A LINCOLN NEEDED.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LX, Issue 18324, 14 February 1923, Page 9

A LINCOLN NEEDED.

WORLD'S MORAL SICKNESS. SPEECH BY MR. HARDING. Australian and N.Z. Cable Association. (Reed. 6.00 p.m.) WASHINGTON. Feb. 12. The President, Mr. W. G. Harding, in a speech on the occasion of the celebration of Abraham Lincoln's birthday, said that Lincoln appeared to him as one who manifestly was brought forth with destiny or consecrated by the Infinite Hand to render a particular service, to save the nation, emancipate the people, and preserve in the world the fruits of American experiment in Democracy. "The world, to-day," proceeded Mr. Harding, "sees civilisation brought to a supreme test. The sobering realisation has finally come that in its eagerness to harness and dominate the material "forces of the world humanity has lost its anchorage to ultimate things of the higher a.nd nobler spiritual universe. ' It is doubtless vain to hope that another such as Lincoln will bo given us in our time, but to the extent that we shall prove ourselves worthy of such a leader, to that extent we shall be better able to save ourselves without him. "Men throughout the world will save themselves if they forget themselves. The task probably would be less difficult if humanity would get a little nearer God. The fullest and truest service in times like these that any nation or society can render to itself will be service which is conceived in unselfishness and rendered without . thought .of immediate gain or even ultimate personal advantage."