Keview of Reviettt, iOf^i/OS, 



THE PRESERVATION OF HISTORIC SITES. 



The Cabin in which Lincoln was born. 

 It is a part of the plans of the Lincoln Farm Associa- 

 tion t« restore this log cabin to its original site on the 



It is iust about loo years since Abraham Lincoln, 

 the martyr-President of the United States, was born, 

 within a couple of miles of the little town of 

 Hodgenville, Kentucky. For nine years the small 

 Abraham played about the little farm of no acres 

 that surrounded his humble home. Then, partly 

 because of the growing development of the slave 

 trade there, and partly because land titles were inse- 

 cure, his father. Thomas Lincoln a hater of the slave 

 trade, sought a home in Indiana, saying good-bye, 

 with his ^\-ife and Abraham and his little daughter, 

 to the tinv grave of his infant son, an incident to 

 which the hardy old pioneer could never refer with- 

 out emotion. In the tinv cabin which they left, a 



picture of which is reproduced here, the mother 

 taught the small Abe the three R's in the long 

 winter evenings by the light of the fire. 



In the years that followed the farm passed into 

 other hands, and it seemed as though it would oc- 

 cupv no lasting place in American history ; but at 

 'ast a few gentlemen decided to do what the public 

 sjdrit failed to do. Mr. Robert J. Collier, of New 

 York, bought it at auction, and with Dr. Albert 

 Shaw, the editor of the Amcncaii Rcviav of Rair^s, 

 and others, formed the Lincoln Farm .Association, 

 which has been incorporated, under the laws of 

 Kentucky, to develop the Lincoln birthplace into a 

 national park. An appeal is now being made to 

 the American people for contributions, the sole pur- 

 pose of which is to make of this historic spot a 

 national shrine of patriotism and civic inspiration. 

 The log cabin in which Abraham Lincoln was born, 

 and which has been carried away as a mere idle 

 curiositv, will be restored to its original site : a 

 noble monument will be erected in the groimds. 

 and there will be an historical museum, which 

 President Roosevelt has suggested should be called 

 " a temple of patriotic righteousness." In this will 

 be gathered historic treasures relating to the hon- 

 oured Lincoln. 



It is time that Australia looked about her and 

 made provision for the visible perpetuation of the 

 memories of some of her early empire builders. A 

 countr\' without tangible evidence of her best tradi- 

 tions leaves herself without some of the best in- 

 citements to " patriotic righteousness " on the part 

 of her risins generations. 



ESPERANTO. 



I would call stude^its' attention to the notice in our 

 advertising pages of Esperanto books. We can supply 

 all that is iiece-ssary to gain a knowledge of the lan- 

 guage. One student writes to ask if I will organise a 

 Correspondence Club. This I shall be very glad to 

 do. If any .students desire to get into touch with 

 others, and will send their names, I shall at once put 

 them in toucli with one another. The demand for 

 the books has been astonishing. The idea has caught 

 on wonderfully since the publication of the article on 

 "Esperanto" in the November. 1905. issue of the 

 "Review of Reviews.' Any information about any 

 club I will be glad to get. .Send to the Editor " The 

 Review of Keviews," Eiiuitahle Building. Melbourne, 



When the London County Council paid its famous 

 return visit to the Municipality of Paris, twelve of the 

 Comicillors were good enough to spend the only spare 

 half-hour they had with the Paris Esperanto Group. 

 Lord Elcho. amongst others, expressed his pleasure at 

 their reception, and highly approved of the idea of an 

 auxiliary common tongue for international needs. Here 

 is what often happens at international congresses, the 

 more especially if the congressionist« belong to those 



classes who have not had leisure to acquire fluent 

 speaking in foreign tongues. They meet in England, 

 we will say, French being the official language ; some 

 delegates are from Spain, some from Italy. Belgium, 

 Holland or France. The English members may number 

 some thousands. Of one such organisation, the mem- 

 bers able to xpeak French number at the outside a 

 round dozen. The congress is supposed to last three 

 days. The result is that in the Hall the work must 

 all be done by translators. For social purposes each 

 nation must foregather by itself, or cluster round an 

 interpreter. Besides whicfg delegates cannot be chosen 

 on account of their special knowledge, but must be 

 selected according to their facility in speaking French. 



How different will it be when Esperanto takes its 

 proper place I 



And for this we may not have long to wait. In 

 many primar.v schools, even in Elngland, teachers and 

 children are learning out of school hours. In some 

 secondary schools it is already a part of the curri- 

 culum, and in others it is a moot point how soon 

 it shall be adopted. 



Indian, African, and Japanese magazines are strong- 

 ly advocating the use of Esperanto. 



