The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1934-02-13

ant, and took him away from the
sheepfolds; that he might feed
Jacob His people, and Israel His
inheritance. So he fed them with
a faithful and true heart. and rul-
ed them prudently with all his
pOwer.-Psalm rs; II, 72, 49,.
+, II invite you to study with me
this evening the character of Abra-
ham Lincoln.
81 know how hard it is to do it
rightly, how impossible it is to do
it worthily.
81 am speaking to those who
love his memo:y, and whose love
for that memory, will fill out the
deficiencies in the picture | shall
draw of him this evening.
"It will be our duty, then, to
note what was great in the char
acter of this man. that created
the history of his life, and at least
produced the catastrophe of his
untimely end.
eve all remember he was born
in Kentucky, when that was a pio-
neer state.
"As boy and man he lived the
hard life of a backwoOdsman,
farmer, river boatman, and final
ly, by his own efforts at SEIZED
ucation, of an active, respected
citizen, in the manifold interests
of a growing but youthful COM
munity.
| even the physical condition of
abraham Lincoln had much to do
in the making of his character.
ellis strength and muscular ac-
tivity, his power to endure, in
herited from generations of hard
working ancestors, had much to do
with his success.
Zone of the tragic things about
Key West, and other places, is the
number of physical wrecks we see
because of the havoc that strong
drink is making.
! "If Abraham had lived that
kind of life. | should have had
mo story to tell you this evening.
/ "A great many people have dis
cussed whether Abraham Lincoln
was an intellectual man or not. In
this man you see the wisdom that
comes from above. the outcome of
a clear conscience and the saga
city that comes from a clear brain.
la Guardia would have found
nothing to attack if he had lived
in the days of Abraham Lincoln.
He was unimpeachable. In this
man was 'vindicated the greatness
of real goodness, and the goodness
OF real greatness.
| whether his wise judgments
came from a strong head or a
sound heart we cannot say. In a
word. believe he was an instru-
ment of God.
From the character of this
man came the life we can all ad-
mire, and it was the man required
by his country in his time and day.
/ abraham Lincoln was the type
man of his country. in his day, but
not Of the whole country. There
was no one American character
embracing the land. There never
has been and there never viii be.
"The citizen Of whom we speak
tonight, represented certain ideas
and convictions, and those have
] prevailed and viii increasingly
dominate with time.
Abraham Lincoln was ready to
state broad principles, he believed
in the brotherhood of man, the uni
versal fatherhood and justice of
God. Conflict was inevitable. The
only wonder is. there was not more
of il.
America is the land of free
dom. From nowhere else would
have come the genuine love Of the
people, which made him beloved by
even his enemies. and admired by
those who did not always share
his convictions.
'He was true friend of the
soldier. How many in sickness
felt the pressure of his strong
] hand. How many ears of the dy-
ing were thrilled as he spoke some
kind word to them.
How often he surprised even
his friends with clemeney which
, made men who questioned his
! policy love him. The heartiness
of his mirth. His undiscouraged
faith. His love for the poor. His
regard for the rights of all. The
independence of his religious life.
Tis total freedom from all osteR-
tation. and his humble trust in
IGod. were features that endeaFed
him to thousands
i "The death of Abraham was =
J. scene the country will never for
get. A look Of unspeakable peace
was on his face. That Good FRI
iday viii live fer ever IN our mem