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*Not without thy wondrous story, 
 
 Illinois, Illinois, 
 Can be writ the Nation's glory, 
 
 Illinois." 
 
AliKAlIAM LINCOLN 
 
CELEBRATION 
 
 OF T3E 
 
 One Hundreth Anniversary of the Birth of 
 ABRAHAM LINCOLN 
 
 By the Springfield Chapter, Daughters o{ the 
 American Revolution. 
 
 SPRINGFIELD, ILLINOIS 
 February 12, 1909 
 

 'iosycc 'JZ^'.:s:.ov:^^ 
 
CEI.BBRATION OF THB OnE HUNDREDTH ANNI- 
 VERSARY OF THE Birth of 
 
 Abraham Lincoln. ^ ^ 
 
 "' The Springfield Chapter, Daughters of the Amer- 
 ican Revolution, has, for the last seven years, met 
 at the old Lincoln Home upon the anniversary of 
 his birth. '^ Steps were taken one year ago looking 
 toward the approaching centennial of the birth of 
 Abraham Lincoln, which now becomes historic. 
 Active work was commenced early in the year; a 
 Committee of Arrangements, consisting of the 
 Regent, Mrs. Edwin S. Walker; Mrs. Benjamin H. 
 Ferguson, Mrs. Charles V. Hickox, and Mrs. Susan 
 Lawrence Dana, entered enthusiastically upon the 
 discharge of its duties. Plans adopted embraced a 
 reception at the Lincoln Home, between the hours 
 of 5 and 7 o'clock p. m., and a banquet following 
 later, at the rooms of the Young Men's Christian 
 Association. The Committee on Invitation, consist- 
 ing of Mrs. Charles V. Hickox, Mrs. John M. Palmer, 
 Mrs. Benjamin H. Ferguson, Mrs. Harriet R-. Tay- 
 lor, Mrs. Jessie Palmer Weber, Mrs. George F. 
 Stericker, Mrs. Henry Davis, Mrs. Charles H. 
 Thacher, and Miss Mary Humphrey, issued four 
 himdred invitations for the reception, to prominent 
 members of the National Society Daughters of the 
 American Revolution; to the members of the local 
 Chapter Sons of the American Revolution; to^ the 
 Board of Directors of the State Historical Society; 
 to the ladies of the Soldiers' Aid Society, and to 
 distinguished citizens of this and other states. 
 Among regrets received were two from among 
 the founders of the National Society, Mrs. Ellen 
 Hardin Walworth, daughter of Hon. John J. Hardin, 
 
of Illinois, and Mrs. Mary S. Lockwood. Mrs. 
 Walworth wrote: ''My thoughts will be with you 
 on that great and interesting occasion." Mrs. 
 Lockw^ood said: "There are many reasons why I 
 would be glad to. be with you were it possible. 
 First, to add one unit toward glorifying the name 
 of the saviour of our Republic. I am rejoiced to see 
 that the country at large is alive to the commemora- 
 tion of this notable event. Had it not been for 
 Abraham Lincoln and the patriotic work of his day 
 the Daughters of the American Revolution would 
 have little reason for having place in our Republic 
 today." From North Carolina came the message: 
 "It would be a delightful pleasure to be with you, 
 and, though absent, I shall in spirit unite with you 
 in your patriotic observance of the day, honoring 
 the memory of the distinguished American." An- 
 other Southern state sent greetings and regrets: 
 "It is gratifying to know that the Daughters of the 
 American Revolution propose to honor the memory 
 of Abraham Lincoln, one of the great men of the 
 world. ' ' 
 
 Regrets were also received from President and 
 Mrs. Roosevelt ; President-elect and Mrs. Taft ; Hon. 
 and Mrs. Shelby M. Cullom, Hon. and Mrs. A. J. 
 Hopkins, Hon. and Mrs. Richard Yates, Hon. and 
 Mrs. J. W. Fifer, Mrs. John A. Logan, Mrs. John 
 Hay, Miss Helen Nieolay, Mr, Horace White and 
 many others. 
 
 The Reception at the Lincoln Home. 
 
 The Lincoln Home needed no other setting for 
 that memorable occasion than the many, now price- 
 less, relics of the olden times. Standing within its 
 portals, the chasm of years seemed spanned, and one 
 almost expected to see the living, breathing Lincoln, 
 so great was the atmosphere of reality. Here min- 
 gled men and women of the present generation, with 
 
many who had known and honored Abraham Lin- 
 coln in earlier days. 
 
 Receiving the gnests were Mrs. Walker, Chapter 
 Regent, who, as hostess of the Chapter, presented 
 the guests to Mrs. A. S. Edwards, hostess of the 
 Lincoln Home ; JMrs. Robert T. Lincoln, Mrs. Charles 
 S. Deneen, Mrs. Donald McLean, of New York, 
 President General of the National Society; Mrs. 
 Charles V. Hickox, State Regent of Illinois; Mrs. 
 William J. Bryan, Mrs. Matthew T. Scott, former 
 Vice-President General; Mrs. Wallace Delafield, 
 Vice-President General of Missouri, and Mrs. Sam- 
 uel McKnight Green, State Regent of Missouri. The 
 assisting hostesses were : Mesdames B. H. Ferguson, 
 Harris Hickox, Jessie Palmer Weber, Susan Law- 
 rence Dana, Henry Davis, Arthur Prince, J. H. Pad- 
 dock, and Malinda Weber Weeks. 
 
 , Nearly the entire membership of the Springfield 
 Chapter was present, and aided in welcoming the 
 distinguished guests. From the Bloomington Chap- 
 ter were Mrs. Matthew T. Scott, Mrs. Isaac Funk, 
 and Mrs. Northrop ; from Decatur were the Regent, 
 Mrs. Frank C. Roach, and Mrs. H. H. Crea ; Mrs. G. 
 W. Edmonson, Regent of Clinton Chapter; from 
 Lincoln were Miss Anna Pegram, the Regent ; Mrs. 
 Catherine Gillett HiU, Miss Jessie Gillett, Mrs. 
 David Gillespie, and Mrs. Eva Htmtoon; from Jack- 
 sonville were the State Secretary, Mrs. Anne C. 
 Dickson; the Regent, Mrs. Mabel B. Waddell, and 
 Mesdames Crabtree, "Black, Mills, Alkire, Sharp, 
 Weir, and the Misses Wilson, Doyle, and Epler. 
 
 Among other guests were Mrs. Jacob Klein, of 
 St. Louis, Mo. ; Mrs. A. G. Briggs, of St. Paul, Minn. ; 
 Mrs. H. B. Sparks, of Alton; Mrs. Richard J. Ogles- 
 by, of Elkhart; Mrs. Eustace Shaw, of Dixon; Miss 
 Virginia Roby, of Chicago ; Miss Woodward, of Mid- 
 dletown, N. Y. ; Mrs. Fannie Lyford Griffith, of 
 Omaha, Neb., and Mrs. Mary Dennis, of Providence, 
 
R. I., who had journeyed this long distance to cele- 
 brate her seventy-first birthday anniversary in the 
 home of Lincoln. 
 
 Arriving soon after 5 o'clock were the distin- 
 guished visitors, His Excellency, Mr. J. J. Jusserand, 
 the French ambassador; the Right Honorable James 
 Bryce, the British ambassador; Hon. J. P. DoUiver, 
 of Iowa, and the Hon. William Jennings Bryan. 
 Accompanying these gentlemen were Governor 
 Charles S. Deneen (who presented the guests to the 
 receiving ladies), Hon. James Harlan, of the Inter- 
 State Commerce Conunission ; Hon, William Phillips, 
 Assistant Secretary of State; Hon. Charles Henry 
 Butler, Clerk of the United States Supreme Court, 
 and Hon. William Barrett Ridgely, all of Washing- 
 ton, D. C; Hon. Luther E. Smith, Hon. W. M. 
 Hough, Judge Jacob Klein, of St. Louis, Mo.; 
 Judge William E. Seaman, of Wisconsin; Judge 
 Peter S. Grosscup, of Chicago; Judge J Otis Hum- 
 phrey, Hon. Andrew Russel, Hon. J. S. McCuUough, 
 Hon. Francis G. Blair, Dr. William Jayne, a close 
 friend of Lincoln; Hon. John W. Bunn, Major Blu- 
 ford Wilson, Hon. Logan Hay, Mr. Stuart Brown, 
 Mr. William Butler, Mr. Edgar S. Scott, and mem- 
 bers of the local Chapter, Sons of the American 
 Revolution. 
 
 Mrs. Walker, Introducing the French Ambassador: 
 
 "In behalf of, and representing the Springfield 
 Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolu- 
 tion, it is my pleasure to extend to you, gentlemen, 
 our distinguished guests, a most cordial welcome to 
 this historic home, upon the celebration of the one 
 hundredth anniversary of the birth of Abraham 
 Lincoln. We are especially honored by the presence 
 of his Excellency, Mr. J. J. Jusserand, the Ambas- 
 sador from France, the worthy successor, in the es- 
 teem of the American people, of LaFayette." 
 
 10 
 
Ambassador Jusserand: 
 
 **0n such an occasion as-this it at once occurs to 
 each mind the subject of the two great crises which 
 occurred in American history, and the two great 
 men which were given from birth to aid the Ameri- 
 can nation — Washington and Lincoln, Between 
 these two great men there are many connecting 
 links — the love of country, love of duty, the desire 
 to help, and success in helping. 
 
 "I may say that, to the Daughters of the Ameri- 
 can Revolution, we owe the preservation of the 
 things that make us realize how they lived. To them 
 credit is due for the preservation of the memorials 
 at Mt. Vernon and Lincoln's home at Springfield. 
 
 "Among the few books that Lincoln could secure 
 when he was living in the woods, learning from 
 them what duty was, what activity was, one of these 
 was the 'Life of Washington,' and this very book, 
 according to an anecdote that is said to be absolutely 
 true, cost him three days of hard work, because he 
 had placed it in a space between two logs, and it 
 was thought lost. In that book he read for the first 
 time of what Washington had done for his country, 
 and of LaFayette. I want to say of LaFayette, and 
 in the presence of my illustrious friend, the British 
 ambassador, because he feels exactly as I do, that he 
 had such a fine mind. 
 
 "He was an ideal friend and an ideal enemy. He 
 was a generous man. He showed his generosity 
 and his feeling for America from the first. 
 
 "Long before he came to America he went to 
 visit his father in London, who was then French 
 ambassador in London. 
 
 "He was asked to go to Portsmouth to see the 
 great ships that were building, and, knowing that 
 they were to be used to fight the insurgents, as they 
 were called, refused to go. 
 
 11 
 
"This house is particularly sacred to all those 
 who have a feeling for family life. It is here that he 
 lived with the woman who so admired him, because 
 she discovered that his heart was as great as his 
 arms were long. 
 
 **I want to thank you, and it is a great honor for 
 me to extend my thanks, for the reception here this 
 afternoon." 
 
 Introducing Ambassador Bryce : 
 
 *'The Daughters of the American Revolution are 
 not unmindful of the fact that one of the most com- 
 plete and impartial histories of the Revolutionary 
 war is the recent production of an English author, 
 Sir George Trevelyan; they also remember, with 
 pleasure, that they are honored today by the 
 presence of the celebrated author of that unexcelled 
 commentary on our Constitution. 'The American 
 Commonwealth.' I have the honor of introducing 
 his Excellency, the British Ambassador." 
 
 Ambassador Bryce, with deep feeling, spoke as 
 follows : 
 
 ^'Ladies and Gentlemen: I had not the faintest 
 idea, when I incautiously entered this town, that I 
 was going to be asked to deliver three speeches — 
 one of which I have already delivered; one I have 
 not, and this which I am trying to deliver now. 
 Should my remarks lack fluent words and skill, the 
 charge must be laid upon the sex that put up this 
 device to snare a eayeless man. 
 
 "Nevertheless, I think that any one would be 
 very insensate who would not feel inspired by the 
 associations of this house, and the emotions with 
 which the dwelling of the immortal Lincoln filled 
 his breast. We are apt to think of the great men 
 of the past as the great heroes pictured in history, 
 and not as ordinary men like ourselves. We are apt 
 
 12 
 
to forget that they, too, were tried by the humble 
 duties of everyday life, and to recall only those 
 deeds and services which have made their names 
 immortal. I am glad to know the feelings of the 
 people of the State of Illinois; to know that they 
 honor and revere the name of Abraham Lincoln. 
 
 "It is a moving thought for us that that great, 
 noble soul should have dwelt here ; that he should 
 have passed in and out of these doors, and that here 
 he must have sat many hours, revolving in his mind 
 those thoughts which were to prove the salvation of 
 his country. In the great struggle of the Civil war, 
 inspiration, called forth by the love of his country, 
 told him what to do, and gave him the courage to do 
 that which did prove the nation's salvation. 
 
 "It strikes me as astounding that the people of 
 New England and the other Northern states should 
 have realized the extent of this trouble, and felt that 
 they were called upon as liberators to abolish that 
 great iniquity in their own time; that they should 
 have heard the call of freedom to take up arms 
 against the slave-trade. But sometimes, neverthe- 
 less, I have wondered if the war would have been 
 successful without the aid of the Robert Morrises 
 and the loyal people of the North, who gave of their 
 substance to the great cause, freely and unstintedly. 
 So, I wonder whether the liberation of the slave and 
 the safe salvation of the Union to freedom would 
 have been accomplished without the aid of those 
 faithful souls. And, among these, women were con- 
 spicuous. It was during the war that momentous 
 services were rendered by the Northern women who 
 came down to the South, and nothing, we say, was 
 more potent and more blessed than the work that 
 the Northern women did when they came down to 
 teach the negro. 
 
 "One thing more deserves to be forever recog- 
 nized as a powerful factor in the preservation of the 
 
 13 
 
Union to freedom, and the extinction of slavery. 
 That one force was a book, and that book was writ- 
 ten by a woman. I remember, as a child, the im- 
 pression made all over England and Scotland by 
 'Uncle Tom's Cabin.' It was the most talked of 
 book for months, after its appearance, that I can 
 recall. There is nothing like it in my memory. 
 
 "If we all took up our stand, once for all, on the 
 side of freedom and human liberty in these days, as 
 did the men of the war for the Union, under the lead 
 of Lincoln, so doing would be paying the highest 
 tribute to his memory. I remember that those were 
 days in which ministers of religion acted no unim- 
 portant part in the conflict of opposing forces. They 
 realized that "those were days that tried men's 
 souls," so it needed a good deal of force and power; 
 it needed a good deal of powder and ball, to suc- 
 cessfully prosecute the great National conflict to its 
 final issue. 
 
 "We must give great credit to the Southern 
 women, because they did show great devotion to 
 their cause, whatever the merits of that cause were. 
 I feel, therefore, ladies, that we men should be un- 
 grateful if we did not recognize the great part that 
 the women have played, and the enormous services 
 they rendered to the progress of the human race. ' ' 
 
 Introducing the President General, of the D. A. R. : 
 
 "Mrs. McLean, in response to an invitation of 
 some months ago, comes to Springfield as the hon- 
 ored guest of the Chapter, and to join with us in the 
 celebration of the one himdredth anniversary of the 
 birth of Abraham Lincoln." 
 
 . ''My Dear Regent and Daughters: I may first 
 say how delighted I am to be here, and to have the 
 privilege of attending this celebration which the 
 Springfield Chapter of the D. A. R. has arranged in 
 commemoration of the one hundredth anniversary of 
 
 14 
 
the birth of Abraham Lincoln. It gives me great 
 pleasure to listen to the kindly sentiments expressed 
 by the ambassadors of two great countries; to see 
 them come to do honor to the memory of the immor- 
 tal Lincoln. Your words touch us deeply. I recall 
 the brave LaFayette, and his heroic service in behalf 
 of our country in her hour of need. It was not only 
 LaFayette,- but his lovely wife, who sent him. She 
 was only seventeen, and she let him come to us. I 
 recall the love that carried Washington through such 
 hard, such trying experiences. 
 
 "I have sat under the spell of eloquence this 
 afternoon ; I have been to the tabernacle, and learned 
 there the wonderful power of human eloquence. I 
 am grateful that gifted men should furnish such a 
 treasure to cherish and recall with the flood of years. 
 Believe me, a woman's worship and admiration of 
 man have not diminished. They still exist in the 
 hearts of all true women, for all true manhood ! ' ' 
 
 Following these brief addresses the guests were 
 escorted to the dining room, where they were met 
 by the ladies in charge, with Mrs. Arthur Hunting- 
 ton, a grand-daughter of Hon. Jesse K. DuBois, a 
 pergonal friend of Lincoln, as Chairman. The as- 
 sisting committee were: Miss Helen Allen, Mrs. A. 
 L. Bowen, Mrs. Clayton Barber, Miss Ethelwyn 
 Bradish, Miss Bessie Brinkerhoff, Miss Susan Chen- 
 ery. Miss M. Frances Chenery, Mrs. W. B. Chitten- 
 den, Miss Gertrude Converse, Mrs, E. E. Craft, 
 Misses Ada and Edna Creighton, Mrs. Owen L. 
 Frazee, Mrs. Jay T. French, Mrs. George K. Hall, 
 Mrs. W. G. Harbeson, Mrs. G. L. Hamsberger, Mrs. 
 P. W. Harts, Miss Savillah T. Hinriehsen, Miss Mary 
 Humphrey, Mrs. Roy Ide, Mrs. J. R. Lieb, Mrs. G. 
 A. Lochman, Miss Eleanor Matheny, Mrs. W. J. Mil- 
 lar, Mrs. Lewis Miner, Mrs. Elmer A. Perry, Miss 
 Nellie Sattley, Mrs. E. A. Snively, Miss Cordelia 
 Stanton, and Mrs. W. A. Starne. 
 
 15 
 
The decorations and appointments of the dining 
 room were in keeping with the period in which Lin- 
 coln lived. The silver, table linen, glass and china 
 were used by Mrs. Lincoln, but now are treasured 
 heirlooms, belonging to the Lincoln or Edwards 
 families, or their intimate friends. The table cloth 
 was the one used at the wedding supper of Abraham 
 Lincoln and his bride. The bowl from which ice 
 cream was served belonged to Mrs. Ward Lamon, 
 daughter of the late Judge Stephen T. Logan; 
 almonds, filberts, and raisins were served from a 
 silver dish, now belonging to Mrs. B. H. Ferguson: 
 from the epergne, and high lattice-work dishes, 
 oranges, apples, and grapes were seen, while coffee 
 was served from the urn once used by Mrs. Lincoln. 
 The candelabra belonged to the Lincoln and DuBois 
 families. On the sideboard were placed the old- 
 fashioned cakes of sixty years ago, and from this 
 same sideboard was cake served at the time of the 
 wedding supper. 
 
 The decorations were of smilax, heliotrope, and 
 mignonette, with old-fashioned flat bouquets, so 
 much in style in the sixties. About the large picture 
 of Lincoln were the palm and oak leaves, sjrmbolic 
 of victory and peace. 
 
 Before leaving the Home, Ambassadors Bryce 
 and Jusserand, Mr. Bryan, and Senator DoUiver 
 were each presented with a small box, containing 
 a block of walnut wood, in the rough, bearing a 
 medallion of Lincoln. Each box was enclosed in a 
 suitable leather covered case, bearing, in gold let- 
 ters, the name of the recipient and the date of pres- 
 entation. The presentation was made by Mrs. Mary 
 Edwards Brown, the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Ed- 
 wards, of the Lincoln Home, and grand-daughter of 
 Mr. and Mrs. Ninian W. Edwards, at whose home in 
 this city Mr. and Mrs. Lincoln were married. 
 
 16 
 
The Banquet. 
 
 From' the formal reception the members of the 
 Chapter and their guests proceeded to the banquet 
 hall of the Young Men's Christian Association, lo- 
 cated two blocks distant, where they were received 
 by a committee of ladies, with Mrs. Harris Hickox 
 as Chairman. Assisting were: Mrs. B. W. Brown, 
 Mrs. Edwin Beggs, Miss Mary Brooks, Mrs. James 
 A. Creighton, Miss Gertrude Converse, Mrs. George 
 Day, Mrs. Isaac Diller, Mrs. Frank Fisher, Mrs. 
 Frank Godley, Mrs. J. H. Holbrook, Mrs. James T. 
 Jones, Mrs. Caroline M. B. Kane, Mrs. George Leav- 
 erton, Mrs. C. J. Lumpkin, Mrs. S. Mendenhall, Mrs. 
 J. F. Miller, Mrs. J. H. Paddock, Mrs. James E. 
 Power, Mrs. Arthur Prince, Mrs. J. I. Rinaker, Mrs. 
 C. A. Eoosa, Miss Olive Sattley, Mrs. G. Clinton 
 Smith, Mrs. Harriet Taylor, and Mrs. C. H. Thacher. 
 The interior of the dining room was handsomely 
 decorated for the 'occasion, as was the main reception 
 hall. Flags and bunting were used in profusion, 
 in carrying out the scheme of decoration. The com- 
 mittee, consisting of Mesdames Ferguson, Menden- 
 hall, Diller, Prince, Power, Hall, and Miner, assisted 
 by Messrs. Thomas Condell and John Graham, 
 seemed to catch the spirit of patriotism in their work 
 of decoration. Immediately back of the table at 
 which the guests of honor were seated were hung 
 three portraits of Lincoln, backed by four large, and 
 two small American flags; the center picture was 
 framed on either side by sword palms, while above 
 was placed a golden eagle with outspread wings, all 
 emblematic of the supremacy of a Nation and a 
 State. Under the picture was, a large bouquet of 
 lilies and roses, a tribute of respect to our two for- 
 eign ambassadors, the "lilies of France and the rose 
 of England." Between the large flags on the north 
 wall were two shields, one bearing the inscription, 
 "With malice toward none," and the other, ''With 
 
 17 
 
charity for all." The coliunus in the main portion 
 of the hall were wound with smilax, while the tables 
 were bright with hundreds of red carnations. Ten 
 tables were arranged, and plates laid for 130 guests. 
 The distinguished guests seated at the center table 
 rendered it at once of such historic interest as could 
 never be duplicated in the State of Illinois. In ad- 
 dition to the guests of honor, Mrs. Deneen, Mrs. 
 McLean, Mrs. Bryan, ]\Irs. Scott, Mrs. Delafield, 
 Mrs. Green, and Mrs. Hickox, were: Mrs. E-hoda 
 Bissell Thomas, daugher of former Governor Bissell ; 
 Mesdames Richard Oglesby, and John R. Tanner, 
 wives of former Illinois Governors; Mrs. Alice Ed- 
 wards Ferguson, grand-daughter of Ninian Edwards, 
 United States Senator, the first Territorial Governor, 
 later Governor of the State. Miss Hannah Stuart, 
 daughter of Hon. John T. Stuart, Member of Con- 
 gress, and partner of Mr. Lincoln, was absent on 
 account of illness; Mrs. Anne C. Dickson, State 
 Secretary of Illinois Daughters; Mrs. Jessie Palmer 
 Weber, daughter of Gen. John M. Palmer, who was, 
 after the war, made Governor and later United States 
 Senator ; Mrs. John M. Palmer, the ^vidow of General 
 Palmer, was absent from the city; Mrs. James A. 
 Rose, wife of the Secretary of State ; Mrs. A. S. Ed- 
 wards, hostess of the Lincoln Home; Mrs. Edward 
 D. Keys, a niece of Mrs. Lincoln, and Miss Humphrey, 
 daughter of Judge Humphrey. The remaining 
 tables were presided over by Mrs. Harris Hickox, 
 Mrs. Susan Lawrence Dana, Mrs. Arthur Hunting- 
 ton, Mrs. George K. Hall, Mrs. Isaac Diller, Mrs. P. 
 W. Harts, Mrs. Harriet Taylor, ]\Irs. Arthur Prince, 
 Mrs. W. A. Starne, Miss Ada Creighton, Miss Ger- 
 trude Converse, IMrs. E. A. Snively, Mrs. J. I. 
 Rinaker, Mrs. Elmer Perry, Mrs. Frank Godley, Mrs. 
 G. A. Lockman, Mrs. W. J. Millar, and Mrs. C. A. 
 Roosa. 
 
 18 
 
Rarely, if ever, has the Capital City of Illinois 
 heen the scene of so brilliant a social function. A 
 kaleidoscopic picture of surpassing beauty, bewilder- 
 ing in variety of color, magnificent in display of rare 
 and costly laces and jewels, seen by the light of in- 
 numerable candles, furnished a setting for the ban- 
 quet hall at once resplendent and charming. Each 
 guest was furnished with an appropriate place card, 
 adorned with a fine vignette engraved portrait of 
 Lincoln, encircled with laurel; below was the name 
 of the guest, done in old English script, and the sig- 
 nificant dates, 1809-1909, the artistic work of Mr. 
 Arthur Huntington. 
 
 To these were added souvenir booklets for each 
 guest, the gift of Miss M. Frances Chenery, a member 
 of the Chapter. On one page was seen a cut of the 
 birthplace of Mr. Lincoln; on another, that of the 
 home from which he went forth to fulfil the great 
 ''estiny which awaited him. Pressed flowers, such 
 as had once grown near his monument in *'Oak 
 Ridge, ' ' added a most artistic touch to the souvenir. 
 
 Following the invocation offered by Mrs. Charles 
 S. Deneen, the entire assemblage, standing, joined 
 in singing the National Hymn, "America," led by 
 the orchestra. 
 
 Invocation. 
 
 "We thank Thee, 0, Lord, that we are privileged 
 to meet today in loving memory of Abraham Lin- 
 coln. Incline our hearts to be as staunch and true as 
 was his, alike in prosperity or adversity. Give us 
 the same gentleness of spirit that characterized his 
 whole life, and give us that sublime faith which was 
 his. We ask Thy blessing upon these provisions of 
 Thy hand, of which we are about to partake, and 
 Thy benediction upon all who are present here to- 
 night. Amen. ' ' 
 
 At the conclusion of the banquet, as '^ Mistress of 
 
 19 
 
Toasts," Mrs. Edwin S. Walker welcomed the guests 
 present, and introduced the speakers, as follows : 
 
 "Tie one regret which is mine to-night is that I 
 am not a native of this great State of Illinois. 
 
 It has been well said that the only difference 
 between Illinois and Vermont, is that Illinois is a 
 great big state, while Vermont is a great little state. 
 
 The real daughter, to 'the manner born,' of the 
 great little state of Vermont, which was ever loyal 
 to Lincoln, and an adopted daughter of the great 
 big state, in the name of the Springfield Chapter 
 Daughters of the American Revolution, extends a 
 cordial welcome to you, our visiting guests, to the 
 Capital City of lUinpis. 
 
 It is not alone a welcome to the Capital City, 
 but to the home city of him whose one hundredth 
 birthday we commemorate to-night; the city which 
 Abraham Lincoln loved, who, forty-eight years 
 ago yesterda}^ gave expression to his feeling in those 
 never to be forgotten farewell words : 
 
 '*To this place and the kindness of these people 
 I owe everything. Here I have lived a quarter of a 
 century, and have passed from a young to an old 
 man. Here my children have been bom, and one is 
 buried. I bid you an affectionate farewell." 
 
 Alas, they proved to be his farewell utterances 
 to the friends of many years. 
 
 Each year, as the Daughters of the American 
 Revolution enter the doors of Lincoln's old home, 
 something akin to awe comes over us. There his 
 feet once trod those floors; his hands once touched 
 so many, now priceless, relics, and his voice echoed 
 within those walls. 
 
 As Daughters of the Amdrican Revolution, we 
 cherish a, pardonable pride in the 'Home City' of 
 Lincoln. 
 
 20 
 
Listen to the roll call of her ilustrious states- 
 men and heroes. 
 
 An Edwards; a Bissell; a Yates; a Douglas; a 
 Logan; a Stuart; an Oglesby; a Trumbull; a Palmer; 
 a Grant — all speak eloquently of the past. As we 
 stand where granite and bronze tell the life story, 
 and commemorate the fame of one whose memory is 
 enshrined in all our hearts, the benediction of him, 
 whom Lowell so fittingly, in his 'Commemoration 
 Ode,' characterized as the 'First American,' will rest 
 upon us. 
 
 As long as cur nation shall endure, all organiza- 
 tions, which have for their object the promotion of 
 patriotism, shall feel the unspoken blessing of the 
 martyred Lincoln, whose name will ever lead the 
 silent, unseen phalanx of Springfield's heroes. 
 
 We are led to think to-night of the lowly place 
 where, many centuries ago, the Christ child was 
 born ; the time when the morning stars first sang to- 
 gether — when the wise men, led by the star of Bethle- 
 hem, brought gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh 
 to the feet of Him who had come to be the Saviour 
 of the world. So, to-night, we are carried back in 
 imagination to the humble home where Lincoln first 
 saw the light of day, and we would bring, on this 
 one hundredth anniversary of Abraham Lincoln's 
 birth, gifts of praise and thanksgiving to the mem- 
 ory of him who was the saviour of this nation. 
 
 "One name alone, above all others stands, 
 
 A hundred years has stood the crucial test. 
 Of famous men of ours, or other lands, 
 
 Abraham Lincoln, is the name most blessed. 
 Abraham Lincoln — how the welkin rings 
 
 With plaudits for this nation- treasured name; 
 Recurring birthdays the remembrance brings 
 
 Of deeds heroic that proclaim his fame." 
 
 After announcing the regrets of Mrs. Charles H. 
 Deere, Vice-President General of Illinois, Mrs. 
 Hickox was introduced, who, though a member of 
 
 21 
 
the Springfield Chapter, is tonight our honored 
 guest, the State Regent of Illinois, from whom I am 
 sure we shall all be delighted to hear. We hope she 
 will tell something of Lincoln's fondness for chil- 
 dren. 
 
 Greetings from Mrs. Hickox : 
 
 Madam Toast Mistress, President General, Distin- 
 guished Guests, and Daughters of the American 
 Revolution : 
 
 When our Chapter Regent referred, a moment 
 ago, to Lincoln's love for children I felt that I was 
 most fortunate in having as a treasured recollection 
 the fact that, as Lincoln was leaving our home, after 
 an entertainment, given in his honor by my parents, 
 he took me, a little child, in his arms, fondly, and 
 spoke a few words to me in his gentle way. While 
 I cannot recall the words, the act and the thought 
 will ever be remembered. 
 
 It is, indeed, a pleasure for me to welcome you, 
 our beloved President General, our honored guests 
 and Daughters, to the capital of the great State of 
 Illinois. 
 
 Today, Madam President General, will ever be 
 a memorable one in the annals of the Illinois Daugh- 
 ters, and, as the Regent of this great 'Prairie State,* 
 speaking for the 3,000 Daughters whom it is my 
 privilege to represent, I rejoice that you are with us. 
 From your able leadership comes much of our in- 
 spiration, and we owe you our heartfelt thanks and 
 appreciation for the magnificent work accomplished 
 by you. Rarely, if ever, has such a record been 
 made, and your name will always be indissolubly 
 connected with that great monimient, now so near 
 completion, Memorial Continental Hall. Our Chap- 
 ter has been looking forward to this day with such 
 pleasant anticipation, and our one regret is that we 
 are to have you with us for so short a time. 
 
 22 
 
"While we tell with pride that this is the third 
 state in the Union in point of population; third in 
 wealth, and contains the third largest city on the con- 
 tinent, we realize that, above all these possessions, 
 the fact that gives our State and its capital world- 
 wide renown, is that it was the home of Abraham 
 Lincoln. We have just come from the hallowed 
 walls of his old home, where we have paid tribute to 
 his memory. Throughout the land, in city and ham- 
 let, a whole nation will seek to honor his memory 
 to-day, and if there is aught in association, how much 
 more should this Chapter, the representative of one 
 of the grandest patriotic organizations in existence, 
 seek to contribute to this universal paean of praise? 
 We do so, enthusiastically, because the mission of 
 the Daughters is, largely, to promote true patriot- 
 ism ; because we endeavor in every way to encourage 
 the celebration of all patriotic anniversaries, and 
 because both Mr. Lincoln and his wife, Mary Todd 
 Lincoln, were eligible to membership in our organi- 
 zation, as they were both lineal descendants of 
 patriots of the Eevolution. Again, we try to pre- 
 serve the records of individual service, and, with this 
 end in view, our State Historian, your honored Chap- 
 ter Regent, has requested every Chapter to send a 
 report of their Lincoln Centennial exercises to her, 
 from which will be compiled a volume unique with 
 its personal recollections. By a remarkable coin- 
 cidence, the semi-centennial of the famous debates 
 between the 'Railsplitter' and the 'Little Giant' pre- 
 ceded this centennial only a few months, and at that 
 time, I am happy to say that the D. A. R. of Illinois 
 again proved their loyalty. The Illini Chapter 
 placed a huge boulder to mark the scene of the first 
 debate in Ottawa. At EJioxville, the Chapter placed 
 a tablet to recall the fact that Lincoln rested at the 
 Hebard House over night on his way to Galesburg, 
 and, at that time, addressed the people. Princeton, 
 
 23 
 
too, has placed a boulder to recall the debate which 
 took place there. Decatur Chapter has marked, with 
 boulder and tablet, the first home of Lincoln in 
 Illinois, and acquired and restored the old log cabin 
 where Lincoln tried cases in Court, and are using it 
 as a Chapter house. 
 
 Thus have we proved that, while we dwell with 
 pride upon 
 
 "Ancestry, a gallant, Christian race, 
 Pattern of every virtue, every grace," 
 
 yet our special objects are most noble, and, as with 
 all our hearts' devotion, we desire to honor the mem- 
 ory of our immortal Lincoln, I foretell that ere long 
 the different Illinois Chapters will have shown their 
 gratitude to this 'Master of men' by marking every 
 spot connected with the important steps in his life, 
 that they may teach patriotism to the youth of to- 
 day by recalling the thought, word and deed of the 
 martyred President. 
 
 Introducing Mrs. Scott: 
 
 "Kentucky is a remarkable state. We have all 
 heard of the famous blue-grass region, and had come 
 to believe that one bom outside of that paradise 
 park must have been of plebeian ancestry, but 
 latterly this blue-grass country has come to cover 
 the entire state. It is fitting that an illustrious 
 daughter of the original blue-grass portion of Ken- 
 tucky should speak of her greatest countryman — 
 'Lincoln.' 
 
 Ladies, as coming events cast their shadows be- 
 fore, I am presenting to you our next President 
 General of the Daughters of the American Revolu- 
 tion, Mrs. Matthew T. Scott. 
 
 24 
 
Mrs. Scott's Address. 
 
 Madam President General, Madam State Regent, 
 Madam Chapter Regent and Ladies : 
 Many of you know my rooted aversion to being 
 called on to make a few remarks. At the mere 
 suggestion I have a sort of fellow feeling with the 
 mountaineer in Kentucky, who had to settle up his 
 father's estate of about $1,000. As he was jogging 
 along on his mule through the mud, on his way to the 
 old court house, again to try to wind up affairs, he 
 was heard gloomily muttering to himself, 'I almost 
 wish pap hadn't 'a died.' 
 
 Now, I cannot say I almost wish I had not been 
 summoned to this wonderful gathering just on ac- 
 count of a remark or two — for I cannot conceive of 
 anything more inspiring; more appealing; more 
 quickening to the highest in us, than this spontane- 
 ous outpouring of the multitude who all over this 
 land to-day, by one common impulse, with flower and 
 speech, and song, honor the memory of the kindly, 
 good man, the great, far-seeing statesman, the heroic 
 soul, who finished his course with the martyr's 
 crown. 
 
 Your committee having invited the distinguished 
 and eloquent President General of the Daughters 
 of the American Revolution to represent the east, 
 and the first lady of the west, whom several 
 millions of us had devoutly hoped and prayed 
 to see, the first lady of the land — to speak for this 
 great section — which may in truth be called Lincoln 'a 
 own country, an humble Kentuckian is honored, 
 whose pride and distinction is that she was born in 
 the same state as Abraham Lincoln, all her ancestors 
 and his people belonging to that part of the country 
 south of Mason and Dixon's line, which lost most 
 and suffered most cruelly by Mr. Lincoln's tragic 
 death — for this great President was in truth the 
 * Great Pacificator.' 
 
 25 
 
I was asked some time ago to furnish some 
 reminiscences of Mr. Lincoln, eiilled from the lips or 
 pen of others who had known him well. Failing in 
 this, I turned to his second inaugural address, and 
 there read words, paralleled only by those of Him 
 who spake as never man spake. 
 
 When, in the loom of time, have such words 
 been heard above the din of fierce conflict as. his 
 sublime utterances but a brief time before his tragic 
 death? 'With malice toward none; with charity for 
 all ; with firmness in the right, as God gives us to see 
 the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are 
 in; to bind up the nation's wounds; to care for him 
 who shall have borne the battle, and for his widow 
 and his orphan; to do all which may achieve and 
 cherish a just and lasting peace among ourselves 
 and with all nations.' 
 
 'To bind up the nation's wounds' — could words 
 more eloquently portray the high, pure soul; the 
 tender nature; the compassion for humanity, that 
 marked this man? *To bind up the nation's wounds' 
 — his parting benediction to his countrymen — be- 
 came a sacrament for the ages. 
 
 And, now, may I say a word of Lincoln, the 
 Kentuckian? At the great home gathering of Ken- 
 tucky's scattered children in Louisville, nineteen 
 months ago, upon the 'Greater Kentucky Day,' a 
 day largely given up to eulogy and memorials of 
 Mr. Lincoln, a distinguished son of Kentucky, 
 the orator of the occasion, said of this, the 
 most illustrious of all the sons of this old Common- 
 wealth; a Kentuckian by birth; by adoption an 
 lUinoisan, and at all times, in its grandest concep- 
 tion, an American: 'When I would speak of Abra- 
 ham Lincoln, I am reminded of the embarrassment 
 of the French orator, Bousset, when he pronounced 
 his matchless eulogy upon the Prince of Conde. 
 Said he: "I find myself equally overwhelmed by 
 
the greatness of the theme and the needlessness of 
 the task. What part of the habitable globe has not 
 heard of the wonders of his life? Everywhere they 
 are rehearsed. His own countrymen, in extolling 
 them, can give no information, even to the 
 stranger." Of Lincoln no words can be uttered or 
 withheld that could add to or detract from his im- 
 perishable fame. His name is the common heritage 
 of all people and all time.' 
 
 Of this untutored Kentucky boy said another 
 distinguished Kentuckian: 'He lived with Nature 
 and learned of her. He toiled, but his toil was 
 never hopeless and degrading. His feet were upon 
 the earth, but the stars, shining in perennial beauty, 
 were ever above him to inspire contemplation. He 
 heard the song of the thrush, and the carol of the 
 lark. He watched the sun in its course. He knew 
 the dim paths of the forest, and his soul was awed 
 by the power of the storm.' 
 
 Fortunate, indeed, was it that during the stress 
 of the storm of the early '60s, the ark of our cov- 
 enant was then borne by the plain, brave man of 
 conciliatory spirit ; of kind words, and whose heart 
 —as Emerson has said— * was as large as the world, 
 but nowhere had room for the memory of a wrong.' 
 Nobler words have never fallen from human 
 lips than the closing sentences of his first inaugural, 
 uttered in one of the pivotal days of human history 
 —immediately upon taking the oath to 'preserve, 
 protect and defend' his country. 'I am loath to 
 close. We are not- enemies, but friends. We must 
 not be enemies. Though passion may have strained, 
 it must not break our bonds of affection. The mys- 
 tic chords of memory, stretching from every battle- 
 field and patriot's grave to every living heart and 
 hearthstone all over this broad land, will yet swell 
 the chorus of the Union, when again touched, as 
 
 27 
 
surely they will be, by the better angels of our na- 
 ture.' 
 
 'I know of no words more fitting,' said Mr. 
 Stevenson, Svith which to close this humble tribute 
 to the memory of Lincoln, than those inscribed upon 
 the monument of Moliere: "Nothing was wanting 
 to his glory; he was wanting to ours." 
 
 At the conclusion of Mrs. Scott's response, the 
 song, ** Illinois," was rendered by a double quartette 
 of gentlemen, with Mr. Henry N. Hansen as soloist. 
 
 Introducing Mrs. Weber: 
 
 "Mrs. Jessie Palmer Weber is the worthy daugh- 
 ter of a distinguished soldier, Governor, and United 
 State Senator, but to-night he is remembered as Gen. 
 John M. Palmer. Mrs. Weber, from the thorough- 
 ness of her knowledge of Illinois history, is emi- 
 nently qualified to speak upon 'The Soldiers of 
 1861-1865.' 
 
 Madam Regent, our Honored Guests and Daugh- 
 ters: 
 
 To me is given the honor of speaking a word to 
 you, asking for a thought for the brave defenders 
 of our country — the heroes of the war between the 
 States, the soldiers of 1861-1865. 
 
 It has been nearly forty-eight years since the 
 fall of Fort Sumter and the call for troops. Many 
 recurring summers have scattered their blossoms 
 over the countless graves of those heroes who fell in 
 battle in the most stupendous war for liberty that 
 the world has ever known. Every year, in the flood 
 tide of spring, when Decoration Day comes, their 
 praises are sung by millions of their grateful coun- 
 trymen, and the birds and the bees, and the 
 sunshine and the soft breezes of summer, 
 chant their endless requiem; and nearly half 
 a century of the snows of winter have 
 wrapped their lowly beds in white, and more than 
 
 28 
 
a generation have been born and grown to manhood 
 and womanhood since those awful and fateful days 
 — and still the thought of them and their great 
 deeds thrills us with a love and a veneration beyond 
 all words. In offering a tribute to these brave men, 
 I recognize no rank, no station. I see no stars or 
 shoulder straps. I beg a thought for that grand 
 army, the only condition to our love and reverence 
 being the knowledge that he was a soldier. 
 
 When an insulted country heard the menacing 
 boom of cannon, all classes of its citizens rushed to 
 its defense. Husbands left weeping wives and little 
 ones; boys of tender years leapt from their mothers' 
 arms, becoming at their country's call at once men 
 and heroes; lovers left their sweethearts, putting by 
 their fair, fond hopes, and sisters and daughter^ 
 smiled through bitter, blinding tears as they bade 
 farewell to brothers and to fathers. 
 
 They rushed from every avenue and rank in 
 life, forsaking the comforts of their homes and their 
 business interests. They were not moved by mer- 
 cenary considerations. They sprang, with singleness 
 of purpose, to the support of their country and its 
 flag. 
 
 When Napoleon, in his firet Italian campaign, 
 had beaten one after another of the armies sent out 
 against him, the Austrian government refused to 
 recognize the Republic of France. 
 
 Said Napoleon: 'The French Republic needs 
 no recognition. Its existence is as manifest as the 
 sun in the heavens.' And, so, our volunteer armies 
 need no eulogy from me, but I deem it a privilege 
 and an honor to stand before you and offer, as a 
 thought and a toast, the glorious deeds of our vol- 
 unteer armies. 
 
 England asked why the war between the States 
 was of such long duration. The answer was, 'Be- 
 cause now we are fighting Americans.' 
 
 24 
 
But our volunteer soldiers were not men of war. 
 They were men of peace, and they knew that, 
 though the arts of peace are greater than the arts 
 of war, there can be no peace except under a pow- 
 erful sword, and, as they rushed with ardor to the 
 battle-field, so their disbanding and returning to 
 their homes in 1865, after Appomattox, was almost 
 as wonderful as their deeds and prowess as soldiers. 
 No more sublime example of the spirit and strength 
 of our institutions can be offered than the orderly 
 manner of the disbanding and returning to their 
 usual pursuits of this great and victorious army of 
 citizen soldiers. 
 
 What can we say of their braveiy! 
 
 How often have we watched, with breaking 
 hearts full of admiration, the courage of some dear, 
 stricken one, who unflinchingly yields to the ap- 
 proach of the great king of terrors ; but what shall 
 we say of the courage of those to whom life is sweet 
 and full of high hopes, who voluntarily go out to 
 meet death, or worse than death, on battle-field or 
 in the trench? 
 
 Often we hear it said that the joy of conflict 
 made men brave ; that the excitement of battle made 
 them careless of danger; but what of the long days 
 of weary marching and dreary waiting, of cold and 
 hunger, of drill and picket duty? The theater of 
 our war was almost as wide as the ocean. Our sol- 
 diers fought some times in forests; some times on 
 prairies, or in swamps; under tropical heat, or in 
 ice and snow; on the mountain tops above the 
 clouds, or on the plains. 
 
 No soldiers ever had to contend with greater 
 diversity of physical obstacles. The regular army, 
 at the outbreak of the war, numbered only about 
 16,000 men, and this little army had to grow greatly 
 to make up the grand total Of over a million and a 
 half of men who made up the Grand Army. Illinois 
 
 30 
 
alone gave to the war between the states 250,000 
 men. The small regular army did what it could for 
 the cause nobly and well, but it is to the volunteer 
 soldiers that we owe the preservation of our country, 
 and to them is due the fact that our government now 
 exists as the fathers of the Republic bequeathed it 
 
 to us. 
 
 At the beginning of the war these hosts of vol- 
 unteers, brave but undisciplined, were some times 
 an embarrassment to their commanders. They were 
 green soldiers, who had never smelled powder; but 
 at the close of the war the volunteer soldiers of the 
 United States army were the best soldiers in the 
 world. Officers and men alike had been trained and 
 disciplined. There had been no army comparable 
 to it since Napoleon's veterans. At the close of the 
 war every officer in command represented nine oth- 
 ers who had been stricken by disease, bullet or shell, 
 or sent home disabled. How we bow low in rever- 
 ence at the name of the great hero whose birth we 
 to-day celebrate! His hand penned the great eman- 
 cipation proclamation, but it was not the pen of 
 Lincoln which actually dropped the shackles from 
 the slave. 
 
 'The Proclamation,' says a great soldier, 'was 
 the sentiment of a nation quickened into life by the 
 mad havoc of war, and intensified into expression 
 by the desperation of the conflict.* 
 
 Old John Brown wrote the Emancipation Proc- 
 lamation, on the mountains of Virginia, before Lin- 
 coln dreamed of writing it with his pen. He wrote 
 it in his blood, and 'His soul goes marching on.' 
 
 With all of Lincoln's simple courage and elo- 
 quence, and all the wisdom and brilliant oratory, in 
 the Senate of the United States, of Charles Sumner 
 and others of the giants of those days, it was the 
 tramping of the boys in blue, with lines of steel, that 
 saved the Union. 'When cannons speak, nations 
 
 31 
 
think, and, amid the clash of great armies, they 
 think great thoughts.' 
 
 The dead of great wars for conquest are for- 
 gotten, but the graves of those who die in wars for 
 liberty are consecrated, and their fame can never die. 
 Our soldier dead live on. They live in the National 
 life they made possible ; they live in the freedom of 
 those whose shackles they unloosed, and they live 
 in the songs and hymns of gratitude of their chil- 
 dren's children. Madam Regent, the battle fields of 
 the world are the mile-stones of human progress. 
 Beneath every gravestone lies a portion of the 
 world's history. The glory manifold of each great 
 nation of the earth has come over the path of human 
 sacrifice. For all the good which has been accom- 
 plished in this world there are fields baptized with 
 some strong heart's best blood. 
 
 In all the battles from Bull Run to Appomat- 
 tox; from Lookout Mountain, Mission Ridge, Stone 
 River, Shiloh, Ringold, Reseca, Kenesaw Mountain, 
 Seven Oaks, and countless others; from the Army 
 of the Cumberland; of the Tennessee; of the Poto- 
 mac, and the armies of the East, these battle-fields 
 and these knightly soldiers call to us, their daughters 
 and the heirs of the great works which they 
 wrought, to honor their memory, and, still more than 
 that, to honor, by every effort of our hearts and 
 minds, the remnant of the Grand Army which still 
 lingers with us, though aged and feeble of step, and 
 rapidly passing over to join the great majority, but 
 which it is still our privilege to see and know. 
 
 Madam Regent, I pledge the soldier of 1861- 
 1865, our brave defenders by land and sea, the army 
 and the navy, from the highest officer to the lowest 
 private. One star may differ from another in mag- 
 nitude, but they are all stars in our glorious con- 
 stellation. I ask a blessing and a tear for all, living 
 and dead, the Blue and the Gray. I beg a tear for 
 
 S2 
 
those brave men who gave their lives for the defense 
 of their homes in the Southland. We honor the 
 Southern army for that display of bravery, valor, 
 and endurance which challenged the admiration of 
 the whole world. I ask a tear for those who now lie 
 under the pine and the fragrant magnolia, knowing 
 not that they died for a 'lost cause,' and a pledge 
 for those of the new South, who are now a part of 
 the great America, our reunited country. 
 
 Madam Regent, 'The Soldier of the Sixties.' 
 
 Introducing Mrs. Bryan. 
 
 At a fair held in Washington, D. C, during the 
 war for the Union, President Lincoln, being present, 
 was called upon to speak. Paying high tribute to 
 the work of the women in those days of trial, he 
 closed with this sentiment : ' ' God bless the American 
 women." Were he living today he would doubtless 
 give added emphasis to his words of appreciation, in 
 view of the enlarged sphere of woman's activities, 
 alike in education and philanthropy. 
 
 Mrs. William J. Bryan, a representative woman 
 of the present day, will now address us, paying a 
 tribute to "Mary Todd Lincoln." 
 
 Madam Regent and Daughters of the American 
 
 Revolution : 
 
 The dominant characteristic of Mrs. Lincoln, as 
 I see her, was her unswerving loyalty to her hus- 
 band and to that for which he stood. Her relatives 
 were Southerners. They naturally did not agree 
 with him upon slavery. 
 
 Indeed, I am told by one of your number that 
 her relatives always voted against Mr. Lincoln. 
 One would think her own tendencies would lead her 
 to a Southern, rather than a Northern view. But 
 through all she was most faithful to his ideas. 
 
 I found a letter she once wrote to Charles 
 
Sumner, and, with your permission, will read a sen- 
 tence or two. This letter was written April 2, 1866, 
 and says, in part: 
 
 'How much misfortune could be spared, as a 
 nation, if our faithless and unscrupulous President 
 entertained the same views as yourself and all other 
 true patriots. 
 
 'Unfortunately, he is trying to ignore all the 
 good that has been accomplished, and returning the 
 slave to his bondage. 
 
 'The contemptible act of refusing the f reed- 
 men of Richmond the privilege of celebrating the 
 anniversary of their freedom is but too sure an indi- 
 cation of his feelings toward the oppressed race. 
 His wicked efforts will fail, and justice and liberty 
 triumph. ' 
 
 One sees the spicy side of her nature in her em- 
 phatic expressions, but the beautj' of her faithfulness 
 stands out with equal clearness. 
 
 And, after all, what is better than loyalty? If 
 we learn this lesson from the life of Mrs. Lincoln ; if 
 we are loyal to our families, our neighbors, and our 
 God, will we not have lived the best life possible ? 
 
 Ladies, I give you this toast: 'To the worthy 
 wife of a great man. A wife who was staunch and 
 loyal and true. May the memory of her grow in 
 sweetness with the growing years.' 
 
 Introducing Mrs. McLean: 
 
 We, the members of the Springfield Chapter, 
 will ever hold this day in remembrance as the grand- 
 est day in our history as an organization. "We 
 rejoice that we are permitted to pay tribute to the 
 memory of the greatest man of our city, state, or 
 nation. We appreciate the presence of our beloved 
 President General, Mrs. Donald McLean, who comes 
 to us from her distant Eastern home, imbued with 
 the spirit of the time, to add her tribute of praise 
 
 S4 
 
and appreciation to the memory and character of the 
 immortal Lincoln. Mrs. McLean is a distinguished 
 descendant of a long line of illustrious ancestors, 
 occupying high judicial positions ; she has, under the 
 work accomplished during her administration, 
 brought to a successful completion that magnificent 
 National monument, in which this Chapter is greatly 
 interested, * Memorial Continental Hall.' Daughters, 
 I am proud to present to you Mrs. Donald McLean, 
 President General of the National Society, Daughters 
 of the American Revolution. 
 
 My Bear Regent, our Distinguished Guests, and 
 Daughters of the American Revolution'. 
 
 Your President General is having such an ex- 
 perience. When I go out among my Daughters, I 
 am usually accorded a certain amount of importance 
 — I am the President General. But when I come to 
 this Chapter, hearing the introduction of Mrs. Scott, 
 I am but the President General, soon to be super- 
 seded. I can assure you it is a new experience, and 
 a delightful one. 
 
 But I did not come here to vaunt my position. 
 I came to be imbued, from my soul, upward and out- 
 ward, with the marvelous inspiration of the life of 
 Abraham Lincoln. When I think of those true and 
 brilliant women, I am conscious of the great and 
 magnificent function of womanhood, and my heart 
 goes out to that little woman in Kentucky who, 100 
 years ago, gave birth to the saviour of a great coun- 
 try, and died before she knew what she had borne. 
 Think, ladies, he came to her just as each of our own 
 babes came to us, with no conception in her soul of 
 the wonderful gift she had made the nation, and no 
 need of such thought to fill her cup, because she is 
 so glad of that man-child. But that is the maternal 
 instinct that imbues us all. 
 
 Tonight, as I look around at my beautiful and 
 
 35 
 
brilliant Daughters, and see the light of a never- 
 failing loyalty, I feel that its beams have rekindled 
 the faith in all our hearts. With the unfailing in- 
 stinct and intuition of womanhood, we stand here 
 to-night, the epitome, as it were, of the twentieth 
 century. 
 
 And to-night I bring my laurel wreath to you, 
 great Lincoln! I have heard you likened to the 
 palm; I have heard your heart described as a heart 
 at all times staunch and true ; but I liken you to the 
 great, ever-rolling sea — not the sea of the blue, 
 glinting sunlight, but the dark sea; the sombre and 
 sad, rolling sea, ever widening, ever sweeping down 
 on a Godlike soul a tidal wave of human perfec- 
 tion, till it rise in all its majesty, and, rising, 
 sweep 'er the whole universe ! 
 
 At the State Arsenal. 
 
 At the conclusion of this address, all joined the 
 male quartette in singing "My Old Kentucky 
 Home," thus closing the informal, though most de- 
 lightful, "feast of reason and flow of soul." The 
 program was necessarily brief, that the Daughters 
 and their guests might avail themselves of the op- 
 portunity of hearing the post-prandial speeches at 
 the banquet of the gentlemen, at a later hour, at the 
 State Arsenal. Positions of honor had been assigned 
 the party in the balcony, from which vantage ground 
 the splendid work of artists, in the decorations of 
 the hall, could be seen in all its beauty and magnifi- 
 cence of display, as well as hearing the speeches of 
 the distinguished gentlemen, who for the hour de- 
 lighted the vast and brilliant audience with their 
 splendid addresses and oratory. It was fitting that 
 the delegation of Daughters of the American Revo- 
 lution should rise, as they did, and wave their flags 
 when the orchestra played the "Star Spangled 
 Banner," and again when Senator DoUiver alluded 
 
 36 
 
to their organization in the following complimentary 
 terms : 
 
 There are two little groups of people whose 
 coming into this chamber have touched my heart. 
 One of them sits yonder in the balcony — ^the Daugh- 
 ters of the American Revolution. There is one thing 
 about them that the public ought to understand. We 
 are here, in our little way, trying to preserve and 
 helping to perpetuate the memory of Abraham Lin- 
 coln; but Abraham Lincoln needs none of our help 
 to make his memory immortal in the ages of the 
 World. These women are doing a finer thing, even, 
 than that. They are perpetuating the unknown 
 heroism, the unrecorded service, of the men who, in 
 the foundations of our institutions, gave their lives, 
 with willing hearts, to the defense of public liberty. 
 They do not ask, even, that a man should be re- 
 garded as a hero. If only he was willing for the 
 sacrifice, it is their business to hand his name, how- 
 ever lowly, to other generations. 
 
 And yonder in the gallery sits a little group of 
 veterans who, after all, made the services of Abra- 
 ham Lincoln possible in the dark days of the Civil 
 war. We have heard from the lips of the English 
 ambassador that a great name, a great man, is the 
 chief possession of a people, but there can be no 
 great name, no great man, unless there is behind 
 him a great cause and a great people. 
 
 zi 
 
NATIONAL OFFICERS 
 
 President General— M^s. D0NAI.D McLean. 
 Vice-President General, for Illinois— 
 
 Mrs. Chari.es h. Deere. 
 
 STATE OFFICERS 
 
 Regent— Mrs. Charles V. Hickox - Springfield 
 Vice-Regent— Mks. Charles W. Irion - Ottawa 
 Treasurer— Mrs. G. Elwood MacGrew - Chicago 
 Secretary— IArs. Robert W. Colville - Galesburg 
 Historian— MViS. Henry C. Todd - - Oak Park 
 
 CHAPTER OFFICERS 
 
 1908-1909 
 
 Regent— Mrs. Edwin S. Walker. 
 Vice-Regent— Mrs. Harris Hickox. 
 Secretary— Mrs. John I. Rinaker, JR. 
 Registrar— Miss Helen Gertrude Converse. 
 Treasurer— Mrs. William A. Starne. 
 Historian— Miss Savillah T. Hinrichsen. 
 Chaplain— Mrs. John M. Palmer. 
 
011 
 
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