Excerpt from Lincoln the Christian: An Address Delivered at the Lincoln Day Service, February 12, 1910, in Third Church of Christ, Scientist, of Chicago

Having come upon the scene of earth's activities since the close of the Civil War, I am, as a matter of course, devoid of personal rem iniscences of the meek but mighty man whose life work we are commemorating atthis service. Silver haired men and women there are in this city - and, for aught, I know, in this audience - the storehouses of whose memory are filled with rich recollections of the 'fifties and early 'sixties in lllinois. Some of these, no doubt, felt the cordial hand clasp and enjoyed the genial smile of Abraham Lincoln while he was yet known only as a rising lawyer of the Prairie State. Some there may be still among us who can recall the grim visage and almost grotesque figure of the Martyr President, as he went sadly about the national capital, bearing the unspeakable burden of care and responsibility which he assumed on becoming Chief Executive. There are some venerable patriots still in our midst who fought for the preservation of the Union under Lincoln's direction; for, by virtue of the presidential office, he was commander-in-chief of the Armies and Navies of the United States. But it is not for me to open these treasure houses of memory, and, perhaps, it is better so. For while the personal appear ance, habits, manner of dress, the tone ofvoice, may engage the attention and interest us at the moment of personal contact, these merely human attributes do not survive the wreck of time. It 18 not, therefore, how a man looks, how he dresses, nor, yet, his mannerisms, that should receive our serious attention. It is what he says that is true, what he does that is kind and loving and helpful to his fellow men, that constitute his immortal qualities. So it is for us today, in this hour, to have with us, in thought, the real Lincoln or, rather, that which is real and true and enduring about him, just to the extent that we are able to apprehend and appreciate the eternal qualities of his character.

The true estimate of a great life may not be formed by consideration of the merely historical aspect of that life. It is, however, helpful to study the biographies of great men sufficiently to grasp the higher meaning which these life records hold for us. From the words, the deeds, the example of great and good men, we learn useful lessons which, if applied to our daily experience, make us bettermen and women, kinder friends and neigh bors, more useful and patriotic citizens. From Lincoln's biographers - John Hay, Frederic Trevor Hill, Richard Watson Gilder, and others - we learn that he was humble, honest, faithful, just, strong, tender, loving, patient and meek. Truly Christ-like attributes, these! Yes, and that is why, as the receding years show his character more in its true per spective, and as the dissolving mists of personal bias, or prejudice, enable us to better focus our mental vision, Abraham Lincoln will tower above the meaner men of recent and remote years as one of the greatest figures in history.

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