Repository: UIHistories Project: Dedication - Lincoln Hall [PAGE 3]

EXTRACTED TEXT FROM PAGE:

LINCOLN HALL The University of Illinois dates its origin from the federal land grant adt of 1862. It is the largest and most important of the many institutions which were the outgrowth of this significant law. Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States signed this bill. He had already used his influence as a politician and statesman to secure its passage, having committed himself years before to the advocacy of a system of State universities based on federal land grants. In a sense, therefore, he may be considered as one of the founders of this institution, since his influence and his official acfts made its organization possible. At the session of the legislature of Illinois beginning in January 1909, the hundredth anniversary of the year of Lincoln's birth, the sum of two hundred fifty thousand dollars was appropriated to the University of Illinois for the ereddon of a hall to be dedicated to the ftudy of the humanities. It was decided to make this building a memorial to Abraham Lincoln, the firft citizen of this £tate to be eledted President of the United States, the signer of the bill which made the State university possible, and the consistent and persevering friend of higher education in Slate and nation. After long and careful consideration of the needs of the University, and the possibilities of a memorial building, it was decided to call the building Lincoln Hall, and to carry out in its scheme of decoration a series of memorial panels, tablets, medallions, inscriptions* etc, relating to Lincoln and his times, so that Students and professors at work in this building, or even passing along the walks about it, should be in daily and hourly remembrance of what this man and his coworkers did for the American people. Over the main entrance is the inscription, Lincoln Hall. Just within the memorial entrance hall and sunk in the marble floor is a copy of the address of Lincoln at Gettysburg in brass letters; while

T