for a lit
tie while for the blue of the army
uniforms and fought out the question
of the American nationality as one
people under one government. To
these old soldiers who knew him and
obeyed him in life was accorded the
place of honor in paying the last and
greatest honor to their leader under
whom they served. But with them
as to give silent emphasis to the
greatness of his vision stood other
old and feeble men in the grey of
the Southern Confederacy who had
come also to pay homage at Lincoln's
feet
The uniforms of the veterans and
of the military attaches and the ma
rines who guarded and patrolled the
pathways through the great throng
were the only signs today of the mil
itary life except that the officers and
men of the British flagship Raleigh,
now at Washington navy yard, min
gled with the thousands of Ameri-
cans who stood to hear what Former
President Taft and President Harding
had to say.
The speakers rostrum was at the
head of the wide stairway which
leads to the square, marble bulk of
the memorial where the statue of
Lincoln is the only occupant Of the
stately chamber that houses it.. Be-
low STRETCHED the great crowd and
the aNplifiers from the roof Of the
Eyfnemsrial carried the words of the
Aspeaker far across to the wooded
sweeps of lawn on either hand that
reach toward the monument to Wash
ngton and toward the looming bulk
II the capitol in the far distance be-
Xond.
a.
pose and position that he has long
been endeared to American hearts.
1t was cut from a solid block of
8 Georgia marble, and from the base
Of the statue to the head Of the
seated figures is nearly twenty feet.
Above the statne, on the back wall
Of the memorial, runs the simple
legend that tells of the greatness OF
this man and of the love of his coun-
trymen, North and South alike. ~
The sculptor has seen Lincoln as
Lincoln's sons come shere today de-
spite age and infrmities to aid the
impressive ceremonies often must
have seen him In life when he sank
( back in his heavy chair at his desk
in the white house and brooded over
the havoc that civil war would make
The figure is relaxed with arms out
spread on the arms Of the chair; the
wide shoulders are pressed back sfor
support. but the head is erect and the
auiet. gaunt, deeply lined face Is but
the setting for the broOding eyes look
Ing thoughtfully, almost with pity
over memories of the scenes they
Witnessed. OF the sorrows they knew
There were others who participated
III the ceremonies besides Chief Jus
lice TAFT and President Harding
( qhare was 4 little handful Of veter-
Snh Who kblemniy and with full rit-
,,s dedicated the cOlors III honor
IL this dead leader. Il
But aside from these, the tribute e
Lincoln vas rendered by ne ssea, =,