Class U 45 7 Book t_L g.M\a Ocpigtofl c £0pv(2, COPYRIGHT DKP08KR. £~Y ABRAHAM LINCOLN Ube tribute of a Centurg Colossal Head of Lincoln, by Gutzon Borglum (The original was placed by Congress in the Capitol at Washington. A bronze replica may be seen at the Chicago Historical Society) ABRAHAM LINCOLN Zbe tribute of a Century 1809*1909 ' COMMEMORATIVE OP THE LINCOLN CENTENARY AND CONTAINING THE PRINCIPAL SPEECHES MADE IN CONNECTION THEREWITH EDITED BY NATHAN WILLIAM MacCHESNEY CHICAGO A. C. McCLURG & CO 1910 5*1 .1 Copyright, 1910, by A. C. McClurg & Co. Published May 14, 1910 All rights reserved PRESS OF THE VAIL COMPANY COSHOCTON, U. S. A. ©CI.A265122 c DeMcatefc TO THE MEMORY OF THE SOLDIERS AND SAILORS OF THE CIVIL WAR COMRADES OF MY FATHER WHOSE VALOR AND SACRIFICES MADE POSSIBLE THE FRUITION OF THE PURPOSES OF LINCOLN FOREWORD THIS book has grown out of a desire which the editor had while Secretary of the Lincoln Centennial Memo- rial Committee of One Hundred, appointed by the Mayor of Chicago, for a memorial volume which should give per- manent form to the many masterly tributes to Lincoln by noted men which marked this unique Centenary, and should preserve to history the remarkable spirit of the occasion. The editor undertook the work, anticipating that it would be a considerable task, but with no real conception of its magnitude. There are in his library hundreds of unused speeches and over sixty thousand clippings with reference to the celebration. It has been literally impossible to exam- ine the entire material at hand in the few months which have elapsed since the Centenary, but the principal ad- dresses have been gone through, and while the limits of this volume have excluded many of great value which it was hoped to bring within the collection, it is believed that those published are thoroughly representative of the celebration. The editor wishes to give credit to the Lincoln Centennial Memorial Committee of Chicago, which, under the guidance of Hon. William J. Calhoun as chairman, did such magnificent work in the Centenary celebration and whose existence and initiative have made the publication of this book possible. To the committees, throughout the country and abroad, municipal or the result of private enthusiasm and patriotism, which have been of notable aid in the work of securing the de- sired material for this volume, grateful acknowledgment is due. The editor is indebted to the Trustees of the Crerar Fund for permission to use the photograph of the yet unveiled Saint-Gaudens statue of Lincoln; to President Henry G. Foreman of the South Park Commissioners for the photograph used; to Adolph Alexander Weinman, sculptor of the Hod- viii FOREWORD genville statue of Lincoln, for a photograph of the statue for use as an illustration; to his brother sculptor, John Gutzon Borglum, for an autograph photograph of the famous ' ' Borg- lum bust" unveiled in the Senate February 11, 1909; to the Kt. Hon. Jean Adrien Jusserand, the French Ambassador, for the loan from his private collection of the photographic reproductions of the letters of Mrs. Lincoln and Victor Hugo ; to Hon. Robert T. Lincoln for the photograph of the French medal ; to Mr. N. Y. Dallman, Managing Editor of The Illinois State Register of Springfield, for the picture of distinguished guests at the Lincoln Tomb; to Mr. Brainard Piatt, Acting Managing Editor of The Louisville Courier- Journal for his courteous assistance in securing photographs of the presi- dential party at the Hodgenville celebration ; to The Uptown Kodackery of Denver, for their prompt courtesy in securing for us some exceptionally fine photographs of the Denver cele- bration ; to Collier's Weekly, for permission to use President Roosevelt's Lincoln speech at Hodgenville; to The Chicago Tribune for permission to use the McCutcheon cartoons, and to reprint Booker T. Washington's "An Ex-Slave's Tribute to Lincoln," and for other courtesies; to the other Chicago newspapers, and the newspapers throughout the country, and to The Literary Digest, Review of Reviews, and other maga- zines, for copies of special issues containing information im- portant to the purpose of this work. The editor here expresses his sense of obligation to his wife for her help and suggestions, and to his friend and associate, Herbert E. Bradley. The editor will be glad to receive from readers of this book, copies of any speeches delivered during the Centenary, or interesting facts connected with its Commemoration; and would be especially interested in personal recollections of Lincoln, or of Lincoln's associates and time. Nathan William MacChesney. Union League Club, Chicago, February, 12, 1910. CONTENTS PAGE THE CHICAGO COMMEMORATION 3 The Unity of the Nation (A Speech of Introduction) Hon. William J. Calhoun 11 Abraham Lincoln: A Man of the People President Woodrow Wilson 14 A Citizen of No Mean Country (A Speech of Introduction) Hon. Frank Hamlin 31 The Significance of Lincoln Hon. J. A. Macdonald 33 A Memory of Lincoln (A Speech of Introduction) Hon. Charles H. Wacker 58 Abraham Lincoln of Illinois President Edwin Erie Sparks 59 The Figure of an Age (A Speech of Introduction) Hon. Stephen S. Gregory 76 The Great Commoner Dr. Emil G. Hirsch 77 The Greatest Apostle of Human Liberty (A Speech of Introduc- tion ) Col. John R. Marshall 88 The Unfinished Task (A Speech of Introduction) Rev. A. J. Carey 89 The Liberation of the Negro Rev. J. W. E. Bowen 91 Lincoln : The Friend of All Men Nathan William MacChesney 99 The Negro's Place in National Life Hon. William J. Calhoun 102 The Other Side of the Question (A reply to the Speech of W. J. Calhoun) Rev. A. J. Carey Ill The Cathedral Utterance of Lincoln Dr. Charles J. Little 113 The Literary Side of Lincoln Dr. Bernard J. Cigrand 130 CONTENTS THE CHICAGO COMMEMORATION (continued) PAGE The Freeport Debate ^ _ 140 Gen. Smith D. Atkins Two Momentous Meetings ^ u3 Ma j. -Gen. Frederick Dent Grant A Voice from the South ^ ( 148 Hon. J. M. Dickinson Abraham Lincoln at the Bar of Illinois ... 154 John T. Richards The Evolution of the Gettysburg Address ^ ^ m Hon. John C. Richberg The Merit of a Mighty Name ^ ^ m Judge W. G. Ewing Power in Loneliness < 17 s Judge Peter Stenger Grosscup 183 THE SPRINGFIELD COMMEMORATION Lincoln as an Orator _ < 185 Hon. William J. Bryan Lincoln as France saw him - ^ 190 Hon. Jean Adrien Jusserand THE ILLWOIS SUPREME COURT COMMEMORATION . . . »«• The Centenary of Lincoln _ 200 Nathan William MacChesney Lincoln's Preparation for the Presidency m Justice Hand 215 THE BLOOMINGTON COMMEMORATION Lincoln the Statesman # > 2 16 Hon. Adlai E. Stevenson Lincoln the Lawyer, and his Bloomington Speeches ^ R. M. Benjamin ___ . . 241 THE PEORIA COMMEMORATION Lincoln's Diplomacy _ _ . # 242 Kogoro Takahira Lincoln, the Man of the People (Poem) ^ Edwin Markham • • 251 THE HODGENVILLE COMMEMORATION A Son of Kentucky # j _ .253 Augustus E. Willson CONTENTS THE HODGENVILLE COMMEMORATION (continued) PAGE Abraham Lincoln Hon. Theodore Roosevelt 256 Lincoln and the Lost Cause Hon. Luke E. Wright 261 Abraham Lincoln, Leader and Master of Men Gen. James Grant Wilson 267 The Lincoln Memorial Hon. Joseph W. Folk 271 THE NEW YORK COMMEMORATION 275 Abraham Lincoln at Cooper Institute Hon. Joseph Hodges Choate 277 Lincoln as a Labor Leader Rev. Lyman Abbott 280 One of the Plain People Hon. Chauncey M. Depew 294 THE BOSTON COMMEMORATION 315 A Vision (Poem) Julia Ward Howe 317 The Great Pacificator Hon. John D. Long 318 Lincoln: "Valiant for Truth" Hon. Henry Cabot Lodge 343 THE CINCINNATI COMMEMORATION 361 Abraham Lincoln — An Appreciation Bishop William F. McDowell 362 THE ROCHESTER COMMEMORATION 375 Lincoln: The True American Hon. Charles Evans Hughes 375 THE MADISON COMMEMORATION . 385 The Great Stone Face President C. R. Van Hise 386 The Great Debate; or, The Prophet on the Stump Hev. Jenkin Lloyd Jones 389 THE DENVER COMMEMORATION 417 Abraham Lincoln: The Perfect Ruler of Men Joseph Farrand Tuttle, Jr 418 CONTENTS PAGE . 433 THE WASHINGTON COMMEMORATION Lincoln and the Character of American Civilisation ^ ^ ^ Hon. Joaquim Nabuco THE PHILADELPHIA COMMEMORATION ....... 441 Preserver of the Union-Saviour of the Republic: Reminiscences of Abraham Lincoln 442 Major William H. Lambert THE CORNELL UNIVERSITY COMMEMORATION .... 461 Abraham Lincoln: Master of Time ^ ^ m Hon. Frank S. Black THE PITTSBURG COMMEMORATION 4 Lincoln: The Greatest American m Hon. James Schoolcraft Sherman THE JANESVILLE COMMEMORATION 481 The Apostle of Opportunity ^ ^ 48l Hon. George R. Peck An Ex-Slave's Tribute to the Emancipator ^ ^ Dr. Booker T. Washington Lincoln and His Relations with Congress ^ Hon. Shelby M. Cullom THE COMMEMORATION ABROAD ^ Manchester, England glg Berlin, Germany Lincoln's Hundredth Birthday (Poem) ... 522 William Morris Davis The Man for the Hour g24 Alexander Montgomery Thackara ' ^ Paris, France From Washington to Lincoln ^ 527 Dr. Henry van Dyke Rome, Italy The American Union and Italy ^ g32 Hon. Lloyd C Griscom The Man Lincoln {Poem) ^ _ _ 535 Wilbur D. Nesbit g3g ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ^ INDEX ILLUSTRATIONS PAGE Colossal Head of Lincoln, by Gutzon Borglum . . . Frontispiece Albums containing the Newspaper Clippings concerning the Lin- coln Centenary, in the Library of the Editor xxii The Lincoln Stamp and Penny and the Lincoln Medal struck for the Grand Army of the Republic xxiii Facsimile of Mayor Busse's Proclamation 6 The Two Bronze Tablets erected during the Centenary upon the site of the Old Tremont House 18, 19 Bronze Tablet placed on the Site of the "Wigwam," Chicago, by the Chicago Chapter, Daughters of the American Revolution . 34 Republican "Wigwam," in which Lincoln was nominated, 1860 . 35 Facsimile of Manuscript Tribute from Edwin E. Sparks, President of the Pennsylvania State College 60 Facsimile of Manuscript Tribute from Gen. Smith D. Atkins, of Illinois 61 Two Lincoln Centenary Cartoons by John T. McCutcheon ... 68 The Old Tremont House, Chicago 69 Firing of Presidential Salute by the Illinois Naval Reserve, Feb. 12, 1909, at the South End of Lincoln Park, Chicago ... 84 Tomb of Stephen A. Douglas, Chicago 85 Bronze Tablet inscribed with the Gettysburg Address . . . .116 Facsimile of Manuscript Tribute from Dr. Charles J. Little, Presi- dent of Garrett Biblical Institute, Chicago 117 Statue of Abraham Lincoln, by Augustus Saint-Gaudens, 1887 . 136 Statue of Abraham Lincoln, by Augustus Saint-Gatidens, 1907 . . 137 Facsimiles of Manuscript Tribute from Hon. John M. Dickinson, Secretary of War 150, 151 Bronze Bas-Relief of Lincoln, by C. Pickett 186 ILLUSTRATIONS PAGE Portrait of Hon. C. S. Deneen, Governor of Illinois .... 204 Facsimile of Governor Deneen's Proclamation 205 Facsimile of the Last Page of Manuscript of Speech made by Ambassador Jusserand at Springfield 218 Facsimile of Manuscript Tribute from Hon. Adlai E. Stevenson of Illinois, Ex- Vice-President of the United States . . . .219 Facsimiles of Manuscript Tribute from Hon. Clark E. Carr, of Galesburg, Illinois 232, 233 Distinguished Guests on Centenary Day at the Tomb of Lincoln in Springfield, Illinois 244 Thomas Lincoln's Home in Illinois, where he died in 1851 . . . 245 Statue of Abraham Lincoln by Adolph Alexander Weinman, erected in the Public Square of Hodgenville, Kentucky, by the State of Kentucky and the Lincoln Farm Association .... 258 The Lincoln Log Cabin near Hodgenville, Kentucky, where Abra- ham Lincoln was born 262 Interior of Lincoln Cabin at Hodgenville, Kentucky 263 Birthplace of Abraham Lincoln near Hodgenville, Kentucky . . 264 Autographed Portrait of Theodore Roosevelt 265 The Hodgenville Commemoration: Arrival of President Roose- velt — Gathering about the Lincoln Cabin 268 Laying the Corner Stone of the Lincoln Memorial Building at Hodgenville, Kentucky 269 Facsimiles of Mrs. Lincoln's Letter of Acknowledgment of the Medal presented by the Citizens of France .... 286, 287 Facsimiles of Victor Hugo's Letter accepting Membership on the Committee of the French Democracy 298, 299 Facsimile of Manuscript Tribute from James B. Angell, Presi- dent Emeritus of the University of Michigan 320 Facsimile of Manuscript Tribute from Hon. Henry Cabot Lodge, United States Senator from Massachusetts 346 Facsimile of Manuscript Tribute from Rev. Lyman T. Abbott, Editor of "The Outlook" 347 Autographed Portrait of Hon. J. G. Cannon 366 The Peterson House, in which Lincoln died, Washington, D. C. . 367 ILLUSTRATIONS PAGE Charles Pv. Van Hise, President of the University of Wisconsin, reading his Address at the Madison Commemoration . . . 392 Unveiling of the Bronze Eeplica of the Statue of Lincoln by Weinman at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, Com- mencement Day, 1909 393 Veterans of the Grand Army of the Eepublic in the Denver Cen- tenary Parade 420 Scene in the Colorado Senate Chamber during the Lincoln Cen- tenary Commemoration 426 Scene in the Denver Auditorium during the Lincoln Centenary Commemoration 427 Facsimile of Manuscript Tribute from Senor Joaquim Nabuco, Brazilian Ambassador to the United States 444 Facsimile of Manuscript Tribute from Wendell Phillips Stafford, Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the District of Columbia 445 Autographed Portrait of President William H. Taft 450 Facsimile of Tribute from President Taft 451 Facsimile of Manuscript Tribute from Dr. Henry van Dyke . . 482 Medal presented to the Widow of Abraham Lincoln by a Com- mittee representing Forty Thousand French Citizens; now in the Possession of Hon. Robert T. Lincoln 483 The Town Hall of Manchester, England 516 The American Embassy in Berlin, Germany 517 " ABRAHAM LINCOLN: THE TRIBUTE OF A CENTURY" " ABRAHAM LINCOLN: THE TRIBUTE OF A CENTURY " NATHAN WILLIAM MAC CHESNEY ABRAHAM LINCOLN is essentially the product of Amer- ica. For that very reason he makes a peculiar ap- peal to the American people, and, so far as American ideas and American ideals represent the aspirations and hopes of democracy everywhere, he inspires those who believe in these things, wherever they may be found. He is the concrete embodiment of the visions of our fore- fathers expressed in the Declaration of Independence. A product of this country which made that document possible, and which was made possible by it, he saved the nation from permanent hypocrisy, and democratic institutions from dis- aster. He made the performance of the nation square with its promises, in the eyes of the world. Lincoln, as the product of the typical American environ- ment of his period, self-made as most of his fellows were, imbued with the ideals of the forefathers and willing to fight for them, was the personification of the spirit of the nation. Everywhere he attracted men who were filled with a kindred spirit ; and he is loved and revered to-day wherever that spirit is found. He is Americanism as interpreted by Americans. His very heredity fitted him for this position. Of Southern ancestry originally from the North, he was born in the South, and brought up among people of Southern birth; yet he lived his youth, grew to manhood, and reached his maturity in a Northern community. He knew and sympathized with the South as a Northern man, born and bred, could not have done; he grasped the earnestness and the temper of the North as it was impossible for a Southern man then to do. xx ABRAHAM LINCOLN And, as both North and South came to see, when he had been taken away, in his hopes and plans he represented the nation. He was and is the great national figure of the century. The recognition of this fact has been growing year by year since the tragic ending of his great life. It is less than half a century since his career was ended; yet to-day he stands forth as one of the great historical figures of the world. Time makes many changes, but none have been more striking than the growth of appreciation of Lincoln on the part of the South. His mighty passion was for the Union and its preservation as the fathers had given it to us, and in this love for the Union he included the South as well as the North. Differing radically from the South in his view of the slavery question, and of the other vital political questions of that day, he recognized that he, and the people whose convictions he represented, if placed in similar circumstances, would in all probability have championed the views held by his opponents. He had, therefore, only the kindliest feel- ing for the South and for the problems it had to face. President Roosevelt has recently said that one of the most wonderful of the characteristics of Lincoln was "the ex- traordinary way in which he could fight valiantly against what he deemed wrong, and yet preserve undiminished his love and respect for the brother from whom he differed." To-day, as never before, this is recognized by the South, and we find its press and people saying that he cared for the South not less than for the North; we find the Southern people at one with the rest of the nation in paying tribute to his memory; all joining as one people in his eulogy. Nothing shows so much as this fact how completely sectional feeling has been obliterated since his time. "Not less than the North has the South reason to canonize him," recently said Colonel Watterson in his Louisville Courier- Journal, "for he was the one friend we had at court — aside from Grant and Sherman — when friends were most in need." "We are told, too, in the South, that his death was a calamity THE TRIBUTE OF A CENTURY xxi to it — "the direst misfortune that ever darkened the calendar of her woes" — and it seems now to be generally recognized that much of the bitterness and humiliation of the recon- struction period would have been avoided, had he lived to guide the nation through those stormy days. This attitude of the South, as expressed by the Southern press, is typically illustrated by a recent editorial in The Post of Houston, Texas: "All men stand ready to concede that in a great crisis he was loyal to his convictions of duty, that he bore his great responsibilities with infinite patience, and that in all things he was free from sectional hatred and personal malice. "The people of the South have always felt that his untimely and tragic end was one of the severest catastrophes of the war period. They believed after the capitulation at Appomattox, that Mr. Lincoln would, in his second administration, bend all his energies toward reconciliation and binding up the wounds of war. All his utter- ances respecting the South were broadly patriotic, sympathetic, and expressive of a desire to restore peace, prosperity, and self-govern- ment. He sounded no note of exultation or vindictiveness over a prostrate country. He seemed to comprehend the woe and hardship which rested so heavily on every portion of our devastated domain, and he evinced a determination to resist the efforts of those who were anxious to put the people under the heel of the conqueror. It was no fault of his that the South, crushed and bleeding, was sub- jected to the brutalities and vandalism of reconstruction. We know now that when he fell, the barrier that protected us from that reign of terror was swept away; we know that if he had lived we should have been spared the multiplied sorrows which were visited upon us. ... In the Republic's oneness, the Americans of all sections shared in the heritage he bequeathed to the nation, and Americans of all sections honor and revere his memory." The South does not forget that Lincoln was a Southerner by birth, transplanted to the soil of the West. She takes pride in him as the son of the South. There is not throughout the South that deep affection for Lincoln which is every- where evidenced in the North; but there is a very real ap- preciation and a profound respect. Here and there dis- cordant notes and utterances are sounded in the Southern press, but their very rarity marks them as anachronisms of xxii ABRAHAM LINCOLN a bygone day, which have long since ceased to represent the true sentiments of this great section of our common country. Not only, then, has Lincoln come to be a truly national figure and to represent, in his hopes and ideals for America and American institutions, the North and South, the East and West, alike, but wherever thoughtful men or hopeful men turn to American institutions as the hope of democracy, he stands forth as the heroic figure on the horizon of time. Abraham Lincoln holds this place to-day in the minds and hearts of all his countrymen and men of similar aspirations everywhere, not alone because of his public utterances, his keen insight into the problems of a democratic State, his emancipation of millions of slaves, his even-handed justice to friend and foe alike, or any one or all of the things that go to make up his public career, but also because of his per- sonality and life history. In his own day there were those who sneered because his training and manner were not con- ventional. These very facts, and the opposition which they caused, endeared him to the people as a whole, for they repre- sented their joys and sorrows, their aspirations and hopes, their ideals and beliefs, their struggles for self-expression in all the varied activities of life. It is sometimes commented upon as remarkable that a man like Lincoln should have risen from conditions such as marked his youth and early career. Americans then, and Americans now, have been among those who raise the question. It may be excusable for men brought up in other civilizations, to wonder at the possibility, but for an American to do so is to doubt his own institutions, and to question the power of democracy. It is out of such conditions, modified from decade to decade in accordance with the development of the country, away from the deadening level of the schools and the crush- ing conventionality of a settled society in our great cities, that we are most apt to draw our truly great men. Lincoln had a fine mind and a splendid physique, both developed to great perfection. He was a natural student, trained largely by his contact with men, but not neglecting every opportunity to master the books that he had at hand. ' - Q G3 ■ w^Hfm ■ " V Lk^ t_ The Lincoln Stamp and Penny The Lincoln Medal Struck for the Grand Army of the Republic (See page xxv) THE TRIBUTE OF A CENTURY xxiii He struggled for what he attained, but the result was a mastership of English style — two or three of his utterances rank with the finest in the world — a statesmanship as wide as the problem of the nation itself, a humanity as broad as the needs of men. The feeling about Lincoln being what it is, it is not sur- prising that, with the approach of the Centenary of his birth, the suitable celebration of it began to be agitated throughout the country — not alone by the people who knew him, or the thousands still living who had come in contact with him, hazarded property or life or loved ones to sustain him, or come to recognize him as their far-seeing friend in the time of stress and trouble — but even more by the millions who had been brought up under the inspiration of his memory and with reverence for his name. Centenary celebrations are not altogether unusual, but are generally of great national events. Never before did a whole people approach the centenary of the birth of a man with such interest and unanimity, or carry out its celebration with such enthusiasm. It was the spontaneous tribute of the na- tion to him who had justified its existence, given vitality to its utterances, preserved it for its destinies, and given promise of its future. It is hard to trace the origin of the Centenary celebration. Plans for it seemed to spring into existence simultaneously in various parts of the country : in the action of the Congress of the United States ; in the appointment of State commissions, by the Governors of all the States in the Union, to represent their States in the preparation for the national celebration at the Lincoln Farm ; and — to stimulate celebrations within their own States — in the organization of municipal celebrations; and the activities of various associations and patriotic so- cieties. The American Federation of Labor paid tribute to the day by the adoption, by its Executive Council, as part of its Report for the Denver Convention, the following recommendation, written by Samuel Gompers, President of the Federation : xxiv ABRAHAM LINCOLN '"On Friday, the twelfth of February, 1909, will occur the one hundredth anniversary of the birth of Abraham Lincoln. In all the history of our .Republic, no man lived who, in himself and in his work, more completely embodied and typified the ennobling aspirations and ideals of human justice and human freedom. No man ever loved his fellow men more than he. None had a better knowledge of, or a deeper sympathy with, the struggles and hopes of the toilers. "We were asked, and gladly gave, our support to a movement to make of his birthplace a perpetual Mecca of all who loved liberty and hu- manity. It is expected that a country-wide, fitting celebration be had upon the centennial anniversary of Lincoln's birth. The celebration is yet in indefinite form. '•We recommend that Friday, February 12, 1909, the centennial of the birth of the revered and martyred Lincoln, wherever possible, be made a holiday by all labor. "That we urge upon Congress and the several States that that day be declared a legal holiday. "That the officers of the American Federation of Labor be authorized to be duly represented in any national celebration which may be in- augurated, or which they may initiate, so that the day, and the mem- ory of the advent and services of this great and good man, may be fittingly observed and impressed upon the hearts and consciences of our people." The Grand Army of the Republic issued, through its national Commander, a formal Proclamation to all its Posts, requesting "that every Post recognize the day in some fitting manner, either in special meeting, or in attendance, as a body, where a public celebration was held." The Proclamation also urged united observances of the day, where there was more than one Post in a city, and the invitation of other patriotic societies to participate in all functions arranged for this oc- casion. The organization, naturally, had a large part in the national commemoration of the Centenary, and its every Post, throughout the country, actively participated, often initiating the local celebrations, always taking part in them, and always the honored guests of the general committees where organized. In this celebration, they were joined many times by their brethren of the South, who wore the grey, and whose valor and sacrifices, although rendered to the Lost Cause, con- tribute so much to the glory of the Union to which Lincoln was martyr. THi t?:i -7i ;: .-. -i .'7 ". :- v V.ir _ ■■-- -'-'■ - ' 7_zi -:.-: ~ - - z. '— * t\«ui W RnrnhuL Chans r . mc- 7:-^:- :> - _ --— " ^Id, J^^toA provide for a twatwnt of tkeMallfnm ---:: •-- - '-■• " " --- xxvi ABRAHAM LINCOLN the end of this bridge, the commission proposed that a Lincoln memorial be erected, which should have a character dis- tinctively its own — one suggestion being that of a great portico of Doric columns. This plan had the support of President Roosevelt. The question of a permanent Lincoln museum was also discussed, and in order that the priceless collections of Lin- coln relics now in private hands may some time be brought together as the property of the government, it is hoped that such a plan may be realized. When that time comes, it is to be hoped that the great Gunther Lincoln collection, now stored in Chicago, may become thus once more available to the public, unless Chicago itself shall have sooner provided a suitable building for its preservation and display. In the meantime, while these plans for a great national memorial were being canvassed and discussed in and out of Congress, and through the press of the country — cities, towns, and villages all over the United States, colleges, universities, schools, churches, fraternal organizations, and private citi- zens were dedicating permanent memorials of their own, not so pretentious as the vast projects proposed in Congress, but equally commemorative of the Man they had thought so to honor, and perhaps even more vital in influence by reason of being set in the busy ways of town and market place, where the people go about their daily tasks. Hundreds of memorial tablets were placed on walls and buildings; monuments were dedicated; busts of Lincoln placed in public halls, schools, libraries, and other places of congregation ; new municipal parks named for Lincoln and thrown open to the public; while many of the sites where Lincoln once made history, were permanently marked, for the information of future generations, by tablets commemo- rating his connection with the events which had there taken place. The Grand Army of the Republic had struck off, at the United States Mint at Philadelphia, a Lincoln Centenary medal in bronze, as ''an everlasting token of respect to the Commander in Chief of the Union Army and Navy of the THE TRIBUTE OF A CENTURY xxvii Civil "War, and an heirloom to be handed down from genera- tion to generation as a tribute to the loyalty of those who served under his command. ' ' The government, in commemoration of the Centenary, issued a Memorial stamp and a Memorial penny. The postage stamp was a two-cent one, of the size and color of the regular two- cent stamp, and bore a profile of Lincoln, facing to the right, with the inscriptions: "U. S. Postage," and "1809— Feb. 12— 1909," "Two Cents." The penny, on its obverse side, bears a profile relief of Lincoln facing the right, with the inscrip- tions: "In God we Trust," "Liberty," "1909," while on the reverse side are the words, "E Pluribus TJnum," "One Cent," "United States of America." When the distribution of these coins was made at the sub-treasuries, hundreds of people stood for hours in line for the opportunity of buying them, and soon they were sold at a premium on the street. The universal interest in the celebration of the Centenary is perhaps most clearly evidenced by the newspaper comment upon the life and services of Lincoln, and the celebrations of the week. The collection of clippings gathered for Chi- cago's Committee of One Hundred during the celebration, numbers over sixty thousand separate items, and fills more than thirty volumes the size of the "Encyclopedia Britannica." These clippings are an inexhaustible mine of anecdotes and reminiscences of Lincoln which could never again be duplicated. Many of them have been included, of course, in works already published, but others are new and of vital interest. Some day it is hoped that this new ma- terial may be made available for the lovers of Lincoln, through the historical societies or otherwise. The newspapers of the country printed Centennial editions, reviewing Lincoln's life, character, and the times which gave him birth ; bringing into the least-lettered homes of the land intimate knowledge, not only of the sad, patient, kindly, wonderful man who held the nation intact, against all pressure from within and without, but of the conditions which confronted him — of the inner his- tory of the Civil War, and what preceded and came after. It has been my plan here to give a brief indication of the xxviii ABRAHAM LINCOLN marvellous interest expressed in the Centenary by the people of our country, and to preserve in permanent form some, at least, of the best addresses delivered on that occasion. It is hoped that the perusal of these addresses may kindle anew the already wide interest in the life and works of Abraham Lincoln, and, by showing the uniqueness of his place in the life of the nation, cause many who have never been so before, to become students of the life, words, character, and achieve- ments of the most typical of all Americans. The tribute of a century, paid to him within the lifetime of his contempo- raries, shows that Lincoln lives in the hearts of his country- men, immortal. THE CHICAGO COMMEMORATION ABRAHAM LINCOLN THE TRIBUTE OF A CENTURY THE CHICAGO COMMEMORATION OF the hundreds of celebrations held throughout the land in commemoration of Lincoln's Centenary, the Chicago commemoration was one of the largest, most enthusiastic, and the broadest in conception of any in the country. The inti- mate relation of Chicago to the career of Lincoln made this commemoration one of national interest. The Chicago Commemoration was initiated by a Resolution introduced by Alderman Albert J. Fisher in the City Council, which provided for an official committee to be appointed by the Mayor. Acting upon this resolution, Honorable Fred A. Busse, Mayor of Chicago, appointed the Lincoln Centennial Memorial Committee of One Hundred, which organized with Honorable William J. Calhoun as Chairman, and Nathan William MacChesney as Secretary. The Committee was a thoroughly representative one, and great enthusiasm was shown for the work it was to undertake. It was divided into various sub-committees— a Committee on Speakers, Halls, and Schools, under the direction of Edgar A. Bancroft, Esq. ; a Committee on Military Participation, with Colonel Joseph Rosenbaum as Chairman; a Committee on Music, Art, and Decorations, Alexander H. Revell, Chairman ; a Publicity Committee, with T. Edward Wilder and Joseph Basch as Chairmen, and Shailer Mathews as Vice-Chairman ; a Committee on Church and In- stitutional Observance, Hon. C. C. Kohlsaat, Chairman; a Finance Committee, Arthur Meeker, Chairman; and a Com- mittee on Conference and Unification of Celebration, with Frank Hamlin, Esq., as Chairman. 3 4 ABRAHAM LINCOLN These, together with the other committees, mapped out a comprehensive plan for the celebration. Resolutions were passed by the Board of Cook County Commissioners, and a Proclamation was issued by the Mayor and posted throughout the city, calling attention to the Lincoln celebration, and urg- ing upon the people a study of the life and words of Lincoln. The plans of the Committee of One Hundred provided for an entire Lincoln week to be given to the commemoration of the Centenary, starting with exercises in the churches of the city on Sunday evening, February 7, and continuing through- out the week; with readings from the life and speeches of Lincoln in the schools of the city for three or four days pre- ceding Friday, February 12, and with public exercises in the class-rooms of all the public and parochial schools on Thurs- day, February 11. The celebration was planned to be educa- tional in its scope, and included meetings not only in all of the public, parochial, and private schools of the city, but in other educational institutions, and in public and private libraries. Speakers were furnished for these meetings under the direc- tion of the general Committee; and the fraternal organiza- tions, and various societies and clubs of the city, were stimu- lated to hold meetings of their own, with the result that there were held during the week considerably over a thousand meet- ings with which the Committee came in touch. A more re- markable example of the interest taken could not have been given. The five largest meetings of the day — at the Auditorium, on the morning of the Centenary; at the Seventh Regiment Armory, on the afternoon and evening; at the Second Regi- ment Armory and at Battery B Armory, in the afternoon — were held directly under the auspices of the Committee of One Hundred, and were presided over by the Committee through its designated representatives. Woodrow Wilson, President of Princeton University, spoke at the Auditorium meeting, in the forenoon of February 12 — a meeting which was remarkable in many respects, and pre- sided over by Hon. William J. Calhoun, Chairman of the Com- mittee of One Hundred, who made, of course, the speech of THE CHICAGO COMMEMORATION 5 introduction. The hall itself has been the scene of many great addresses, and many interesting civic events, in Chicago, start- ing with the nomination of President Harrison in 1888. It seats about forty-five hundred people, but the application for seats exceeded the capacity some two or three times. Sec- tions were reserved for the City Council, the County Com- missioners, the Grand Army of the Republic, the Women's Relief Corps, the various patriotic societies, the Consular Corps of Chicago, and the Committee of One Hundred, which at- tended in a body. The boxes were occupied by the various officers of the Army and Navy, and of the Illinois National Guard; and by representatives of the Legislature, the Su- preme Court, and the Executive branch of the Government. The setting was perfect for a great meeting, and the speaker rose ,to the occasion, carrying his audience with him in waves of enthusiasm. When Chairman Calhoun requested that the veterans of the Grand Army of the Republic be allowed to march out prior to the dismissal of the meeting — which they did, carrying their banners and flags, and dipping their colors as they passed in review before General Grant, the son of their old commander — there was scarcely a dry eye in the house. At the meeting in the Seventh Regiment Armory, on the afternoon of February 12, over three thousand people lis- tened to the inspiring speech of Hon. J. A. Macdonald, editor of The Toronto Globe, receiving its masterly periods with rounds of applause. The meeting was appropriately pre- sided over, and the speech of introduction made, by Hon. Frank Hamlin, a son of Hannibal Hamlin, Vice-President under Lincoln. No less enthusiastic was the appreciation accorded Edwin Erie Sparks, President of the Pennsylvania State College, who spoke on the afternoon of the twelfth, in Battery B Armory, under the auspices of the First Cavalry and Bat- tery B, Illinois National Guard. Hon. Charles II. Wacker was Chairman of the meeting, and introduced the speaker. President Sparks was formerly Professor of American His- tory in the University of Chicago, and has edited an edition 6 ABRAHAM LINCOLN of "The Lincoln-Douglas Debates" for the Illinois Historical Society. Dr. Emil G. Hirsch, Minister of Sinai Congregation, Chicago, and Professor of Rabbinical Literature and Philos- ophy at the University of Chicago, gave an eloquent address to an overflowing and appreciative audience at the Second Regiment Armory, under the auspices of the Second Infantry, Illinois National Guard. He was introduced by Hon. Stephen S. Gregory, who acted as Chairman. Perhaps the most remarkable meeting of the week was that held for the colored people on the evening of the twelfth, in the Seventh Regiment Armory under the auspices of the Eighth Infantry (colored), Illinois National Guard, and the Colored Citizens' Committee. Ten or twelve thousand col- ored people gathered there to celebrate the one hundredth anniversary of the birth of their emancipator. Although the meeting was set for eight o'clock, the people began to arrive in the afternoon, and, long before the hour set, the crowds were massed in the street. Colonel John R. Marshall, of the Eighth Infantry, made a short speech as Chairman pro tern., followed by Rev. A. J. Carey, who made the speech of intro- duction. The three other speakers at this meeting were the Rev. J. W. E. Bowen, President of Gammon Theological Seminary, Atlanta, Georgia; the Hon. William J. Calhoun, President of the Lincoln Memorial Committee of One Hun- dred, and now Ambassador to China; and Nathan William MacChesney, Secretary of the Lincoln Memorial Committee, present to extend the greetings of the City of Chicago to its colored citizens. The meeting was a most unusual one, and perhaps nowhere in the limits of the city was the Lincoln Centenary observed with such feeling, such enthusiasm, such exaltation and homage. In addition to this meeting, there were hundreds of others throughout the city, of vivid interest and far-reaching influ- ence. Dr. Charles J. Little, President of Garrett Biblical Insti- tute, spoke at the Northwestern University Building, which stands upon the site of the old Tremont House. From the /n/fO.J '/' 1;,,/// V ;d //„, r yj# IN THE NAME OF THE CITY OF CHICAGO A PROCLAMATION. WHEREAS, February 12, 1909, Is the One Hundredth Anniversary of the birth of ABRAHAM LINCOLN; and WHEREAS , There is a universal desire that on that day his memory should be honored by the nation which he helped preserve, and especially by that State in which he lived; NOW THEREFORE, I, Fred A. Busse , Mayor of the City of Chicago, by virtue of a resolution passed by the Honorable, the City Council of Chicago, do hereby proclaim the week February 7-14, 1909, the LINCOLN CENTENNIAL WEEK, In order that this anniversary shall be appropriately observed, I do most earnestly urge the citizens of Chicago to dedicate that week to the study of the life ^nd words of President Lincoln. In particular do I call upon the citizens of Chicago to assemble on February l