Philadelphia Inquirer: Despite past, New Jersey joins in fete for Lincoln
From an article in the Philadelphia Inquirer…
“… Gov. Corzine has issued an executive order creating a commission to arrange events honoring the 16th president next year, the bicentennial of his Feb. 12 birth. Pennsylvania and other states have formed similar commissions.
In New Jersey, the state library plans to raise money in February through Lincoln “Pennies for Peace” donations to help build schools and libraries in Pakistan.
Lincoln also will get his due in the schools as teachers fashion lessons and programs that recall his life. And Lincoln-related documents are expected to be displayed at the New Jersey State Archives in Trenton.
… The bicentennial provides “a particularly good teachable moment,” New Jersey State Librarian Norma Blake said. “It’s a good time to have the children think about the importance of education to themselves and others.”
“When Lincoln addressed the General Assembly, he said, ‘The man does not live who is more devoted to peace than I am.’ Our ‘Pennies for Peace’ project ties together with that.”
The program is part of efforts started by Greg Mortenson, coauthor and subject of Three Cups of Tea: One Man’s Mission to Promote Peace . . . One School at a Time…”
Read the full article in the Philadelphia Inquirer here.