66-2-H L697s5 to a, pos Br wae OF Erion ket on Ly Uh» »; uy) pet hy 8 i an Lit?) Sy NE. R ina Ran a4 | mM. Fi. is p Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2021 with funding from University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign https://archive.org/details/statueofabrahamlOOunit_1 ZH se 97) a STATUE OF ABRAHAM LINCOLN HEARINGS BEFORE THE COMMITTEE ON THE/LIBRARY |\HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES [SENTY-SIXTH CONGRESS SECOND SESSION ON ‘APRIL 2, 1920 a WASHINGTON GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE 173928 1920 COMMITTEE ON THE LIBRARY. House or REPRESENTATIVES. SIXTY-SIXTH CONGRESS. NORMAN J. GOULD, New York, Chairman. SIMEON D. FESS, Ohio. BEN JOHNSON, Kentucky. ROBERT LUCE, Massachusetts. HERBERT C. PELL, Jr., New York. J. C. SHANKS, Clerk. a STATUE OF ABRAHAM LINCOLN. XOMMITTEE ON THE Liprary, Houser or REPRESENTATIVES, Washington, D. C., Friday, April 2, 1920. The committee met at 10 o’clock a. m., Hon. Norman J. Gould (chairman) presiding. } The CuarrMan. The committee will come to order. This meeting of the committee is held to discuss, and hear from those who intro- duced bills relative to the disposition of the statue of Abraham Lin- coln. Mr. Luhring, we will hear you, on H. Rk. 11443. STATEMENT OF HON. OSCAR R. LUHRING, A REPRESENTATIVE FROM THE STATE OF INDIANA. Mr. Luurmc. Mr. Chairman, and gentlemen of the committee, I introduced H. R. 11443 on the 5th day of January, 1920. The bill reads, omitting all formal parts— That the Secretary of War, in conjunction with the Commissioners of the District of Columbia be, and he is hereby, authorized and directed to transfer (© and deliver forthwith to the Nancy Hanks Lincoln Burial Ground Commission, of the State of Indiana, or its duly accredited agents, the pedestrian statue of Abraham Lincoln which formerly stood on the site in front of the courthouse in the City of Washington, in the District of Columbia, to be by said commission \ reerected in or about the Nancy Hanks Lincoln Burial Grounds in Spencer County, Ind., no disposition of said statue having been provided for other than .. is authorized in this act: Provided, That the United States shall be at no ex- y pense in connection with the transportation, erection, and maintenance of said statute. ‘LS’ T do not know whether or not the members of this committee are familiar with the history of the statue which I seek to have removed \ to Indiana, and perhaps a recital of that history will be of interest. I am going to read from an article which appeared in The Daily Intelligencer, a newspaper published in Washington, on April 16, ~ 1868. This article appeared the next day after the statue had been unveiled. [Reading :] | | ~. The history of the Lincoln’ Monument is as follows: On the 24th day of April, few 1865, Mr. N. D. Larner introduced in the city council a joint resolution for the —~appointment of a committee to consist of the mayor, three members of the VY)board of aldermen, and three from the board of common council, to devise measures for the erection of-a- monument in the City of Washington to the mem- ory of the late President. Lincoln. eh resolution was duly adopted and approved by the mayor, thus becoming a law. - ; To carry out the provisions. of the. resolution, Messrs. Crosby S. Noyes, George H. Plant, and John B. ‘Turton, on the part of the aldermen; and Messrs. Noble D. Larner, William Ferguson;:4nd James Kelly, on the part of the board of common council, were appointed the joint committee. Subsequently 3 4 STATUE OF ABRAHAM LINCOLN. ihe presidents of the two boards of the city government, Messrs. Joseph F. spate - 00 ASDULY Lloyd, were added to the committee. This committee met Beet 1e mayor's oftice on the 28th of April, 1865, and formed itself into an asseciation to be called the Lincoln National Monument Association, to carry out the objects proposed by the formation of the committee. Subsequently, the following oflicers were elected for the association: _ President, Richard Wallach, mayor; secretary, Crosby S. Noyes; treasurer, George W. Riggs. Directors: Joseph F. Brown, Asbury Lloyd, John B. Turton, Le W. G. H. Newman, “George H. Plant, Z. Richards; N. D. Larner, E. C. Carrington, John P. Pepper, S. J. Boweu, George F. Gulick, B. B. Freneh, George R. Ruff, Charles V. Morris, John G. Dudley, John H. Semmes, James Kelly, William P. Ferguson, 8. P. Brown, Dr. C. H. Nichols, Henry Addison, William H. Tenney. To these were added a number of honorary directors, mostly Members ot Congress, one from each State, as it was hoped at that time to secure u national subscription, to the end of raising a monument at the National Capital, the most suitable place, properly commemorative of. the life and character of the lamented deceased. Owing, however, to the springing up of kindred associations in almost every State and city in the country, this hope was not realized, and with the exception of some contributions from Baltimore, among which was a handsome sum from John T. Ford, Esq., the proceeds of a benefit for the monument fund, given at his Baltimore theater, little, if anything, was contributed outside of Washington. The money raised was, however, care- fully husbanded and was invested by the treasurer, Mr. Riggs, in Government registered bonds. The sum raised was, of course, inadequate to erect a monu- ment on anything like the scale originally proposed, but was yet sufficient to raise a monument in the shape of a shaft statue creditable to the city; and it was determined by the association that this was the best course to pursue. Mr. Lot Flannery, of this city, who has achieved a number of successes in his art, one of which is the admired monument over the victims of the arsenal explosion at the Congressional Cemetery, was the successful competitor for the work and the result is before the public. The site selected for the monument and whereon it is erected is exactly in the center of Four-and-a-half Street and directly in front of the central por- tico of the city hall. The monument is 38 feet in height to the top of the statue. It rests on a solid foundation of blue rock 6 feet in depth. The base is an octagon 6 feet in height and about 7 feet from side to side, on which the pase of the column rests, the lower part corresponding with the base and upper part with the shaft, being circular and molded. This shaft is 18 feet in height, with an average diameter of 3 feet (tapering), and is surmounted by a molded cap 4 feet square, 2 feet thick, on which rests the base of the statue and the statue itself. The figure at this height looks to be about life size and stands facing south. It represents Lincoln standing with his left hand resting on the emblem of unio: —Roman Facii—his head erect, with a slight inelina- tion forward, and richt herd partially opened, as in the attitude he was wont to take:in addressing an audience. Mr. Fess. Mr: Luhring, is that a description after the monument was erected, so that it is an accurate description ? Mr. Lunrime. Yes; I should say a most accurate description, be- cause this article appeared the next morning after the unveiling ex- ercises, and it was written at the time. Mr. Fess. That is what I wanted to know. Mr. Luurinc. Yes. This statue was the first statue of Lincoln erected in the District of Columbia, and perhaps the first of its kind erected in the United States. Mr. Fess. That is only three years after his death ? Mr. Lunrine. Only three years after his death. Mr. Lot Flannery, the sculptor, was a young man, perhaps 27 years of age, at the time he made this design. [Continuing reading: ] The design was first made in clay by Mr. Flannery last summer and was sub- sequently cast in plaster. The model attracted much attention as a spirited design and excellent likeness. The encomiums bestowed upon this design in- STATUE OF ABRAHAM LINCOLN. 5 duced him to submit it to the manager of the monument association, and the result was that it was unanimously selected.from the various designs and models before the committee as the best offered. Now, I am unable to give to the committee the exact date when this statute was removed. That, so far as I am concerned, is shrouded in some mystery. Mr. Jounson. Can you tell by what authority? Mr. Lunrine. I was going to add, that I am unable to tell ac- curately by what authority it was removed. In order to ascertain the facts, I addressed an inquiry to the Public Buildings and Grounds Division of the War Department, to Col. C. S. Ridley. The Cuarrman. If you will pardon me, sir, I have the authority for that here. Were you going to bring that out ? Mr. Lunrine. Yes; that Congress authorized it at the time. This letter, which is in reply to my inquiry, is rather brief, and if you will pardon me, I will read it. [Reading :] JANUARY 29, 1920. Hon. C. R. LuHRiInG, M. C., House of Representatives, Washington, D. C. Dear Str: I am in receipt of your letter of January 26, in which you request information in regard to the removal of the Lincoln statue from the south front of the United States Court House Building in Judiciary Park. As you doubtless know, the court house building was recently remodeled under the direction of Mr. Elliott Woods, the superintendent of the Capitol Building and Grounds. The monument stood partly within the limits of Ju- diciary Park and partly on the sidewalk, and base of the monument was on « mound of earth five or six feet above the sidewalk. It became very desirable, therefore, in restoring the grounds around the building, to either lower the base to the ground and change the location of the monument somewhat, or to remove it entirely. : This question was submitted to the Commission of Fine Arts for its considera- tion. They recommended that the monument be removed. as it was entirely out of scale with the fine court house building and could not be put on a lower pedestal, because it was cut to be viewed at the height at .which it originally stood. The Commission of Fine Arts had no authority to order its removal, their function being simply to advise as to the desirability of per- mitting it to remain there, or to locate it at some other place. ' The deficiency appropriation act approved November 4, 1919. provided an appropriation for constructing walks and road, and restoring and planting the grounds around the Court House Building, including the removal of the statue. This work was done under my direction, as the officer in charge of the park, and the statue, including its base, was carefully taken down and safely stored at the store yard connected with this office. The statue and the stones composing its base were not damaged in removal, and can be reerected, should the Congress direct that this be done. It should not, however, be placed at its former location. Very truly, yours, C. S. Rm.eEy, Colonel, United States Army. Now, the appropriation referred to in that letter is found on page 7 of Public Document 73, a public law of the Sixty-sixth Congress, under the main head, “ War Department” and subsdivisions “ Engi- neer department,” “public buildings and grounds,” and provides: “ For construction of walks and service road and the restoration and planting of grounds around the courthouse in Judiciary Park, in- cluding the removal of the statute, $23,445, one-half of which shall be paid from the revenues of the District of Columbia and one-half from the Treasury of the United States.” 6 STATUE OF ABRAHAM LINCOLN. Whether Congress originally ordered the removal of, that status or not I do not know, but certainly they acquiesced in it by making this appropriation. I do not know when the statue was removed. This seems to be a deficiency bill, and that money was appropriated for ‘that purpose. Mr. Fess. That is 1919? Mr. Lunrine. 1919. It was approved November 4, 1919. Now, of course, the District of Columbia is urging that this statue be permitted to remain within the District. Others parts of the country are asking that it be erected in their respective States. I desire to call the committee’s attention to some of the reasons as- signed by the District of Columbia, or by some of the citizens here who are asking that it be permitted to remain. I do not wish to dis- éuss the claims of any State other than that of Indiana. Now, in the first place, the main reason urged by the District for its retention is that the statue was paid for by 1 the citizens of the Dis- ~ trict of Columbia, and I assume that that is correct, because all the information I have been able to obtain indicates that most of the funds were raised here. With that as the main reason, they suggest, first, that the statue be reerected at Fort Stevens, somewhere near Brightwood, about 3 miles from the Maryland line. I am not very familiar with the location, but the sentimental reason prompting that suggestion is that Mr. Lincoln sometime during the Civil War viewed a battle from that place. Then it is next suggested that the statue be reerected in the park which is between the old courthouse and the Pension Building. And then, again, it has been urged that it should be reerected in front of the old courthouse, on the site on which it formally stood. That last proposition, of course, meets with the objection of the Fine Arts Commission, and in view of the situation existing now, I doubt very much whether that would be practicable. The reason against the claims of the District, and one, I think. ‘a very potent one, is that the District authorities and the people who are now interesting themselves in this Lincoln statue were absolutely and utterly indifferent to what became of it. They saw the work of removal in progress, and not one word of protest was uttered by the people or by the newspapers, and the newspaper that is now editorially insisting that it should remain here was absolutely silent, and I doubt whether any Member of Congress knew when he voted for the appropriation bill that it was the Lincoln statue that was referred to. Since then, since other States have asked for the statue, we find community centers and others asking that it remain here. Others condemn the Fine ae Commission for order- ing that it be removed. The Fort Stevens location is too far removed to even permit the location of it there. ~ Mr. Fess. Do you mean that has already been selected ? Mr. Luurie. Oh, no. Mr. Fess. Just proposed. My. Lunmere. I am just telling you some of the reasons that have . occurred to me. Another very strong reason, it strikes me, in favor of removal, is this: That the District of Columbia has the splendid Lincoln Me- morial, which in great measure does justice to the memory of that STATUE OF ABRAHAM LINCOLN. 7 great man. In addition to that, parks have been named for him, streets have been named for him, and various statues are here, and, so far as the people of the District are concerned, they have been fairly well treated, it seems to me, in that respect. If the committee will indulge me, I want to call their attention at this point to some of the Lincoln history in Indiana in support of Indiana’s claim. It does not appear to be generally known that all three sons of the elder Abraham Lincoln, grandfather of the President, eventually emigrated to Indiana. The first to come was Josiah, the second son, who settled on Big Blue River, in Harrison County, Ind. This was in the year 1812. To this wilderness home came Thomas Lin- coln, father of the President, on a visit, and in part, at least, his removal from Kentucky to Indiana a little later was due to the persuasion of his brother Josiah and partly on account of slavery, but chiefly on account of the difficulty in land titles in Kentucky. It was sometime during the late summer of the year of 1816 when Thomas Lincoln built a raft on Rolling Fork of Salt River, on which he loaded most of his effects, consisting of a tool chest, a num- ber of barrels of whisky, and such other things as he possessed, save a few lighter and more needful household articles which his family would make use of in his absence. He proceeded to make a journey down Salt River to the Ohio and thence to Indiana. On this trip soon after entering the Ohio from the mouth of Salt River his boat or raft capsized, causing the loss of the greater part of his cargo. We are told, however, that he succeeded in righting the raft, fishing up some of the whisky and tools, and, contenting him- self as best he could with the loss of the remainder, he continued his journey, finally docking at Thompsons, now called Gages Land- ing, a short distance below the town of Troy, Ind. His reason for choosing Spencer County rather than settling near his brother Josiah in Harrison County was largely due to the fact that he was depend- ent upon the river for conveyance of his effects to a new location, and having “run the river” he had some knowledge of this region where he eventually located. After making his lonely journey and effecting a safe landing at Thompsons, he placed his cargo under the care of a settler by the name of Posey. Since this man preferred the river front to the in- terior, and could make use of the boat, it was sold to him, and the pioneer “struck out on foot” in the wilderness in search of a new home. After going inland some 15 miles he met with a man by the name of Carter, with whom he had more or less acquaintance. (Lincoln City is in Carter Township.) ‘This circumstance seems to have largely determined his choice of the location which he made in the “ midst of the bush.” There were seven families residing in this region when Thomas Lincoln made choice of his future home. The site chosen by Thomas Lincoln was admirable from every standpoint save one, and that defect outweighed all of the splendid advantages it otherwise possessed. It did not have a never-failing spring; in fact, there was not at that time any water on it. Later, as Dennis Hanks stated: “Tom Lincoln riddled his land like honey- comb for water, but did not succeed in finding it.” Although Lincoln proceeded to take possession of the quarter sec- tion of land in true pioneer fashion by cutting and piling brush at § STATUE OF ABRAHAM LINCOLN. the corners, he became, in fact, a squatter until the month of October, 1817, when he journeyed to Vincennes and formally entered the land, although the patent was not issued until June, 1827. The site for his “camp” was on a rather high knoll sloping in every direction. In 10 days after landing his craft at Posey’s he announced that his “half-faced camp” was ready for occupancy, having in that time cut the poles or logs and notched them, doubt- less being assisted by Carter and others. Crossing the Ohio, he walked back to the old home in Kentucky—a distance of about 100 miles—and, securing the friendly aid of his brother-in-law, who supplied him with two horses, he took his little family, consisting of his wife, and his daughter Sarah, aged 9 and son Abraham, aged 7, and “ packed through to Posey’s. ” i The town of Troy was, at this time, a place of some importance; indeed, of all those towns in the southern and western portion of the State, it was second only to Vincennes in size. In the year prior to the coming of the Lincolns a settler by the name of Hoskins had been employed to blaze a trail from Troy to the village of Darlington, the county-seat town to the west, in order “ that the mail carrier might not get lost.” This blazed trail passed through the region where Gentryville Was a little later laid out, and it was over this trail, a “bridle path,” that Thomas Lincoln moved his family and household effects to his new home. A wagon had in some manner been procured for this purpose, although such vehicles were not at all common, for the first wagon brought to this part of the State was by one John Small, a Kentuckian, in the year 1814. ' After encountering ‘considerable difficulty on account of fell- ing trees and the removal of logs, making their comparatively short journey of 15 miles a very tedious and trying one, they at length reached the half-faced camp. The time of the arrival of the new “settlers” was during the last half of the summer of 1816. At any rate, it appears that sufficient time was left after their arriy: al to enable them to cultivate a “ few vegetables and a little corn.’ The new home to which Thomas Lincoln took his little family was a singular one, indeed. As has been indicated, it was made of small saplings or poles and had but three sides closed, the fourth being left open, where a bonfire or log heap was kept burning during cold weather, and not only served to ward off the wintry blasts but afforded the only means they had for cooking. The little, one-room, pole cabin was 14 feet square, without windows, ceiling, or floor, and, of course, there was no necessity for a door. The household and kitchen furniture was only such in name. Aside from small tin- ware, there was at first nothing with which to furnish the home. A rude bedstead was constructed in one corner, and in another corner a pile of leaves gathered from the surrounding forest constituted the couch of the future President. The first winter spent in Indiana was, so far as bodily comfort was concerned, the most trying time in the life of the future Presi- dent, as he liv ed quite on the level, if not below, that of thousands of slaves whom he afterwards liberated. With one side of their little cabin open to the elements and the rebellious smoke again and again sweeping into the camp, it furnished not only a striking con- trast to the later life of the President, but so far surpassing any- thing in history as to leave little chance for a parallel. STATUE OF ABRAHAM LINCOLN. 9 Aside from the flatboat. trips down,the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers, young Lincoln saw comparatively little of the world with- out. He frequented the sittings of the circuit courts at Booneville, in Warrick County, as well as at Rockport, the county seat of Spencer County, and was often at Troy. In addition to his visits to these comparatively small places, he had an occasion to go at least once a year, after approaching manhood, to Princeton, in Gibson County, there being a carding machine located at that place which converted the fleece into rolls “ready for the spinning wheel. Hand carding being quite tedious and slow, young Lincoln was sent with the wool to this machine. The journey was a rather long one for that time, and occupied some three days. The family Bible, Pilgrim’s Progress, and Asop’s Fables were the only books in the possession of the family on their arrival in Indiana. The mother of Lincoln was accustomed to read these books to both her daughter, Sarah, and little Abraham, and it is said that Aisop’s Fables possessed a peculiar fascination and charm for him while yet a mere lad at his mother’s knee. The Life of Washington, which Lincoln obtained from Josiah Crawford, was read many times, and if it may be chargéd that this volume took occasion to deify Washington and failed to meet. ac- ceptance at a later period, it was perhaps the very best sort of publi- cation for Lincoln and certainly better suited to him at that time than such a biography as that by Washington Irving. The His- tory of the United States was obtained from Jones, the storekeeper. Young Lincoln was not only in the habit of attending the sessions of the circuit court but he was also interested in the trials before the local justice of the peace. That he possessed an ambition at this early period to become a lawyer is certainly true. His friend, David Turnham, was elected constable of the township, and had in consequence gotten possession of a copy of the Revised Statutes of Indiana. This volume contained a copy of the Declaration of Independence as well as the National and State constitutions. ‘These Lincoln studied, committing to memory the Declaration of Independence and large portions of the National Constitution, and for the first time in his life met with legal enactments touching upon slavery. In the year of 1818 Abraham Lincoln experienced a great mis- fortune in the death of his mother. The many exacting duties inci- dent to pioneer life doubtless constituted a factor in producing that strange melancholy that ever possessed him, but to be bereft of his mother at the age of ten was perhaps in the main responsible for this. At least it justifies the belief that such a sad misfortune at this period of his life. together with some of the attending circum- stances, readily took advantage of a latent predisposition so charac- teristic ‘of his mother. One may form some idea of the extent to which the pioneers were governed by stern necessity when it is recalled that Thomas Lincoln, the husband, on the death of his wife, was forced to perform a part of the offices of an undertaker. There being no one save himself in that community sufficiently skilled with tools to construct a coffin, he did this, and at the same time made coffins in which to bury Thomas and Betsy Sparrow. He was not a stranger to this kind of 10 STATUE OF ABRAHAM LINCOLN. work, since he was in the habit of doing it for the entire community. The lumber with which the coffin for Nancy Hanks Lincoln was made was whipsawed out of a log unused in the building of the wilderness cabin. Dennis Hanks and Thomas Lincoln sawed the planks and, while they were thus engaged, Abraham whittled out the wooden pins which the elder Lincoln used to fasten the planks together, there being no nails in this part of the world at that time. Although Abraham was but 10 years of age at this time, yet, im- pressed with the fact that his mother’s memory was entitled to the usual funeral services that he had been accustomed to witness, he wrote a letter requesting the services of Parson Elkins, an itinerant Baptist minister who resided in Kentucky, frequently conducting services there, and doubtless officiated at the burial of his baby brother. At any rate, Elkins had impressed himself upon the mind and heart of the lad, so that he did not hesitate to presume upon his good offices by asking that he travel a hundred miles through this wilderness. : We in Indiana, of course, are proud of the fact—and I think it is a pardonable pride—that Abraham Lincoln spent. 14 years of his life there—from the age of 7 to the age of 21. Mr. Fess. Mr. Luhring, before you go on, is this burial ground at the same place or in the neighborhood where Lincoln first settled in Indiana ? Mr. Lunrine. The very same place. You can stand at the grave of Nancy Hanks Lincoln and see the place where this three-sided cabin was built. Mr. Fess. That Thomas Lincoln and Nancy Hanks Lincoln first built—the three-sided cabin ? 3 Mr. Luurine. Yes; in fact, this little piece of land is a part of the land that Thomas Lincoln homesteaded. Comparatively little is known concerning Nancy Hanks, and there is small wonder, since nothing eventful transpired in her life be- yond these things common to the pioneer. Mr. Herndon, the friend and law partner of Mr. Lincoln, and later his biographer, in speaking of Lincoln’s mother, said: “At the time of her marriage to Thomas Lincoln, Nancy was in her twenty-third year. She was above the ordinary height in stat- ure, weighed about 130 pounds, was slenderly built, and had much the appearance of one inclined to consumption. Her skin was dark; her hair, dark brown; eyes, grey and small; forehead, prominent ; face, sharp and angular, with an expression of meiancholy which fixed itself in the memory of anyone who ever saw or knew her. Though her life was seemingly clouded by a spirit of sadness, she was in disposition amiable and generally cheerful. Of her Lincoln often said: “All that I am or ever hope to be I owe to my angel of a mother.” At the time of the death of Lincoln’s mother there was mourning in practically every home of the entire neighborhood, for that dread disease peculiar to the pioneer days, known as mill-sick, had ap- peared in epidemic form and attacked beasts as well as men. ‘Thomas and Betsy Sparrow, who had in part reared Nancy Hanks, and who had followed the Lincolns to Indiana, living in the abandoned half- faced camp, were both stricken with this scourge and died about the STATUE OF ABRAHAM LINCOLN. i | same time Mrs. Lincoln did. In fact, of the 25 families in this settle- ment, many of whom were former Kentucky neighbors of the Lin- colns, more than half were claimed by this strange malady. ~The Lincolns and Hanks left Indiana in the month of March, 1830. The people of Gentryville were loath to see the Lincolns leave, and it is said that on the morning of their final departure quite a crowd collected to bid them farewell. Many of them accompanied the Lin- eolns some distance on their journey, among them being the elder Gentry. One man, in telling of seeing them begin their journey, stated that “ Abe drove the oxen, having a rope attached to the horn of a lead ox, and with a hickory ‘ gad’ in his free hand.” None of the party of 13 ever returned to the scenes of their 14 years’ residence in Indiana save Abraham, and he spent three days in and about Gentryville during the political campaign of 1844, mak- ing three speeches in that county. That southern Indiana was of all places best suited to rear this great character destined to furnish the nations of the earth an example of the possibilities of the plain people is the position here taken. The odium, not to say shame, of being a Hoosier has undergone a marked change since Lincoln’s time. While Mr. Lincoln was a resident of this portion of Indiana, or soon after his reaching Illinois, there were many domiciled in log cabins in this Indiana wilderness who were afterward to become famous. Among them was Walter Q. Gresham. He lived in that neighbor- hood. The Lincoln admirers have been made to believe by most of his biographers that he was a Hoosier prodigal who came to himself about the time, or soon after, reaching the State of [lnois; and at this time, or subsequent to it, there were certain super-added things affixed to his character that made for honesty, truthfulness, and fixity of purpose. The truth of the matter is that the boy Lincoln was father of the man. But, however well meant the efforts were on the part of these numerous historians touching Mr. Lincoln’s early career, unfortu- nately they have succeeded in focusing the gaze of the world either upon the spot in the State of Kentucky that gave him birth, or upon the prairies of Illinois where he took his rise to fame, and where his ashes now rest. Those years in his life which he spent in Indiana—from 7 to 21—which ordinarily made a period in the life of most men of momentous importance, have been more or less neglected. Without purposing to make invidious distinction against any, it can not be justly charged that the claim degenerates to the level of ‘a mere puerility when it is asserted that Abraham Lincoln was a typical Hoosier rather than a Kentuckian and he was such not only during his residence in Indiana, for one-fourth of his life, but it is further claimed that he remained a Hoosier throughout his great career. State lines, of course, do not ordinarily mark the boundaries of ‘racial characteristics or peculiarities in manners and customs of _representatives of the same people, save perhaps in those instances where large rivers or mountain ranges form the boundary line. Hence, the change of residence of Mr. Lincoln to the Sangamon 12 STATUE OF ABRAHAM LINCOLN, River country was not such as to occasion any difficulty in adjusting himself to the purely local manners, habits, and customs of the peo- ple. But it is nevertheless true that there was a marked indivi- uality and certain well-defined characteristics in speech and in habits of life typical of the Hoosier. ‘These dominant traits of character which Mr. Lincoln acquired during a residence in Indiana of 14 years, clung to him to the day of his “death. In his pronunciation (he began his Cooper Institute address by saying “ Mr. Cheerman”), his peculiar idioms, homely illustrations, figures of speech, his quaint humor and rare wit, his personal ap- pearance, his refusal—at least failure—to readily conform to mere conventionalities in dress and many other things of that sort were preeminently characteristic of the pioneer Hoosier. Mr. Lincoln’s hands had held the ax and maul so long as to prove rebellious when the conventionalities of men attempted to glove them. His custom was to carry his gloves on occasion, but he rarely wore them. In an address to an Indiana regiment of Civil War soldiers Presi- dent Lincoln said: I was born in Kentucky, raised in Indiana, and now live in Illinois. Since it is particularly with these years spent in Indiana with which we have to do, the inquiry is here made, What period in the life of any man is of as much ‘interest or ordinarily calculated to influence and shape the destiny as those years between 7 and 21? What happened during those formative years in Mr. Lincoln’s life? Was his stay in Indiana a mere chance, one of the accidents in the fortune of a roving, nomadic father, or is there rather discerned a leading of Providence ? The Cuarrman. Pardon me; could you outline to us a little about this Nancy Hanks Burial Ground Commission ? Mr. Lunrre. Yes; I am coming to that. The Cuatrman. There are four or five people here to be heard. Mr. Lunrine. I am willing to proceed any way you suggest, but wish you would allow me to continue with this history of Lincoln in Indiana. It may not be inappropriate here to raise the question, Would his career have been what it afterward became had be spent these forma- tive’years elsewhere, even in the State of Illinois? Or, reversing the order of history, had be been born in Indiana, spending the first seven years there, removing to the State of Kentucky, remaining there until attaining his m majority, and then going to Illinois as he did, would his career have been what it was? It is believed that certain influences would have produced marked changes in him, and so much as to have prevented Lincoln from becoming “the ereat anti- slavery advocate and leader. Moreover, it can not ‘be doubted that had he spent all of these 14 formative years in Kentucky, even though born in Indiana, his greatness would have almost. wholly been attributed to a residence and rearing among Kentucky pioneers, and the accident of his birth would have doubtless received some- what less consideration than it has. Unquestionably, had Mr. Lin- coln been reared elsewhere than in Indiana, particularly in a slave State, the plans and purposes of his life might have been hindered or defeated altogether. In raising such questions we are not wholly in a field purely conjectural. STATUE OF ABRAHAM LINCOLN. 13 Long before Mr. Lincoln reached the State of Illinois, and, there- fore, while yet a resident of Indiana, he possessed that inimitable style in public address, his well-known sense of fairness, his strange and weird melancholy, his quaint humor and rare wit, his consuming ambition, certain weaknesses, his abiding faith in Providence, his superstitious beliefs, his Calviniste fatalsm, his freedom from bad habits, his methods in original investigation, his peculiar style in controverted questions, his power with the pen, his honesty and truthfulness, and, in fact, every characteristic that has been noted in him again and again as a man. When Lincoln, a bearded man, walked down Sangamon River bottom, Illinois, for the first time, his character was already formed. He brought with him from Indiana his rare wit, humor, and inex- haustible fund of anecdotes. He possessed no bad habits. His school days were over. It is true that he took a postgraduate course in Shakespeare and Burns, and when offered a position as assistant surveyor, this graduate of the Indiana wilderness, fresh from his reading of the classics—the King James version of the Bible, Aesop’s Fables, Lives of Franklin and Washington—reported in just six weeks for duty, having mastered this science in that in- credibly short time, to the astonishment of his benefactor. This brief history is sufficient to justify the claim that not only was the foundation of Mr. Lincoln’s character Jaid in the Indiana wilderness, but the beginning of all that afterwards made himself great asserted itself during these early years. Mr. Fess. I think, Mr. Luhring, a coincidence is worth while. Lincoln’s father went into Indiana in 1816; isn’t that the date of the admission of your State? } Mr. Lunrine. Yes; we were admitted in 1816, and he came there in 1816. The father came there alone and built his cabin, and then walked back 100 miles to Kentucky and returned with his family. Mr. Fess. So T understand. Mr. Lunrine. Now, with reference to the Nancy Hanks burial ground; I have here some photographs T would like for the com- mittee to examine; some postal cards; and then T have a much larger view. I have also prepared a description of the park, which TI will insert in the record at this place. It contains 164 acres of land. and is owned by the State of Indiana. , THE NANCY HANKS PARK. Location.—This park is located in Clay Township, Spencer County, at Lin- coln City, Ind. The minute location is 600 feet directly south of the spot upon which stood the Lincoln cabin, and which is now located by a marker. It is about two blocks southeast of the Southern Railway station and in view of the Evansville, Rockport, and Cannelton branches of that railway. Size——The park contains 164 acres; one-half acre forming the entrance, 10 acres being in woods, dense as formed by nature, remaining 6 acres in meadow, which extends from the woods into the northeast corner and a strip along the entire south side of the grounds. Purchase.—This 163 acres of ground was purchased from Robert Ferguson by the county commissioners July 4, 1900. It was deeded to the State by the county commissioners in 1907. Surroundings.—On the north, or entrance side, the park is bordered by the town and a rolling prairie, almost level, leading to woods and flat lands in the distance; on the south or back side, by rolling lands which lead in the near distance to large and beautiful hills almost equaling in beauty the hills of Ver- 14 STATUE OF ABRAHAM LINCOLN. mont; on the east the land gradually slopes ‘away from the park for about 2 miles; then begin hills which are barren, giving a beautiful contrast to the park. On the west a gentle slope extends to level Jand and woods, reaching hills in the distance. Improvements.—This land, when purchased for beautifying, was only a woods surrounded by meadow ‘on the northeastern and the southern sides. The undergrowth was cut out, except in patches, ground cleaned in general and entire field, excepting meadow, was sown in blue grass. An iron picket fence was built around the entire field and a row of shade trees along the fence make shade around the entire park. The landscaping was done by Mr. Bolinger of Lake Forest, Ill., the man who did the landscaping for the Lake Forest College, Lake Forest, I]. Buildings—The keeper’s home is a small but beautiful cottage artistically placed among shrubs and flowers. The pumping station is a circular concrete building very neat. It is located a few yards from the keeper’s home. It has a tank capacity of 2,000 gallons, and from it pipe lines lead to all parts of the park. It furnishes all the water necessary to properly care for the flowers, grass, shrubbery, etc. The auditorium is constructed of iron, and will seat a great number of people. It is surrounded by beautiful shrubbery. Benches are also placed all through the park. Trees.—The grove is composed of the following trees: Native dogwood: sweet, red, and rock elms; buckeye and red bud; white, red, black, post, and jack oaks; soft, hard, and Norway maples; native evergreen, spruce, and native mulberry; black walnut, hickory, gum, ash, cottonwood, sycamore, poplar, per- simmon, and sassafras. This includes about all the different trees. Most of them are numerous and in fine condition and well cared for, and cover about 10 acres. Shrubbery.—There are a large number of roses of all kinds iniclinaian ram- blers, tea, and daily bloomers. Also Michigan currant; honeysuckle; grape vines; Indian arrow; Indian currant; Japanese quince; white, purple, and pink lilac; snow ball; golden elder; California privet; Japanese hedge; Rose of Sharon; umbrella type hydranges (hard), and a few shrubs unnamed. Quite a number of nearly all of the above are artistically placed to blend with the natural beauty of the park. S ‘e are about 100 gray squirrels, which are becoming very tame. Birds of all kinds found in Indiana are seen in the park. Boxes have been provided for both, and food is also provided. Main roads——This road extends from the gates to the flagpole. It is 20 feet wide, made of crushed rock, and bordered by a concrete gutter for drain- age. On each side of the road is a 5-foot crushed-stone walk bordered by shrubbery. The lion statues at the gates are on bases about 6 feet high. The eagle statues are on bases about 10 feet high. At the flagpole, the main road divides into two roads, each 10 feet wide, and which loop around through the woods, passing the pumping. station, monument, and auditorium. These roads are constructed of crushed rock and gravel. On top of the hill, near the monument of Nancy Hanks Lincoln, and to the right of it, a gravel drive leaves the loop roads and passes the audi- torium into the one-half acre used for the parking of automobiles. Walks.—The right walk along the main driveway from the lions to the eagles leaves the eagles to the right and leads to the keeper’s house, thence to the pump station and road. The left walk at the entrance leads from the eagles to the monument, winding among the trees and shrubbery.