the soldiers of the Union Army; Governor Willson of Kentucky, who, representing the native State of Lincoln, gave the address of welcome to the distinguished visitors present; and Ex-Governor Folk of Missouri, who made the address on behalf of the Lincoln Farm Association.

One of the features of the day was the reading of the Emancipation Proclamation by the "representative of ten million grateful negro citizens," Ira T. Montgomery, who though now of Mount Bayou, Mississippi, is nevertheless a native of Kentucky, and is said to have been a slave of Jefferson Davis, President of the Confederacy.

The cabin and the Lincoln spring-over which a stone arch had been erected—were decorated with the national colors. Every visitor wanted to drink at the spring, and the crowd had to form in line, each awaiting his turn.

That the South is not unmindful of the cause for pride that may well be hers in that Lincoln is one of her sons, is evidenced by the beautiful statue designed by the sculptor Adolph Alexander Weinman, and erected through the action of the State of Kentucky and the Lincoln Farm Association, in the Court House Square of the village of Hodgenville. Here, Lincoln is shown a man of the people; and, standing pedestaled in the market place of the little town which gave him birth, he looks out down the sandy roads which lead into the simple country where nature first taught him the lessons of his life, and where soon will arise the exquisite marble memorial whose cornerstone has been laid by one President, Theodore Roosevelt, and whose dedication will be at the hands, and with the voice of a second President, William H. Taft.

Union—and all of her people, give most cordial salute and welcome; and not less to Theodore Roosevelt, first citizen, loved, trusted and honored of the people. To all of the people of the Union here splendidly represented, our distinguished visitors and guests, and to the men of the Lincoln Farm Association, we give greeting, and rejoice to have you with us in Kentucky and to join you in this endeavor and in all the inspirations and associations of this time and place.

We have met here in memory of Abraham Lincoln, to know for ourselves and to prove to the world by a record made to endure, and deep-graven on these acres, that love of country and of its nobly useful citizens are not dreams nor idle words, but indeed living, stirring and breathing feelings. Abraham Lincoln is claimed by all humanity, and all time, as the type of the race best showing forth the best in all men in all conditions of life.

Our whole country claims him as the son of the whole Union. And Illinois says, "He was mine, the man of Illinois; here on my prairies he ripened into noble manhood and here he made his home."

Indiana, too, says, "He was mine. the little child grew strong and tall." true.

In my southern hills
And each is right and

But Kentucky says, "I am his own mother. I nursed him at my breast; my baby, born of me. He is mine." Shall any claim come before the mother's?

All over this land the people are meeting to-day to honor the one hundredth year's return of his birthday. And we

are met in his birthplace to pledge anew the love of all the people of our land for each other, and to show forth now, and year by year, our love and reverence for the man, the soul, the life, which more than any in all the lives of all the earth in all the ages, stands out as the very type and sight of numan nature in its best loved, and its noblest vision.

He came from the rugged man-making school of poverty and hardship, with all man's lot of toil and trial, of sorrow and storm, unto the end that he, most kindly and homelike of friendly neighbors, should stand out, grand and alone, to lead a mighty people and a noble land safe through a storm of mortal strife and danger to the blessings of Union and peace under the Constitution and the law. He came to give liberty to every soul in all our broad domain, to the glory of God and all our land for all the ages.

As he said for the soldiers at Gettysburg, "We can not dedicate, we can not consecrate this ground." We meet here in Kentucky on the farm where he was born, to be consecrated and dedicated in the grace and beauty of his great spirit, to the work of upholding and keeping safe our Union, which he so nobly led and helped to save.

And when we try to tell the story of his life and work and his prophetic sayings, we find that nearly fifty years ago, as one inspired of God, he foresaw all and spoke all that we can say or think here, better and sweeter than mortal man could ever speak again.

To him more than any other man we owe-and shall for all time owe the joy, the power, and the gift of grace of a mighty people joined together as they never were before, under one flag and one covenant of the law.

And at last all see, what only part could see at first, the vital truth of the text to which he turned at Chicago before the election, "A house divided against itself can not stand,' repeated on the great seal of Kentucky, "United we stand, divided we fall."

Looking back now through nearly forty-seven years of mighty history, how strong, how wise, how clear, how prophetic, and how great are his inaugural words:

"In view of the Constitution and the laws, the Union is unbroken, and . . . will constitutionally maintain and defend itself." "This great country with its institutions, belongs to the people who inhabit it."

"Why should there not be a patient confidence in the ultimate justice of the people? Is there any better or equal hope in the world? In our present differences, is either party without faith of being in the right? If the Almighty Ruler of Nations, with His eternal truth and justice, be on your side of the North, or on yours of the South, that truth and that justice will surely prevail by the judgment of this great tribunal of the American people."

For him there is no need of any memorial place or token. He lives and will forever live in the hearts of all the people of the earth as the man of the people, grand in simple, noble dignity, almost strange in wisdom and prophetic foresight as if it were a gift direct from God.

Simple and tender in life and feeling as a child, ready to enter into the Kingdom of Heaven, yet brave as a spirit of truth, immovable from right purpose, blessed with a humor such as to no man else was ever given, which turned aside wrath and softened the rigor of mortal strife, his courage and his work breathed life and hope and faith until it came to pass that in the fiery furnace of a mighty war, hate and strife melted into the pure gold of Union.

Here are met to-day, with equal zeal to do him honor, soldiers of the War for and against the Union, heroes of the Union and the Confederacy, Americans all, no one less pledged than the other, not only by the bond of the covenant of our law, but alike by the dearest feelings of his heart and fervor of his blood, to our united country and its beautiful flag.

Oh, God of our fathers, look down upon our land and bless us all, strengthen the bonds of our affection and help us forever to keep the covenant of "peace on earth and good will to men."

WE

ABRAHAM LINCOLN

HON. THEODORE ROOSEVELT

E have met here to celebrate the hundredth anniversary of the birth of one of the two greatest Americans; of one of the two or three greatest men of the nineteenth century; of one of the greatest men in the world's history. This rail-splitter-this boy who passed his ungainly youth in the dire poverty of the poorest of the frontier folk, whose rise was by weary and painful labor-lived to lead his people through the burning flames of a struggle from which the nation emerged, purified as by fire, born anew to a loftier life. After long years of iron effort, and of failure that came more often than victory, he at last rose to the leadership of the Republic at the moment when that leadership had become the stupendous world-task of the time. He grew to know greatness, but never ease. Success came to him, but never happiness, save that which springs from doing well a painful and a vital task. Power was his, but not pleasure. The furrows deepened on his brow, but his eyes were undimmed by either hate or fear. His gaunt shoulders were bowed, but his steel thews never faltered as he bore for a burden the destinies of his people. His great and tender heart shrank from giving pain; and the task allotted him was to pour out like water the life blood of the young men, and to feel in his every fibre the sorrow of the women. Disaster saddened but never dismayed him. As the red years of war went by they found him ever doing his duty in the present, ever facing the future with fearless front-high of heart, and dauntless of soul. Unbroken by hatred, unshaken by scorn, he worked and suffered for the people. Triumph was his at the last; and barely had he tasted it before murder found him, and the kindly, patient, fearless eyes were closed forever.