rkling forest where thy ringing axe
Chimed with the music of the waterfall;
The eager flood bearing thy rugged raft
Swift footed through an ever changing world
Unknown to thee save in remembered dreams.
Hail to thy Natal day!

We see thee in the mart where Selfishness
For Fame ephemeral strives, and sordid gain;
Thy ill-requited toil till thou hadst earned
The right to raise thy potent voice within
A nation's forum, facing all the world;
And then, achievement such as few have known,
A mighty people placing in thy hand
A sceptre swaying half a continent,
Making thee peer of kings and potentates;
Aye, greater than them all, whate'er their power.
Hail to thy Natal day!

But, lo! the martial camp; the bivouac;
The rude entrenchment;--the grim fortalice;
The tented field;--the flaming battle line,
And thy great soul amidst it all unmoved
By petty aims, leading with flawless faith
Thy people to a promised land of peace;
And, then, when thou hadst reached the goal of hope,
And the world stood amazed, the heavy crown
Of martyrdom was pressed upon thy brow
And thy immortal course was consummate.
Hail to thy Natal day!

In all great souls God sows with generous hand
The seed of martyrdom, for 'twas decreed
In Eden, that alone by sacrifice
Should sons of men the crown immortal win;
And thou, who didst the shining heights attain
Of unsurpassed achievement, didst but pay
The impartial toll of souls like thine required.
And we, who on the narrow marge of Time
Standing wondering, shed no tears, but raise to thee
The paeans to a martyred hero due,
Hail to thy Natal day.

[Illustration: MONUMENT TO THE MOTHER OF LINCOLN]

Nancy Hanks Lincoln died October 5, 1818, aged thirty-five years. The
design of this monument is by Thompson Stickle, and it was constructed
by J. S. Culver of Springfield, Illinois, and dedicated October 2,
1902.

In the construction of the monument in Spencer County, Indiana, Mr.
Culver used as much of the granite as possible from the National
Lincoln Monument before it was reconstructed.

The face of this block is h