Abraham Lincoln

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A LECTURE

BY

ROBERT
r

G.

INGERSOLL.
men
nothing

chains from the bodies of than to destroy the phantoms of the soul

NEW YORK.
C.
P.

FARRELL, PUBLISHER,
1895.

PROSE-POEMS
AND

SELECTIONS, BY
ROBERT _^^_.
HIS
is,

ft VA

TNGERSOLL. A_ --- ---

Third Edition, Revised and Enlarged. 'aan&some Quarto, con\,ammg oner 30O pages.
beyond question, the most elegant volume in Liberal
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ADDRESS C. F\

KARRELL,
4OO

PUBLISHER,
New Vprk
City.

Fifth Avenue,

Abraham
By permission
of the Century Co.

Lincoln.

A LECTURE
BY

ROBERT

G.

INGERSOLL

Nothing

is

grander than to break chains from the bodies of men nobler than to destroy the phantoms of the soul.

nothing

C. P.

YORK. FARRELL, PUBLISHER,
1895,

NEW

Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1894,

BY

ROBERT

G.

INGERSOLL,

In the Office of the Librarian of Congress at Washington, D. C.

.

THE. ECK.LER PREJ-J.

33 TULTON

NEW YORK.

v5r.

ABRAHAM LINCOLN.

i.

the

1

2th of February, 1809,

two babes were

born

one

in

the woods of Kentucky, amid
;

the hardships and poverty of pioneers
land,

one

surrounded by wealth and culture. educated in the University of Nature, the other Cambridge.

EngOne was
at

in

One

associated his

name with

the enfranchisement

of labor, with the emancipation of millions, with the
salvation of the Republic.

He

is

known

to us as

Abraham Lincoln. The other broke
filled

the chains of superstition and

the world with intellectual light, and

he

is

known

as Charles Darwin.
is

Nothing

grander than to break chains from the

4
bodies of

ABRAHAM LINCOLN.

men

nothing nobler than to destroy the

phantoms of the soul. Because of these two men the Nineteenth Century
is

illustrious.

A

few

men and women make

a nation glorious

Shakespeare made England immortal, Voltaire civilized and humanized France, Goethe, Schiller and

Humboldt

lifted

Germany

into the light.

Angelo,

Raphael, Galileo and Bruno crowned with fadeless laurel the Italian brow, and now the most precious
treasure of the Great Republic
is

the

memory

of

Abraham

Lincoln.
its

Every generation has
pioneers,
its

heroes,

its

iconoclasts, its

ideals.

The people always have been
the many,

and

still

are divided, at least into classes

who
past,

with their backs to the sunrise worship the

and the few, who keep
the many,

their faces towards the

who are satisfied with the world as it is the few, who labor and suffer for the future, for those to be, and who seek to rescue the opdawn
;

pressed, to destroy the cruel distinctions of caste,

and to

civilize
it

mankind.

sometimes happens that the liberator of one age becomes the oppressor of the next. His repuhe is so revered and wortation becomes so great

Yet

ABRAHAM LINCOLN.

5

that his followers, in his name, attack the shipped hero who endeavors to take another step in advance.

The heroes
tice for

of the Revolution, forgetting the jus-

which they fought, put chains upon the limbs of others, and in their names the lovers of liberty

were denounced as ingrates and traitors. During the Revolution our fathers to justify
rebellion

their

dug down

to the bed-rock of there.

human

rights

and planted
that
all

their standard

They

declared

men were
its

entitled to liberty

and that govern-

ment derived

power from the consent of the

But when victory came, the great pringoverned. ciples were forgotten and chains were put upon the
limbs of men.

Both of the great political parties were controlled by greed and selfishness. Both

were the defenders and protectors of slavery.
control of the

For

nearly three-quarters of a century these parties had

Republic.

The

principal object of

both parties was the protection of the infamous institution. Both were eager to secure the Southern
vote and both sacrificed principle and honor upon
the altar of success.

At

last

the

Whig

party died and the Republican

was born.

This party was opposed to the further extension of slavery. The Democratic party of the

6

ABRAHAM LINCOLN.
to

South wished
national

make

the

"

divine

"

institution

while the Democrats of the North wanted
itself.

the question decided by each territory for

Each of these
tremists.

parties

had conservatives and ex-

The

extremists of the Democratic party

go back the extremists of the Republican party were in the front, and wished to go forward. The extreme Democrat was willing to destroy the Union for the sake of
in the rear

were

and wished

to

;

slavery,

and the extreme Republican was destroy the Union for the sake of liberty.
extremists.

willing to

Neither party could succeed without the votes of
its

This was the condition

in

i858-6o.

When

Lincoln was a child his parents removed

from Kentucky to Indiana. A few trees were felled a log hut open to the south, no floor, no window,

was

built

a

little

land plowed and here the Lincolns
patient, thoughtful, silent, loving
in

lived.

Here the

mother died

died

the wide forest as a leaf dies,

leaving nothing to her son but the
love.

memory
to Illinois.

of her

In a few years the family

moved

Lin-

coln then almost grown, clad in skins, with no
stitch

woven

upon

his

body

walking and driving the

ABRAHAM LINCOLN.
cattle.

7

Another farm was opened a few acres subdued and enough raised to keep the wolf from
the door.

Lincoln quit the farm
as

went down the

Ohio and Mississippi
with
left

a hand on a flat-boat

afterwards clerked in a country store
nership

then
store

in partfailed.

another

bought

the

Nothing

but a few debts

learned the art of

surveying
*_>

made about

half a living

thing on the debts
tried

read law

and paid someadmitted to the bar
for the legis-

a few small cases

nominated

lature

and made a speech. This speech was in favor of a
to

tariff,

not only for

revenue, but to encourage American manufacturers

and

protect

knew
to

then as

American workingmen. Lincoln well as we do now, that everything,

the limits of the possible, that Americans use

should be produced by the energy, skill and inHe knew that the more genuity of Americans.
industries

we

had, the greater variety of things

we

made, the greater would be the development of the American brain. And he knew that great men and
great

women

are the best things that a nation can
finest

produce,
raise.

the

crop a country can possibly

He knew

that a nation that sells

raw material

will

o

ABRAHAM LINCOLN.
poor, while the people
intelligent

grow ignorant and
ufacture will

grow

and

rich.

who manTo dig, to

chop, to plow, requires
strength than thought.

more muscle than mind, more
of

To

invent, to manufacture, to take advantage

the forces of nature
genius.

this requires thought, talent,

This develops the brain and gives wings
better for

to the imagination.
It is

Americans

to purchase

from Amer-

icans,
If

even

if

the things purchased cost more.

we purchase

a ton of steel

for

twenty
an

dollars,

land the money.

we But if we buy
then
for

from England have the rails and Engrails

a ton of steel
dollars,

rails

from

American
rails

twenty-five

then

America has the

and the money both.
Lincoln,
in

Judging from the present universal depression and
the recent elections,
his
first

speech,

Linstood on solid rock and was absolutely right. coln was educated in the University of Nature

educated by cloud and star by field and winding stream by billowed plains and solemn forests by

by storm and morning's birth and death of clay by the ever eager Spring night by Summer's wealth of leaf and vine and flower the sad and
transient o-lories of the

Autumn woods

and Win-

ABRAHAM LINCOLN.
ter,

9

builder of

home and

fireside,

and whose storms
within.

without, create the social

warmth

He was
questions

perfectly

of the

acquainted with the political heard them discussed at day
voting places and
all

taverns and country stores, at
courts and on the stump.

He knew

the argu-

ments

for

and

against,

and no man of

his time

was

better equipped for intellectual conflict.

He knew He
had

the average

mind

the thoughts of the people, the
his fellow-men.

hopes and prejudices of
candid and sincere.
of nature that
In
1

the power of accurate statement.

He was
kin."

logical,

In addition, he had the " touch

makes the whole world
for the

858 he was a candidate

Senate against

Stephen A. Douglas. The extreme Democrats would not vote
las,

for

Dou^o

but the extreme Republicans did vote for LinLincoln occupied the middle ground, and was

coln.

the compromise candidate of his

own

party.

He

had lived

for

many
in

years in the intellectual territory

of compromise

a part of our country settled by

Northern and Southern

men

where Northern and

Southern ideas met, and the ideas of the two sections

were brought together and compared.
of Lincoln, his ties of kindred,

The sympathies

IO

ABRAHAM LINCOLN.
His convictions,
his sense of

were with the South.
justice,

and

his

ideals,

were with the North.
felt

He
had

knew

the horrors of slavery, and he

the un-

speakable ecstacies and glories of freedom.

He

the kindness, the gentleness, of true greatness, and

he could not have been a master

;

he had the man-

hood and independence of true greatness, and he could not have been a slave. He was just, and was
incapable of putting a burden upon others that he

himself would not willingly bear.

was merciful and profound, and it was not necessary for him to read the history of the world to

He

know
same

that liberty

and slavery could not

live

in

the

nation, or in the

same
is

brain.

Lincoln was a

statesman.
politician

And
in

there

this difference

between a
schemes

and a statesman.

A

politician

and works
something
are

for

every way to make the people do him. A statesman wishes to do some-

thing for the people.

With him
and the end

place and
is

power
of his

means

to an end,

the

good

country.
In this campaign Lincoln demonstrated three things
first,

that he
;

was the

intellectual superior of his op;

ponent

second, that he was right
Illinois

and

third, that a

majority of the voters of

were on

his side.

ABRAHAM LINCOLN.
II.

I I

TN 1860
flict

the Republic reached a
liberty

crisis.

The

con-

between

and slavery could no longer

be delayed. For three-quarters of a century the forces had been gathering for the battle.
After the Revolution, principle was sacrificed for the sake of gain. The Constitution contradicted the
Declaration.

Liberty as a principle was held

in

con-

tempt.

Slavery took possession of the Government.

Slavery

made

the laws, corrupted courts, dominated

presidents and demoralized the people.

do not hold the South responsible for slavery any more than I do the North, The fact is, that There is individuals and nations act as they must.
I

of every hope, Back of every event of every opinion and prejudice, fancy and dream of every smile belief of every vice and virtue

no chance.

and

curse,
is

is

the efficient cause.

The

present moall

ment
past.

the child, and the necessary child, of

the

Northern

politicians

defended slavery
sell their

and so they Northern merchants wanted to
office,

wanted

goods

to the South,

enemies of freedom.

and so they were the The preacher wished to please

12

ABRAHAM LINCOLN.

the people

who

paid his salary, and so he denounced

the slave for not being satisfied with the position in which the good God had placed him.

The

respectable,

the

rich,

the

prosperous, the

holders of and the seekers for office, held liberty in

contempt.

They regarded
rights

the Constitution as far of men.

more sacred than the
for the

Candidates

presidency were applauded because they had

tried to

make

slave States of free territory, and the

highest Court solemnly and ignorantly decided that
colored

men and women had no

rights.

Men who

freedom was better than slavery, and that mothers should not be robbed of their babes,
insisted that

were hated, despised and mobbed.
voiced the feelings of millions

Mr. Douglas
declared that

when he

he did not care whether slavery was voted up or down. Upon this question the people, a majority
of them, were almost savages.
conscience, principle
all

Honor, manhood,

sacrificed for the sake of

gain or office.

From
the

the heights of philosophy

standing above
prejudices,

contending hosts,
of the

above the

the

Lincoln was great day enough and brave enough and wise enough to utter these prophetic words
sentimentalities
:

ABRAHAM LINCOLN.

13
I

"A

house divided against

itself

cannot stand.

believe this

Government cannot permanently endure half slave and half I do not expect the Union to be dissolved I do not exfree. but I do expect it will cease to be pect the house to fall divided. It will become all the one thing or the other. Either the opponents of slavery will arrest the further spread of it, and place it where the public mind shall rest in the belief that it is
;

;

in the
it

course of ultimate extinction, or
it

its

advocates will push

further until

becomes

alike lawful in all the States, old as

well as new,

North as well as South."

This declaration was the standard around which

gathered the grandest political party the world has ever seen, and this declaration made Lincoln the
leader of that vast host.
In this, the
first

great

crisis,

Lincoln uttered the
the foremost

victorious truth that

made him

man
for

in

the Republic.

The Republican

party

nominated him

the

presidency and the people decided at the polls that a house divided against itself could not stand, and
that slavery
It is

had cursed soul and

soil

enough.
a really great
I

not a
fill

common

thing to

elect

man
dent.

to

the highest official position.

do not say

that the great

presidents have been chosen
it

by

acci-

Probably

would be better

to say that they

were the favorites of a happy chance.

The average man

is

afraid of genius.

He

feels as

14

ABRAHAM LINCOLN.

an awkward
of-hand

man

feels in the

performer.

He
much

presence of a sleightadmires and suspects.
sail

Genius appears to carry too much
prudence, has too
courage.
dullness inspires confidence.

to

lack

The

ballast

of

By

a happy chance Lincoln was nominated and
in

elected

spite

of his

fitness

and the

patient,

gentle, just and loving man was called upon as great a burden as man has ever borne.
III.
r

to bear

~PHEN
sion,

came another
and
Civil

crisis

the crisis of Seces-

War.
feeling
first

Again Lincoln spoke the deepest
highest thought of the Nation.

and the
message

In his

he said

:

"The

central idea of secession

is

the essence of anarchy."

He
face

also

South, in

showed conclusively that the North and spite of secession, must remain face to
that

that physically they could not separate

they must have more or less commerce, and that this commerce must be carried on, either between
the two sections as friends, or as aliens
:

consequences he pointed out to absolute perfection in these words
its
:

This situation and

ABRAHAM LINCOLN.
'
'

I

5
?

Can

aliens

make
?

treaties easier than friends

can

make

laws

Can
laws

treaties

be more
friends
' '

faithfully enforced between aliens than

among

After having stated fully and fairly the philosophy
of the conflict, after having said enough to satisfy

any calm and thoughtful mind, he addressed himself to the hearts of America. Probably there are few
finer

passages

in literature
:

than the close of Lin-

coln's inaugural address

"

I

am

loth to close.

We are not enemies,
Though
passion

but friends.

We
it

must not be enemies.

may have

strained,

must not break, our bonds of affection. The mystic chords of memory stretching from every battlefield and patriotic grave to every loving heart and hearthstone all over this broad land,
will swell

the chorus of the

Union when again touched,
' '

as

surely they will be,

by the

better angels of our nature.

These

noble, these touching, these pathetic words,
in

were delivered

the presence of rebellion, in the

midst of spies and conspirators surrounded by but few friends, most of whom were unknown, and some
at a time were wavering in their fidelity when secession was arrogant and organized, when

of

whom

patriotism

and when, to quote the ex" Sinners were pressive words of Lincoln himself,
silent,

was

calling the righteous to repentance."

When

Lincoln became President, he was held in

1

6

ABRAHAM LINCOLN.

underrated by the North contempt by the South and East not appreciated even by his cabinet

and yet he was not only one of the wisest, but one of the shrewdest of mankind. Knowing that he had the right to enforce the laws of the Union in all
parts of the United States
ing, as

and Territories

know-

he

did, that

the secessionists were in the

wrong, he also knew that they had sympathizers not only in the North but in other lands.

Consequently he felt that it was of the utmost importance that the South should fire the first shot,
should do some act that would solidify the North

and gain

for us the justification of the civilized world.

He
ter.

proposed to give food to the soldiers at SumHe asked the advice of all his cabinet on this

question,

with the exception of Montgomery Blair, answered in the negative, giving their reasons
all,

and

in writing.

In spite of this, Lincoln took his
supplies,

own

course

endeavored to send the
his

and while

thus engaged, doing

simple duty, the South

commenced actual hostilities and fired on the fort. The course pursued by Lincoln was absolutely right,
and the
act of the

South to a great extent

solidified

the North, and gained for the Republic the justification of a great

number of people

in other lands.

ABRAHAM LINCOLN.

I

7

At

that time Lincoln

appreciated the scope and
conflict.
:

consequences of the impending
"

Above

all

other thoughts in his mind was this

This

conflict will settle the

question, at least for
is is

" centuries "
"

to

come, whether man

capable of
of greater

governing himself, and consequently

importance to the free than to the enslaved." He knew what depended on the issue and he said
"

:

We

shall

nobly save, or meanly

lose,

the

last,

"

best hope of earth."

IV.

TPHEN

came a

crisis

in

the

North.

It

became

day, that the rebellion

by it was that and slavery, to the border States on the side of necessary keep For this purpose he proposed a scheme the Union.
was
of emancipation

clearer

and clearer

to

Lincoln's mind, day

and colonization

a scheme by
full

which the owners of slaves should be paid the value of what they called their " property."

He knew
ual

that

if

the border States agreed to grad-

and received compensation for their slaves, they would be forever lost to the ConIt federacy, whether secession succeeded or not.
emancipation,

was objected

at the time,

by some,

that the

scheme

1

8
far too

ABRAHAM LINCOLN.
expensive but Lincoln, wiser than his his enemies demonfar wiser than
;

was

advisers

strated that from an economical point of view, his

course was best.

proposed that $400 be paid for slaves, including men, women and children. This was a large price, and yet he show ed how much cheaper it was
r

He

to purchase than to carry

on the war.
mentioned, there were
in

At

that time, at the price

about $75o,ooo worth of slaves
cost of carrying on the

Delaware.

The

war was

at least

two millions

of dollars a day, and for one-third of one day's ex-

penses,

all

the slaves in Delaware could be purchased.
that
all

He

also

showed

the slaves in Delaware,

Maryland, Kentucky and Missouri could be bought, at the same price, for less than the expense of carrying on the war for eighty-seven days.
This was the wisest thing that could have been proposed, and yet such was the madness of the
South, such the indignation of the North, that the advice was unheeded.

Again,

in July, 1862,

he urged on the Representa-

tives of the

pensated

border States a scheme of gradual combut the Representatives emancipation
;

were too deaf to hear, too blind to

see.

ABRAHAM LINCOLN.
Lincoln always hated slavery, and yet he
obligations
felt

19
the
first

and duties of

his

position.

In his

message he assured the South that the laws, includthe law for the return ing o the most odious of all
of fugitive slaves

would be enforced.

The South

Afterwards he proposed to purchase the slaves of the border States, but the propohear.

would not

was hardly discussed hardly heard. Events came thick and fast theories gave way to facts, and everything was left to force. The extreme Democrat of the North was fearful
sition
;

might be destroyed, that the Constitution might be broken, and that Lincoln, after all, could not be trusted and at the same time the radithat slavery
;

cal

Republican feared that Lincoln loved the Union more than he did liberty.

The

fact

is,

that he tried to discharge the obliga-

tions of his great office,

knowing from the
and

first

that

slavery must perish.
coln

The course pursued by
persistent, so

Lin-

was so
logical,

gentle, so kind

wise

and

that millions of Northern

Democrats

sprang to the defence, not only of the Union, but of his administration. Lincoln refused to be led or
hurried by Fremont or Hunter, by Greeley or
ner.

Sumand

From

first

to last he

was the

real

leader,

he kept step with events.

2O

ABRAHAM LINCOLN.

V.

the the

22cl of July, 1862,

Lincoln sent word to

members
It

of his cabinet that he wished to

see them.
the
first

so happened that Secretary Chase was

to arrive.

He

found Lincoln reading a

book.
said
"
:

Looking up from the page, the President Chase, did you ever read this book ?" "What
it

book
plied

is

?"

asked Chase.
"

"Artemus Ward,"
'

re-

Lincoln.
'

Let

entitled

Wax Wurx

read you this chapter, in Albany! And so he began

me

reading while the other members of the cabinet one by one came in. At last Stanton told Mr. Lincoln
that he
to be

was

in a

great hurry, and
like to

if

any business was

done he would

do

it

at once.

Whereopened
I

upon Mr. Lincoln

laid

down

the open book
"
:

a drawer, took out a paper and said

Gentlemen,

have called you together to notify you what I have I want no advice. determined to do Nothing can

change

my

mind."

read the Proclamation of Emancipation Chase thought there ought to be something about

He then

God
in,

at the close, to

which Lincoln replied
It

"
:

Put

it

it

won't hurt

it."

was

also agreed that the

ABRAHAM LINCOLN.
President would wait for a victory
in

21

the field before

giving the Proclamation to the world.

The meeting was
way.

over, the

members went

their

Mr. Chase was the

last to go,

and as he went

through the door looked back and saw that Mr. Lincoln had taken up the book and was again engrossed
in the

Wax Wurx

at Albany.

This was on the 22d of July, 1862. On the 22d after Lincoln wrote of August of the same year

Horace Greeley, in which he stated that his object was to save the Union that he would save it with slavery if he could ; that if it was
his celebrated letter to
;

necessary to destroy slavery

in

order to save the

Union, he would

;

in

other words, he would do what

was necessary
This

to save the Union.

a great degree, thousands and millions of the friends of freedom. They
letter disheartened, to
felt

that Mr. Lincoln

had not attained the moral

And height upon which they supposed he stood. yet, when this letter was written, the Emancipation
Proclamation was
in

his

hands, and had been for

thirty days, waiting only

an opportunity to give

it

to

the world.

Some two weeks
coln

after the letter to Greeley, Lin-

was waited on by a committee of clergymen,

22

ABRAHAM LINCOLN.

and was by them informed that it was God's will that he should issue a Proclamation of Emancipation.

He

replied to

them,

in

substance, that the day of

miracles had passed.

He

also

mildly and kindly

suggested that if it were God's will this Proclamation should be issued, certainly God would have made

known
it

that will to
to issue
it.

him

to the person

whose duty

was

On

the

22d day of September, 1862, the most
history of the

glorious date in the

Republic, the

Proclamation of Emancipation was issued. Lincoln had reached the generalization of

all

argu-

ment upon the question of slavery and freedom
never
' '

a

generalization that never has been, and probably
will be,

excelled

:

In giving freedom to the slave,

we

assure freedom to the

free."

This

is

absolutely true.

Liberty can be retained,

can be enjoyed, only by giving it to others. The spendthrift saves, the miser is prodigal. In the realm

He who puts husbandry. chains upon the body of another shackles his own The moment the Proclamation was issued, soul.
of Freedom,

waste

is

the cause of the Republic
that

became

sacred.

From
race.

moment

the North fought for the

human

ABRAHAM LINCOLN.

23

From
and

that

moment

the North stood under the blue

stars, the flag of

Nature

sublime and

free.

In 1831, Lincoln
flat-boat.

went down the Mississippi on a
of

He

received the extravagant salary

ten dollars a month.
leans,

When
his

he reached

New

Or-

he and some of

companions went about

the

city.

Among

other places, they visited a slave market,

where men and women were being sold at auction. A young colored girl was on the block. Lincoln
heard the brutal words of the auctioneer
the savage
soul with

remarks of bidders.

The scene

filled

his

indignation and horror.

Turning

to

his

companions, he
to hit slavery,

said,

"

Boys,
I'll

if

I it

ever get a chance " hard
!

by God

hit

The

helpless girl, unconsciously, had planted in a

great heart the seeds of the Proclamation.

Thirty-one years afterwards the chance came, the oath was kept, and to four millions of slaves, of men,

women and
of the soul.

children,

was restored

liberty, the

jewel

In the history, in the fiction of the world, there

is

nothing more intensely dramatic than this. Lincoln held within his brain the grandest truths,

24

ABRAHAM LINCOLN.
easily,

and he held them as unconsciously, as
naturally, as a waveless pool holds within

as

its

stainless

breast a thousand stars. In these

two years we had traveled from the Or-

dinance of Secession to the Proclamation of Emancipation.

VI.

T \ TE were surrounded by enemies. Many of the so-called great in Europe and England were
against us.
institutions,

They hated
and sought

the Republic, despised our
in

many ways

to aid the

South.

Mr. Gladstone announced that Jefferson Davis had made a nation, and that he did not believe the restoration of the

American Union by force attainable. From the Vatican came words of encouragement
It

for the South.

was declared that the North was
for

fighting for

empire and the South

independence.

The Marquis

of Salisbury said

the South are the natural

North keeps an opposition ment of trade as ourselves."

The people of allies of England. The shop in the same depart:

"

Not a very elevated sentiment

but English.

ABRAHAM LINCOLN.

25

Some

of their statesmen declared that the subju-

gation of the South by the North would be a calamity
to the world.

Louis Napoleon was another enemy, and he endeavored to establish a monarchy in Mexico, to the

end that the great North might be destroyed.
the patience, the

But

uncommon common
in spite

sense, the

statesmanship of Lincoln

of foreign hate
all.

and Northern division

triumphed over

And

now we
easy.

forgive

all foes.

Victory makes forgiveness

Lincoln was, by nature, a diplomat.
the
art of sailing

against the wind.
as
is

He knew He had as
honesty.
of individ-

much shrewdness

consistent
the
all

with

He
uals,

understood,

not only
In

rights
his

but

of

nations.

correspondence

wrote nor governments sanctioned a line which afterwards was used to
other
neither
tie

with

he

his

hands.
rose

In

the use of perfect English
all

he
his

easily
fellows.

above

his

advisers

and

all

No

one claims that Lincoln did

all.

He

could
;

have done nothing without the generals in the field and the generals could have done nothing without
their armies.

The

praise

is

due to

all

to

the

26
private as

ABRAHAM LINCOLN.

much

as to the officer

;

to the lowest

who

did his duty, as

much

as to the highest.

My

heart goes out to the brave private as

much
infinite

as to the leader of the host.

But Lincoln stood at the centre and with
patience, with

consummate

skill,

with the genius of

goodness, directed, cheered, consoled and conquered.

VII.

OLAVERY

was the cause of the war, and slavery was the perpetual stumbling-block. As the war
after question

went on, question
that could not be

arose

questions

answered by

theories.

Should we
the master

hand back the slave

to his master,

when

was using his slave to destroy the Union ? If the South was right, slaves were property, and by the laws of war anything that might be used to the advantage of the enemy might be confiscated by us. Events did not wait for discussion. General Butler

denominated the negro as
be confiscated.

" a contraband."

Con-

gress provided that the property of the rebels might

The extreme Democrats
the slave as

of the
life.

more sacred than

North regarded It was no harm

ABRAHAM LINCOLN.
to
kill

2?

the master

to burn his house, to ravage his

fields
If in

but you must not free his slave.
war, a nation has the right to take the propits

erty of

citizens

of

its

friends

certainly
it

it

has

the right to take the property of those
right to
kill.

has the

Lincoln
is

was wise enough to
conflict

know
are

that

war

governed by the
the

laws of war, and that dursilent.

ing
that

constitutions

All

he

could

do

he
to

did

in

the

interests

of
in-

peace.

He
in

offered

execute
of

every law
all

cluding the
slaves
ual,

most infamous
border States

to

buy the
grad-

the

to
;

establish

compensated emancipation would not hear. Then he confiscated the property of rebels

but

the

South

treated the slaves

as

contraband
rebellion,

of war,

used them to

put

down
favor

the
in

armed
of
the

them

and clothed them

the of
to

uniform

Republic

was

in

making
on

them

citizens

and allowing

them

stand

an equality with their white brethren under the During these years Lincoln flag of the Nation.

moved with
been
kind.
justified

events, and every step he

took has

by the considerate judgment of man-

2&

ABRAHAM LINCOLN.

VIII.

T
*-'
in

INCOLN

not only watched the war, but kept his
political pulse.

hand on the

In 1863 a tide set

against the administration.
in

A

Republican meet-

ing was to be held

Springfield, Illinois,

and Lin-

coln wrote a letter to be
It

read at this convention.
It

was

in his

happiest vein.

was a perfect defense
Proclamation of
:

of his administration, including the

Emancipation.
"

Among

other things he said

valid.
it

But the proclamation, as law, either is valid or If it is not valid it needs no retraction, but if

it

is

not

it is

valid

cannot be retracted, any more than the dead can be brought

to life."

To

the Northern Democrats

who

said they
:

would

not fight for negroes, Lincoln replied
' '

Some

of them seem willing to fight for you

but no

matter."

Of negro
' '

soldiers

:

But negroes,

like other people, act
if

should they do anything for us

we

will

upon motives. Why do nothing for them ?

If they stake their lives for us they must be prompted by the even the promise of freedom. And the strongest motive

promise, being made, must be kept."

ABRAHAM LINCOLN.
There
is

2Q
give
it

one
:

line in

this

letter

that will

immortality
'
'

The Father
is

of waters again goes unvexed to the sea.

' '

This line

worthy of Shakespeare.

Another

:

"Among

free

men

there can be no successful appeal from the

ballot to the bullet."

draws a comparison between the white men against us and the black men for us
:

He

men who can remember and clenched teeth and steady eye and tongue have mankind on to this great well-poised bayonet they helped while I fear there will be some consummation white ones unable to forget that with malignant heart and deceitful speech
then there will be some black
that with silent
;

"And

they strove to hinder

'

'

it.

Under
try,

the influence of this

letter,
all,

the love of coun-

of the Union, and above

the love of liberty,

took possession of the heroic North. There was the greatest moral exaltation

ever

known.

The spirit of liberty took possession of the people. The masses became sublime. To fight for yourself is natural to fight for others
is

grand

to fight for your country

is

noble

to

3O
fight for the

ABRAHAM LINCOLN.

human
is

race
still.

for the

liberty

of hand

and brain

nobler
fact,

As sown
pit in

a matter of

the defenders of slavery had

the seeds of their

own

defeat.

They dug

the

which they fell. Clay and Webster and thousands of others, had by their eloquence made the

Union almost sacred.
of
life,

The Union was

the very tree

the source and stream and sea of liberty and

law.

For the sake of slavery millions stood by the
Union, for the sake of liberty millions knelt at the and this love of the Union altar of the Union
;

is

what,

at

last,

overwhelmed

the

Confederate

hosts.
It

does

not

seem

possible

that

only a few

years ago our Constitution, our laws, our Courts, the Pulpit and the Press defended and upheld
the institution of slavery
that
it

was a crime
lips

to

feed the
thirst

hungry

to give

water to the

of

shelter to a
!

woman

flying from the

whip
the

and chain

The
stains

old flag

still flies

the stars are there

have gone.

ABRAHAM LINCOLN.
IX.
T
*-*

31

INCOLN

always saw the end. He was unmoved by the storms and currents of the times. He
for the conservative politicians,

advanced too rapidly

too slowly for the radical enthusiasts.

He

occupied

the line of safety, and held by his personality

by

the force of his great character, by his charming

candor

the masses on his side.
soldiers thought of

The
All

him

as a father.
felt

who had

lost their
felt

sons in battle
that his face

that they

had

his

sympathy

was as sad as

theirs.

They knew

that Lincoln
his

one motive, and that

was actuated by energies were bent to the

attainment of one end
public.

the salvation of the Re-

They knew that he was kind, sincere and merciful. They knew that in his veins there was no drop of tyrants' blood. They knew that he used his
power
and
life

to

protect the innocent, to save reputation
that he

had the brain of a philosopher

the heart of a mother.

During

all

the years of war, Lincoln stood the
of mercy,

embodiment

between

discipline

and death.

He

pitied the imprisoned

and condemned.

He took

32

ABRAHAM LINCOLN.
was the
friend even

the unfortunate in his arms, and

of the convict.

He knew

temptation's strength

the weakness of the will

and how

in fury's

sudden

flame the judgment drops the scales, and passion
blind

and deaf
a

usurps the throne.

One day
called

woman, accompanied by a Senator, on the President. The woman was the wife
tried

of one of Mosby's men.
captured,

came
of

to ask for

Her husband had been and condemned to be shot. She the pardon of her husband. The
"

President heard her story and then asked what kind

man

her husband was.

Is

he intemperate, does
"

" he abuse the children and beat you ? No, no," " said the wife, he is a good man, a good husband, he loves me and he loves the children, and we can-

not live without him.
is

The only
I

trouble
in

is

that he

a fool about politics

live

the

North, born

there,

get him home, he will do no more " Well," said Mr. Lincoln, fighting for the South."

and

if I

will pardon your I examining the papers, husband and turn him over to you for safe keeping." The poor woman, overcome with joy, sobbed as

after

"

though her heart would break.
"

My

dear woman," said Lincoln, "
it

if I

had known
never

how

badly

was going

to

make you

feel, I

ABRAHAM LINCOLN.
"

33

would have pardoned him." You do not understand me," she cried between her sobs. " You do
not understand me."
the President,
shall
"

and

if

Yes, yes, I do," answered you do not go away at once I

"

be crying with you." On another occasion, a

member

of Congress, on

his

way

to see Lincoln, found in

one of the ante-

rooms of the White House an old white-haired man,
sobbing
old
his

wrinkled face wet with tears.
that for several days he

The
tried
for

man
son.

told

him

had

to see the President
his

that he

wanted a pardon
told

The Congressman

the old

man
to

to

come with him and he would introduce him
Lincoln.
"

Mr.
:

On

being introduced, the old

man

said

Mr. Lincoln,

my

wife sent
all

me

to

you.

We

had

three boys.

They

'em has been killed

joined your army. One of one's a fighting now, and one

of 'em, the youngest, has been tried for deserting

and he's going
never deserted.
too

to be shot

day after to-morrow. He He's wild, and he may have drunk
off,

much and wandered
in

but he never deserted,
mother's favorite, and
die."
"
:

Taint
if

the blood
I

-

he's his
she'll

he's

shot,

know

The

President,

turning to his secretary, said

Telegraph General

Butler to suspend the execution in the case of

34

ABRAHAM LINCOLN.

[giving the name] until further orders from me, and

ask him to answer -

."

The Congressman congratulated the old man on He but the old man did not respond. his success
Mr. President," he began, I It won't satisfy his can't take that news home.

was not

satisfied.

"

<l

mother.

How
"
I

do

I

know but what

you'll give further

orders to-morrow?"
Lincoln,

"My
I

good man,"
I

said

Mr.

have to do the best

can.

The

generals

are complaining because

pardon so many.

say that

my mercy

destroys discipline.

They Now, when

you get home you tell his mother what you said to me about my giving further orders, and then you tell
her that
I

said this

' :

If

your son

lives until

they get
die peo-

further orders from me, that

when he does

ple will say that old Methusaleh
'

was a baby com-

pared to him.'

The pardoning power
all

is

the only remnant of ab-

solute sovereignty that a President has.

Through

the years, Lincoln will be

known

as

Lincoln the

loving, Lincoln the merciful.

-

ABRAHAM LINCOLN.
X.

36

L
No

INCOLN
humor

had the keenest sense of humor, and
there was logic and the best of sense.

always saw the laughable side even of disaster.
matter

In his

how

complicated the question, or

how

embarrassing the situation, his humor furnished an answer, and a door of escape.

Vallandingham was a friend of the South, and did what he could to sow the seeds of failure. In his
opinion everything, except rebellion, was unconstitutional.

He was

arrested, convicted

by a court

martial,

and

sentenced to imprisonment. There was doubt about the legality of the trial, and thousands in the North denounced the whole

proceeding as tyrannical and infamous. At the same time millions demanded that Vallandingham should be punished.
Lincoln's

humor came

to the rescue.

He

disap-

proved of the findings of the court, changed the
punishment, and ordered that Mr. Vallandingham should be sent to his friends in the South.

Those who regarded the
almost forgave
it

act as unconstitutional
its

for the

sake of

humor.

36

ABRAHAM LINCOLN.
Horace Greeley always had the idea that he was

greatly superior to Lincoln, because he lived in a
larger town,

and

for a long time

insisted that the

people of the North and the people of the desired peace. He took it upon himself to
Lincoln.

South
lecture;

Lincoln, with

that

wonderful sense

of

humor, united with shrewdness and profound wisdom, told Greeley that, if the South really wanted peace,
he (Lincoln) desired the same thing, and was doing all he could to bring it about. Greeley insisted that a commissioner should be appointed, with authority
to negotiate

with the representatives of the Con-

federacy.

This

was

Lincoln's
act

opportunity.

He

authorized Greeley to

as

such commissioner.

The

great editor

felt

that he

time he hesitated, but finally

was caught. For a went, and found that
peace that Lincoln

the Southern commissioners were willing to take
into consideration

any

offers of

might make, consistent with the independence of the
Confederacy.

The

failure

of Greeley

was humiliating, and the
absurd.

position in which he

was

left,

Again the humor of Lincoln had triumphed.
Lincoln, to satisfy a few fault-finders in the North,

went

to Grant's headquarters

and met some Con-

ABRAHAM LINCOLN.
federate commissioners.

37
that
it

He urged
if

was hardly

proper for him to negotiate with the representatives
of rebels in arms
all

that

the South wanted peace,

they had to do was to stop fighting. One of the commissioners cited as a precedent the fact that
Charles the First negotiated with rebels
in

arms.

To which
his head.

Lincoln replied that Charles the First lost

The

conference

came

to nothing, as Mr. Lincoln

expected.

The commissioners, one of them being Alexander H. Stephens, who, when in good health, weighed
about ninety pounds, dined with the President and Gen. Grant. After dinner, as they were leaving,

Stephens put on an English ulster, the tails of which reached the ground, while the collar was somewhat

above the wearer's head.

As Stephens went
said
as
"
:

out, Lincoln

touched Grant and

little

Did you ever see Grant, look at Stephens. " a nubbin with as much shuck ?

Lincoln always tried to do things in the easiest way. He did not waste his strength. He was not
particular about

moving along

straight lines.

He
go

did not tunnel the mountains.

He was

willing to

around, and reach the end desired as a river reaches
the sea.

38

ABRAHAM LINCOLN.

XL
of the most wonderful things ever done

by

Lincoln was the promotion of General Hooker. After the battle of Fredericksburg, General Burnside

found great

fault

with Hooker, and wished to have

him removed from the
coln

Army

of the Potomac.

Lin-

disapproved of Burnside's order, and gave Hooker the command. He then wrote Hooker this
letter
:

memorable
' '

I

mac.

have placed you at the head of the Army of the PotoOf course I have done this upon what appears to me to

be

sufficient reasons,

and yet
in
I

I

think

it

best for

you

to

know

that there are

some things

satisfied with you.

regard to which I am not quite believe you to be a brave and skillful
I like.
I

soldier

which, of course,

also believe

you do not

mix

in which you are right. politics with your profession You have confidence which is a valuable, if not an indispen-

sable,

quality.

You

are ambitious, which, within reasonable
;

bounds, does good rather than harm but I think that during General Burnside's command of the army you have taken
counsel of your ambition to thwart him as much as you could in which you did a great wrong to the country and to a most
meritorious and honorable brother
officer.
I

have heard,

in

such a way as to believe
the

army

it, of your recently saying that both and the Government needed a dictator. Of course it
it,

was not

for this, but in spite of

that

I

have given you com-

ABRAHAM LINCOLN.
mand.

39

Only those generals who gain successes can set up What I now ask of you is military successes, and I will risk the dictatorship. The Government will support you to the utmost of its ability, which is neither more nor less than it has done and will do for all commanders. I much fear that
dictators.

the spirit which
criticising their
will

you have aided to infuse into the army, of commander and withholding confidence in him,

I shall assist you, so far as I can, to Neither you, nor Napoleon, if he were alive, can get any good out of an army while such a spirit prevails in it. And now beware of rashness. Beware of rashness, but with

now

turn

upon you.

put

it

down.

energy and sleepless vigilance go forward and give us victories."

This

letter has, in

my judgment,
is

no

parallel.

The
the

mistaken

magnanimity
:

almost

equal

to

prophecy
"
I

much

fear that the spirit

into the

army, of

criticising their

which you have aided to infuse command and withholding

confidence in him, will

now

turn

upon you."
fulfillment.

Chancellorsville

was the

XII.

/VAR.

LINCOLN

was a statesman.

The

great
in

stumbling-block
Lincoln's way, and in the

the great obstruction

way

of thousands, was the

old doctrine of States Rights.

This doctrine
slavery.
It

was

first

established

to

protect

was clung

to to protect the inter-State

4O
slave trade.
It

ABRAHAM LINCOLN.
became sacred
it

in

connection with
finally

the Fugitive Slave Law, and

was

used as

the corner-stone of Secession.

This doctrine was never appealed to
the right

in

defense of

support of the wrong. For many years politicians upon both sides of this question endeavored to express the exact relations ex-always
in

isting

between the Federal Government and the
and
I

States,

know

Lincoln.

In his

succeeded, except message of 1861, delivered on July
is

of no one

who

the 4th, the definition

given, and

it is

perfect

:

" Whatever concerns the whole should be confided to the

whole

to the General
left

Government.

Whatever concerns only
' '

the State should be

exclusively to the State.
is

When

that definition

realized in

practice, this

country becomes a Nation. Then we shall know that the first allegiance of the citizen is not to his
State, but to the Republic,

and that the

first

duty of

the Republic
in

is

to protect the citizen, not only

when

other lands, but at home, and that this duty can-

not be discharged

by delegating
in

it

to the States.

Lincoln believed
in the

the sovereignty of the people
in the territorial

supremacy of the Nation

integrity of the Republic.

ABRAHAM LINCOLN.
XIII.

41

A

GREAT actor can
assumed the

**

be known only when he has
character
in

principal

a great

drama.

Possibly the greatest actors have never apit

peared, and

may be

that the greatest soldiers have

lived the lives of perfect peace.

Lincoln assumed

the leading part in the greatest

drama ever enacted
his

upon the stage of this continent. His criticisms of military movements,
spondence with
duct of the war,
of the situation
his generals

corre-

and others on the conat
all

show that he was
that he

times master
strategist,

was a natural
" the in

that he appreciated the difficulties

of every kind, and that
field

and advantages " still and mental

of war he stood the peer of any

man beneath

the flag.

Had

McClelland followed his advice, he would

have taken Richmond.

Had Hooker
tions,

accordance with his suggesChancellorsville would have been a victory for
acted
in

the Nation.
Lincoln's political prophecies were
all fulfilled.

We

know now

that he not only stood at the top,
first

but that he occupied the centre, from

to last,

42

ABRAHAM LINCOLN.
this

and that he did
his

by reason of
his

his intelligence,
his

humor, his

philosophy,

courage and

patriotism.

In passions' storm he stood,

unmoved,

patient, just

and candid.
his heart

In his brain there
hate.

was no

cloud,

and

in

longed to save the South as well as North, to see the Nation one and free.

no

He

until Confederacy was dead Lee surrendered, until Davis fled, until the doors of

He He

lived until the

end was known.

lived until the

Libby Prison were opened,
supreme.

until

the Republic

was

He
He

lived until Lincoln

and Liberty were united
to reach the

forever.

lived to cross the desert
to hear the

palms

of victory

murmured music
were
his

of the wel-

come waves.

He
-

lived until

all

loyal hearts

until the

history of his deeds
until

made music

in the souls of

men

he knew that on Columbia's Calendar of
first.

worth and fame his name stood

He

lived until there

remained nothing

for

him

to

do as great as he had done. What he did was worth living

He

lived until he stood in

worth dying for. the midst of universal
for,

ABRAHAM LINCOLN.
Joy, beneath the outstretched wings of Peace

43
the

foremost

man

in all

the world.

Night fell on noon. The Savior of the Republic, the breaker of chains, the liberator of millions, he who had " assured freethen the horror came.

And

dom
and

to the free,"
his

was dead.

Upon

brow Fame placed the immortal wreath,
of the world a

for the first time in the history

Nation bowed and wept. The memory of Lincoln
tie

is

the strongest, tenderest
all

that binds

all

hearts together now, and holds

States beneath a Nation's flag.

XIV.

ABRAHAM LINCOLN
**

strange

mingling of

mirth and tears, of the tragic and grotesque, of cap and crown, of Socrates and Democritus, of

/Esop and Marcus Aurelius, of all that is gentle and just, humorous and honest, merciful, wise, laughable,
lovable and divine, and
all

consecrated to the use of
all,

man

;

while through

all,

and over

were an overto

whelming sense of obligation, of chivalric loyalty truth, and upon all, the shadow of the tragic end.
Nearly
all

the great historic characters are impos-

44
sible

ABRAHAM LINCOLN.
monsters, disproportioned by flattery, or by

calumny deformed.
peculiarities,

We

know nothing
but
their

of their

or

nothing

peculiarities.

About these oaks there
humanity.

clings

none of the earth of

now only a steel engraving. About the real man who lived and loved and hated and schemed, we know but little. The glass through which we look at him is of such high magnifying
Washington
is

power that the features are exceedingly indistinct. Hundreds of people are now engaged in smoothing out the lines
features to the

of

Lincoln's

face

forcing

all

common mould

so that he

may be

known, not

as he really was, but, according to their

poor standard, as he should have been. Lincoln was not a type. He stands alone
ancestors, no fellows,

no

and no successors.
in

He

had the advantage of living

a

new

country,

of social equality, of personal freedom, of seeing in
the horizon of his future the perpetual star of hope.

He preserved his individuality and He knew and mingled with men
and, after
all,

his self-respect.

of every kind

;

men

are the best books.

He became
ends,
the

acquainted with
heart,

the

ambitions
to

and hopes of the

the

means used

accomplish

ABRAHAM LINCOLN.

4

He was springs of action and the seeds of thought. familiar with nature, with actual things, with common
facts.

He

loved and appreciated the

poem

of

the year, the drama of the seasons.
In a

new country a man must
virtues

possess at least

three

honesty,

courage and generosity.
is

In cultivated society, cultivation

often

more imcounterfeit
It is

portant

than

soil.

A

well-executed

passes

more

readily than a blurred genuine.

necessary
society

only to

observe

the unwritten
to

laws of
prison,

to be honest

enough

keep out of

and generous enough to subscribe in public where the subscription can be defended as an investment.
In a

new

country, character
is

is

essential

;

in

the

old, reputation

sufficient.
;

In the new, they find

what a man
for

really is

in

the old, he generally passes

what he resembles.

distance are

much nearer

People separated only by together, than those divided

by the
It is

walls of caste.

no advantage to live in a great city, where poverty degrades and failure brings despair. The
than paved streets, and the great Oaks and elms are more forests than walls of brick.
fields are lovelier

poetic than steeples and chimneys. In the country
is

the idea of home.

There you

46
see

ABRAHAM LINCOLN.
the
rising
;

and setting sun you become acquainted with the stars and clouds. The constellations are your friends. You hear the rain on the
roof and listen to the rhythmic sighing of the winds.

You

are thrilled by the resurrection called Spring,

touched and saddened by
poetry
of death.

Autumn
field
is

the grace and

a picture, a landscape every landscape a poem every flower a tender thought, and every forest a fairy-land. In

Every

:

;

your perThere you are an aggregation of atoms sonality. but in the city you are only an atom of an aggrega;

the country you preserve your identity

tion.

you keep your cheek close to the breast of Nature. You are calmed and ennobled by
In the country

the space, the amplitude and scope of earth and sky

-by

the constancy of the stars.
finished
his

Lincoln never

education.

To

the

night of his death he was a pupil, a learner, an
inquirer, a seeker after

knowledge.

You have no
is

idea

how many men
pebbles
If

are spoiled

by what

called

education.

For the most
are

part, colleges are

places

where

polished

and

diamonds are

dimmed.

Shakespeare had graduated at Oxford, he might have been a quibbling attorney, or a hypocritical

parson.

ABRAHAM LINCOLN.
Lincoln

47
is

was a great lawyer.
in

There
intelligent

nothing
honesty.

shrewder

this
is

world than

Perfect candor

sword and

shield.

lawyer he endeavored to get at the truth, at the very heart of a case. H"e was not willing even to deceive himself.

He

understood the natue of man.

As

a

No

matter what his interest said, what his

passion demanded, he was great
truth

enough

to

find the

and strong enough

to

pronounce judgment

against his

own

desires.

Lincoln was a many-sided man, acquainted with
smiles and tears, complex in brain, single in heart,
direct as light
;

and

his

words, candid as mirrors,
his thought.

gave the perfect image of
never afraid to ask

He was

never too dignified to admit that he did not know. No man had keener wit, or
kinder humor.
It

may be

that

humor
drift

is

the pilot of reason.

People without humor
surdity.

unconsciously into abstands
in

Humor

sees the other side

the

mind
gives

like
its

a spectator, a good-natured critic, opinion before judgment is reached. Humor
is

and

goes with good nature, and good nature
climate of reason.
In anger, reason

the

abdicates and

malice extinguishes the torch.

Such was the humor

48

ABRAHAM LINCOLN.
tell

even unpleasant truths as charmingly as most men can tell the things we wish to hear.
of Lincoln that he could

He was

not solemn.

Solemnity

is

a

mask worn

it is the by ignorance and hypocrisy logue, and index to the cunning or the

preface, prostupid.

He was

natural in his

life

and thought

master

of the story-teller's art, in illustration apt, in application perfect,
liberal
in

speech, shocking Pharisees

and prudes, using any word that wit could disinfect. He was a logician. His logic shed light. In its
presence the

obscure became luminous,

and the

most complex and intricate political and metaphysical knots seemed to untie themselves. Logic is the
necessary product of intelligence and sincerity.
It

cannot be learned.

It is

the child of a clear head

and a good

heart.

Lincoln was candid, and with candor often deceived the deceitful.

He

had

intellect

without arro-

gance, genius without pride, and religion without
cant
deceit.

that

is

to

say, without

bigotry and without

He was

an orator

clear, sincere,

natural.

He

did not pretend.

He

did not say what he thought

others thought, but what he thought.

ABRAHAM LINCOLN.
If

49

you wish to be sublime you must be natural you must keep close to the grass. You must sit by the fireside of the heart above the clouds it is too
:

cold.

You must be

simple

in

your speech

:

too

much

polish suggests insincerity.

The
fills

great orator idealizes the real, transfigures the
thrill,

common, makes even the inanimate throb and
pictures perfect in form

the gallery of the imagination with statues and

and

color, brings to light the
glit-

gold hoarded by
tering coin
to

memory
the

the miser, shows the

spendthrift
heart,

hope, enriches the

brain, ennobles

the

science.
If

Between

his lips

and quickens the conwords bud and blossom.

you wish to know the difference between an orator and an elocutionist between what is felt and

what

is

said

between what the heart and brain can

do together and what the brain can do alone read Lincoln's wondrous speech at Gettysburg, and then
the oration of

Edward

Everett.

The speech
It

will

dust.

never be forgotten. live until languages are dead and lips are The oration of Everett will never be read.
of Lincoln will
elocutionists believe
in

The
tences,

the virtue of voice,

the sublimity of syntax, the majesty of long sen-

and the genius of gesture.

50

ABRAHAM LINCOLN.

The

orator loves the real, the simple, the natural.
all.

He
est

places the thought above

He knows
need the

that

the greatest ideas should be expressed in the short-

words

that the greatest statues

least

drapery.

Lincoln was an immense personality
obstinate.

firm but not

He

firmness, heroism. egotism influenced others without effort, unconsciously

Obstinacy

is

;

and they submitted to him as men submit to nature He was severe with himself, and unconsciously.
for that

reason lenient with others.
for

He

appeared to apologize

being kinder than

his fellows.

He

did merciful things as stealthily as others com-

mitted crimes.

Almost ashamed of tenderness, he

said

and did the

noblest words and deeds with that charming confusion, that

awkwardness, that

is

the perfect grace of

modesty. As a noble man, wishing to pay a small debt to a poor neighbor, reluctantly offers a hundred-dollar
bill

change, fearing that he may be suspected either of making a display of wealth or a prefor

and asks

tense of payment, so Lincoln hesitated to

show

his

wealth of goodness, even to the best he knew.

ABRAHAM LINCOLN.

51

A
By

great

man

stooping, not wishing to

make

his

fellows feel that they
his candor,

were small or mean.
his

by

kindness, by his perfect

freedom from

restraint,

by saying what he thought,

and saying

it

absolutely in his

own way, he made

it

not only possible, but popular, to be natural.

He

was the enemy of mock solemnity, of the stupidly respectable, of the cold and formal.

He wore no official robes either on his body or his soul. He never pretended to be more or less, or
other, or different, from

what he

really was.

He
self.

had the unconscious naturalness of Nature's

He

built

upon the rock.
broad.

The

foundation was se-

was a pyramid, narrowing as it rose. Through days and nights of sorrow, through years of grief and pain, with uncure and
structure

The

swerving purpose,
charity for
all,"

"

with malice towards none, with

with infinite patience, with unclouded Stone after stone was vision, he hoped and toiled.
the Proclamation found
its

laid, until at last

place.

On that the Goddess stands. He knew others, because perfectly acquainted with himself. He cared nothing for place, but everything for
principle
;

little

for

money, but every-

52

ABRAHAM LINCOLN.

thing for independence.
involved, easily

Where no
willing to

principle

was
if

swayed

go

slowly,
;

in

sometimes willing to stop but he would not go back, and he would not go wrong. He was willing to wait. He knew that the event
the right direction

was not waiting, and that
chance.

fate

was not the

fool

of

He knew
themselves.

that slavery

had defenders, but

no defense, and that they who attack the right must

wound

He was

neither tyrant nor slave.

He

neither

knelt nor scorned.

With him, men were neither great nor small
they were right or wrong.

Through manners, clothes, saw the real that which

titles,
is.

rags and race he

Beyond accident, and war he saw the end. policy, compromise He was patient as Destiny, whose undecipherable
hieroglyphs were so deeply graven on his sad and

tragic face.

Nothing discloses
power.
It is

real character like

the use of

easy for the weak to be gentle. Most But if you wish to know people can bear adversity. what a man really is, give him power. This is the

supreme

test.

It is

the glory of Lincoln that, having
it,

almost absolute power, he never abused

except

on the side of mercy.

ABRAHAM LINCOLN.

63

Wealth could not purchase, power could not awe,
this divine, this loving

man.

no fear except the fear of doing wrong. Hating slavery, pitying the master seeking to he was the conquer, not persons, but prejudices

He knew

embodiment of the

self-denial, the courage, the

hope

and the nobility of a Nation.

He
He
diction

spoke not to inflame, not to upbraid, but to
raised his hands, not to strike, but in bene-

convince.

He He

longed to pardon. loved to see the pearls of joy on the cheeks of

a wife whose husband he had rescued from death.
Lincoln was the grandest figure of the fiercest He is the gentlest memory of our civil war.
world.

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