In the afternoon, a mammoth meeting was held in the big tabernacle, into which crowded eight thousand people, while thousands more were turned away. Addresses were delivered by Hon. William J. Bryan, and by Senator Jonathan P. Dolliver, with informal speeches by the French and English Ambassadors.

The main celebration of the Centennial day took form in a great banquet under State auspices, held in the State Arsenal on the evening of the Centenary. Gathered there were the Governor, various State officers, and representative organizations, not only from all parts of the State, but from the confines of the country. Over seven hundred men sat down to the beautifully decorated tables, beneath waving flags and bunting, while the galleries above were made gay with groups of notable spectators. Judge J. Otis Humphrey acted as toastmaster of the evening; Governor Deneen spoke on behalf of the State of Illinois. The formal addresses of the evening were by H. E. the British Ambassador, Honorable James Bryce, and H. E. the French Ambassador, Jean A. A. J. Jusserand; while informal speeches were delivered by Senator Dolliver of Iowa, and by Mr. Bryan.

A unique feature of the day's exercises was the reception given in the old Lincoln home by the Springfield Chapter of The Daughters of the American Revolution, in honor of Mrs. Donald McLean of New York, President-General of the national organization; Mrs. E. S. Walker, Chapter-Regent, being the hostess in charge. The appointments of the diningroom in which refreshments were served were entirely in keeping with the period in which Lincoln lived, and the silverware, table linen, glass, and china-ware were those used by Lincoln, being now the property of either the Lincoln or Edwards family, or of their most intimate friends. The cloth used on the table was the one used at the wedding supper of Abraham Lincoln and his bride, while the various dishes, urns, trays, and epergnes each claimed some historical significance. Many distinguished guests were present, including our old War President's son, Robert T. Lincoln. The reception was followed by a banquet for the members of The

Daughters of the American Revolution and their guests of honor, at the Y. M. C. A. building.

In the rooms of the Illinois Historical Society, an imposing exhibit of Lincolniana was opened to the public. The negroes of the city held a separate meeting of their own in honor of the day, while at the various churches and schools the Centenary was reverently observed. The Springfield Commemoration was an achievement and a tribute, of most significant proportions.

L'

LINCOLN AS AN ORATOR

HON. WILLIAM J. BRYAN

INCOLN'S fame as a statesman and as the nation's chief executive during its most crucial period, has so overshadowed his fame as an orator that his merits as a public speaker have not been sufficiently emphasized. When it is remembered that his nomination was directly due to the prominence which he won upon the stump; that in a most remarkable series of debates he held his own against one of the most brilliant orators America has produced; and that to his speeches, more than to the arguments of any other one man, or in fact of all other public men combined, was due the success of his party-when all these facts are borne in mind, it will appear plain, even to the casual observer, that too little attention has been given to the extraordinary power which he exercised as a speaker. That his nomination was due to the effect that his speeches produced, can not be disputed. When he began his fight against slavery in 1854, he was but little known outside of the counties in which he attended court. It is true that he had been a member of Congress some years before, but at that time he was not stirred by any great emotion or connected with the discussion of any important theme, and he made but little impression upon national politics. The threatened extension of slavery, however, aroused him, and with a cause which

justified his best efforts he threw his whole soul into the fight. The debates with Douglas have never had a parallel in this, or, so far as history shows, in any other country.

In engaging in this contest with Douglas he met a foeman worthy of his steel, for Douglas had gained a deserved reputation as a great debater, and recognized that his future depended upon the success with which he met the attacks of Lincoln. On one side an institution supported by history and tradition, and on the other a growing sentiment against the holding of a human being in bondage-these presented a supreme issue. Douglas won the senatorial seat for which the two at that time had contested, but Lincoln won a larger victory-he helped to mould the sentiment that was dividing parties and re-arranging the political map of the country. When the debates were concluded, every one recognized him as the leader of the cause which he had espoused; and it was a recognition of this leadership which he had secured through his public speeches, that enabled him, a Western man, to be nominated over the Eastern candidates-not only a Western man, but a man lacking in book learning and the polish of the schools. No other American President has ever so clearly owed his elevation to his oratory. Washington, Jefferson, and Jackson, the Presidents usually mentioned in connection with him, were all poor speakers.

In analyzing Lincoln's characteristics as a speaker, one is impressed with the completeness of his equipment. He possessed the two things that are absolutely essential to effective speaking-namely, information and earnestness. If one can be called eloquent who knows what he is talking about and means what he says-and I know of no better definition-Lincoln's speeches were eloquent. He was thoroughly informed upon the subject; he was prepared to meet his opponent upon the general proposition discussed, and upon any deductions which could be drawn from it. There was no unexplored field into which his adversary could lead him; he had carefully examined every foot of the ground and was not afraid of pitfall or ambush, and, what was equally important, he spoke from his own heart to the hearts

Bronze Bas-Relief of Lincoln by C. Pickett

(The sculptor worked with Leonard W. Volk, of Chicago, known for his famous death-mask of Lincoln)