Seeking Lincoln, and finding the Lincoln Memorial
Two hundred years after the birth of Abraham Lincoln, we still seek him in words and in action, in lessons from his life, in reminders of his legend — and in pilgrimages to the temple built in his honor.
We are drawn to the Lincoln Memorial in so many ways.
Protesters stand among hundreds of thousands as civil rights are invoked, or peace demanded; the great, godlike head looks on from above as if nodding in approval. Barack Obama makes a surprise appearance just days before taking office, communing with the statue as if to offer a blessing to a much-invoked predecessor and somehow be blessed in return....
"It's a wonderful monument. It's overwhelming, magnificent, beautiful. It's deeply, deeply moving," says historian David Herbert Donald, whose "Lincoln" is widely regarded as the best of the endless Lincoln biographies. "It's a symbol of nonpartisan unity, of what the country is capable of at its best."
These feelings are renewed daily at the memorial, with its towering pillars and imposing steps, a sweaty climb in any weather marked by signposts requesting, plainly, "No sliding down bannisters." And then, a final warning: "QUIET — RESPECT PLEASE."
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We are drawn to the Lincoln Memorial in so many ways.
Protesters stand among hundreds of thousands as civil rights are invoked, or peace demanded; the great, godlike head looks on from above as if nodding in approval. Barack Obama makes a surprise appearance just days before taking office, communing with the statue as if to offer a blessing to a much-invoked predecessor and somehow be blessed in return....
"It's a wonderful monument. It's overwhelming, magnificent, beautiful. It's deeply, deeply moving," says historian David Herbert Donald, whose "Lincoln" is widely regarded as the best of the endless Lincoln biographies. "It's a symbol of nonpartisan unity, of what the country is capable of at its best."
These feelings are renewed daily at the memorial, with its towering pillars and imposing steps, a sweaty climb in any weather marked by signposts requesting, plainly, "No sliding down bannisters." And then, a final warning: "QUIET — RESPECT PLEASE."