LINCOLN'S HUNDREDTH BIRTHDAY

February 12, 1909.

WILLIAM MORRIS DAVIS

Harvard Exchange-Professor at the University of Berlin.

We name a day and thus commemorate

The hero of our nation's bitter strife;

The martyr who for freedom gave his life.

We feel the day made holy by his fate.

The wheels of time then turn their ceaseless round,

And slowly wear our memory away:

The holy day becomes a holiday;

Its motive changes with its change of sound.

Let not our purpose thus be set aside:

An hour, 'twixt work and pleasure, let us pause,
And consecrate ourselves to serve the cause
For which our hero strove, our martyr died.

He lived to reunite our severed land;
To liberate a million slaves he died,
And that the great experiment be longer tried
Where each one ruled, in ruling has a hand.

What tho' the pessimists, amid their fears,
The great experiment to failure doom.
Let us recall his trust in time of gloom,
And steadfast persevere a thousand years.

Tho' sure that vict'ries new will yet be won,
Like those our fathers gained laboriously,
"T is not for us to boast vaingloriously
As if our battles were already done.

Our elders might have sung with better grace
The verse that vaunts us ever free and brave,
Had not our land so long oppressed the slave,
Stolen from over sea, to our disgrace.

Yet in our pride, how little right have we
To blame our elders for an ancient wrong
That gave the weak in bondage to the strong.
Are we ourselves so wholly brave and free?

Yes, with primeval courage, brave and strong, When banded 'gainst a foe; yes, free from kingsBut not so brave in smaller things

That we should celebrate ourselves in song.

Not that it counts for naught that we have grown To be the leaders of a continent,

And not that we could be for long content 'Mid any other folk except our own.

But that we must not lightly over-rate
Our qualities: if on our faults I lay
A certain emphasis, 't is not to-day
Ourselves, but Lincoln whom we celebrate.

For he was brave, a true American-
Unselfish, kindly, patient, firm, discerning,
His honest, homely wisdom outweighed learning;
He stood for service to his fellow man.

How think of him and not condemn the use
Of public office turned to private ends,
Of petty fraud, for which each one pretends
To find in others' frauds his own excuse?

How can we think of him and not repent

The shaded line we draw 'twixt wrong and right;
Of him, and not resolve, with all our might,
To carry on the great experiment?

If most of us have no great tasks to do,
Let us, like him, be faithful in things small.
Our nation's drama makes us actors all;
If only splitting rails, we 'll split them true.

If troubles thicken, let us still deserve
To solve them all as Lincoln would to-day;
If dangers threaten, let us not betray

The cause that Lincoln, living yet, would serve.

Here in a distant foreign land we pause,
"Twixt work and pleasure, to commemorate
His noble life. How better than to consecrate
Ourselves to play our part in Lincoln's cause?

THE

THE MAN FOR THE HOUR

ALEXANDER MONTGOMERY THACKARA

HE literature inspired by Lincoln's record is vast in quantity and rich in quality, and to do justice to talent, requires talent. It is not for me to speak of his distinction as a lawyer, his achievements as a statesman or of his historic guidance of a nation in the most trying time of its existence.

From a stump speaker and corner grocery debater, he lived to take his place in the front rank of immortal orators, whose lucidity of speech surprised and enthralled his hearers. He rarely failed to seize an opportunity to illustrate a situation by substituting a story for an argument, and left his listeners to make their own deductions.

We are all familiar with his humor, his melancholy, his strange mingling of energy and indolence, his unconventional

character, his frugality, his tenderness and his courage. Could Lincoln have foreseen the place he now holds in the hearts of the nation, which greatly owes its preservation to his wise guidance, his great heart would have been spared many a pang which his political enemies inflicted upon him. Could he have been granted a vision of those countrymen he loved better than himself, in America and throughout the world, meeting together in his memory-proud to have such a ruler, a father who saved his children from a family breach-his fine nature, in which the keynotes were malice towards none and charity for all, would have been saved many a hurt. For Lincoln, of whom we think as beyond fitting praise, as he is beyond reproach, had sad moments of self-doubting and self-depreciation. Many incidents of his life show this side of his character, but it was the other side that predominated when occasion demanded and made him the man for the hour in our greatest need.

An anecdote which was told in my presence by Dr. Nicholas Murray Butler, President of Columbia College, and which doubtless many of you have heard, will illustrate his firmness when sure of his own position. Lincoln had for a long time advocated the abolition of slavery. After careful study and deep thought, he prepared a rough draft of his Emancipation Proclamation and submitted it to his Cabinet Officers for their opinion as to its feasibility, its propriety, and its wording. One and all expressed their disapprobation of the scheme, stating that the time was not opportune, and that it was extremely bad politics, etc. Lincoln was impressed by the unanimity of the adverse sentiment of his advisers, but after giving the subject deep and prayerful reconsideration, some two weeks later he again presented the Proclamation to his Cabinet with some slight changes in the context, and stated that he desired to have their final vote to settle the matter. When the question was put, Lincoln voted "Aye." The rest of the Cabinet to a man cast their votes in the negative. Lincoln stood up and with a firm and impressive voice said: "Gentlemen, the ayes have it," and the famous Proclamation was issued.

To the real orators who are going to follow me, I leave the handling of this inspiring subject-Lincoln-which is kindling a flame of patriotic enthusiasm that spans the world, for I venture to say that not only in the United States, but in Europe and in the Far-East, there will be found groups of Americans gathered to-day for the same purpose that has brought us together. All know the pall of sorrow which spread over our country when he met his tragic death. Could he be with us and see the splendid progress our country has made since the fatal day in April, 1865, he would surely realize that his martyrdom was not in vain.