72     EVERY-DAY    LIFE    OF    LINCOLN 
When  he  got  a  little  more  of  this  world's  goods  he  set  up 
a  one-horse  buggy,  a  very  sorry  and  shabby-looking  affair 
which  he  generally  used  when  the  weather  promised  to  be 
bad.  The  other  lawyers  were  always  glad  to  see  him,  and 
landlords  hailed  his  coming  with  pleasure;  but  he  was  one 
of  those  gentle,  uncomplaining  men  whom  they  would 
put  off  with  indifferent  accommodations.  It  was  a  signifi 
cant  remark  of  a  lawyer  who  was  thoroughly  acquainted 
with  his  habits  and  disposition  that  "Lincoln  was  never 
seated  next  the  landlord  at  a  crowded  table,  and  never 
got  a  chicken-liver  or  the  best  cut  from  the  roast."  Lincoln 
once  remarked  to  Mr.  Gillespie  that  he  never  felt  his  own 
unworthiness  so  much  as  when  in  the  presence  of  a  hotel 
clerk  or  waiter.  If  rooms  were  scarce,  and  one,  two,  three, 
or  four  gentlemen  were  required  to  lodge  together  in  order 
to  accommodate  some  surly  man  who  "stood  upon  his 
rights,"  Lincoln  was  sure  to  be  one  of  the  unfortunates. 
Yet  he  loved  the  life  of  the  circuit,  and  never  went  home 
without  reluctance. 
In  describing  the  many  experiences  of  the  lawyers 
who  travelled  the  circuits  at  this  period,  Mr.  Arnold 
says:  "The  State  was  settled  with  a  hardy,  fearless, 
honest,  but  very  litigious  population.  The  court-house 
was  sometimes  framed  and  boarded,  but  more  fre 
quently  it  was  built  of  logs.  The  judge  sat  upon  a 
raised  platform  behind  a  rough  board,  sometimes  covered 
with  green  baize,  for  a  table  on  which  to  write  his  notes. 
A  small  table  stood  on  the  floor  in  front  for  the  clerk. 
In  the  center  of  the  room  was  another  larger  table  around 
which  in  rude  chairs  the  lawyers  were  grouped,  too  often 
with  their  feet  on  top  of  it.  Rough  benches  were  placed 
there  for  the  jury,  the  parties  to  the  suit,  witnesses  and 
bystanders.  The  court-rooms  were  nearly  always  crowded 
for  here  were  rehearsed  and  acted  the  dramas,  the  trag 
edies,  and  the  comedies  of  real  life.  The  court-house  has 
always  been  a  very  attractive  place  to  the  people  of  the
EVERY-DAY    LIFE    OF    LINCOLN     73 
* 
frontier.  It  supplied  the  place  of  theatres,  lecture  and 
concert  rooms,  and  other  places  of  interest  and  amuse 
ment  in  the  older  settlements  and  towns.  The  leading 
lawyers  and  judges  were  the  star  actors,  and  had  each  his 
partisans.  Hence  crowds  attended  the  courts  to  see  the 
judges,  to  hear  the  lawyers  contend,  with  argument  and 
law  and  wit,  for  success,  victory,  and  fame.  The  merits 
and  ability  of  the  leading  advocates,  their  success  or 
discomfiture  in  examining  or  cross-examining  a  witness, 
the  ability  of  this  or  that  one  to  obtain  a  verdict,  were 
canvassed  at  every  cabin-raising,  bee,  or  horse-race,  and 
at  every  log-house  and  school  in  the  county.  Thus  the 
lawyers  were  stimulated  to  the  utmost  exertion  of  their 
powers,  not  only  by  controversy  and  desire  of  success, 
but  by  the  consciousness  that  their  efforts  were  watched 
with  eagerness  by  friends,  clients,  partisans,  or  rivals. 
From  one  to  another  of  these  rude  court-houses  the 
gentlemen  of  the  bar  passed,  following  the  judge  around 
his  circuits  from  county  to  county,  travelling  generally 
on  horseback,  with  saddle-bags,  brushes,  an  extra  shirt  or 
two,  and  perhaps  two  or  three  law  books.  Sometimes 
two  or  three  lawyers  would  unite  and  travel  in  a  buggy, 
and  the  poorer  and  younger  ones  not  seldom  walked. 
But  a  horse  was  not  an  unusual  fee,  and  in  those  days  when 
horse  thieves  as  clients  were  but  too  common,  it  was  not 
long  before  a  young  man  of  ability  found  himself  well 
mounted. 
"  There  was  very  great  freedom  in  social  intercourse. 
Manners  were  rude,  but  genial,  kind,  and  friendly.  Each 
was  always  ready  to  assist  his  fellows,  and  selfishness  was 
not  tolerated.  The  relations  between  the  bench  and  bar 
were  familiar,  free  and  easy.  Flashes  of  wit  and  humor 
and  repartee  were  constantly  exchanged.  Such  was  the 
life  upon  which  Lincoln  now  entered;  and  there  gathered 
with  him  around  those  pine  tables  of  the  frontier  court 
house  a  very  remarkable  combination  of  men,  men  who
74     EVERY-DAY    LIFE    OF    LINCOLN 
would  have  been  leaders  of  the  bar  at  Boston  or  New  York, 
Philadelphia  or  Washington;  men  who  would  have  made 
their  mark  in  Westminster  Hall,  or  upon  any  English 
circuit.  At  the  capital  were  John  T.  Stuart,  Stephen  T. 
Logan,  Edward  D.  Baker,  Ninian  W.  Edwards,  Josiah 
Lamborn,  and  many  others.  Among  the  leading  lawyers 
from  other  parts  of  the  State  who  practiced  in  the  Supreme 
and  Federal  Courts  at  the  capital  were  Stephen  A.  Douglas; 
Lyman  Trumbull,  for  many  years  chairman  of  the  judiciary 
committee  of  the  United  States  Senate;  O.  H.  Browning, 
Senator  and  member  of  the  Cabinet  at  Washington; 
William  H.  Bissell,  Member  of  Congress,  and  Governor 
of  the  State;  David  Davis,  justice  of  the  Supreme  Court, 
Senator  and  Vice-President  of  the  United  States;  Justin 
Butterfield  of  Chicago,  and  many  others  almost  or  quite 
equally  distinguished.  This  'circuit  riding'  involved  all 
sorts  of  adventures.  Hard  fare  at  miserable  country 
taverns,  sleeping  on  the  floor,  and  fording  streams,  were 
e very-day  occurrences.  All  such  occurrences  were  met 
with  good  humor  and  often  turned  into  sources  of  frolic 
and  fun.  In  fording  swollen  streams,  Lincoln  was  fre 
quently  sent  forward  as  a  scout  or  pioneer.  His  extremely 
long  legs  enabled  him,  by  taking  off  his  boots  and  stock 
ings,  and  by  rolling  up  or  otherwise  disposing  of  his 
trousers,  to  test  the  depth  of  the  stream,  find  the  most 
shallow  water,  and  thus  to  pilot  the  party  through  the 
current  without  wetting  his  garments." 
A  gentleman  who  lived  in  one  of  the  judicial  circuits  of 
Illinois  in  which  Lincoln  had  an  extensive  though  not  very 
lucrative  practice  gives  some  graphic  and  interesting 
reminiscences.  "The  terms  of  the  court  were  held  quar 
terly  and  usually  lasted  about  two  weeks.  They  were 
always  seasons  of  great  importance  and  much  gayety  in 
the  little  town  that  had  the  honor  of  being  the  county 
seat.  Distinguished  members  of  the  bar  from  surrounding 
and  even  from  distant  counties,  ex-judges  and  ex-Members
EVERY-DAY    LIFE    OF    LINCOLN     75 
of  Congress,  attended  and  were  personally  and  many  of 
them  popularly  known  to  almost  every  adult,  male  and 
female,  of  the  limited  population.  They  came  in  by  stages 
and  on  horseback.  Among  them  the  one  whose  arrival 
was  looked  forward  to  with  the  most  pleasurable  anticipa 
tions,  and  whose  possible  absence  —  although  he  almost 
never  was  absent  —  was  feared  with  the  liveliest  emotions 
of  anxiety,  was  *  Uncle  Abe,'  as  he  was  lovingly  called  by 
us  all.  Sometimes  he  might  happen  to  be  a  day  or  two 
late.  Then,  as  the  Bloomington  stage  came  in  at  sundown, 
the  bench  and  bar,  jurors  and  citizens,  would  gather  in 
crowds  at  the  hotel  where  he  always  put  up,  to  give  him  a 
welcome  if,  happily,  he  should  arrive,  and  to  experience 
the  keenest  feelings  of  disappointment  if  he  should  not. 
If  he  arrived,  as  he  alighted  and  stretched  out  both  his 
long  arms  to  shake  hands  with  those  nearest  to  him  and 
with  those  who  approached,  his  homely  face  handsome  in 
its  broad  and  sunshiny  smile,  his  voice  touching  in  its 
kindly  and  cheerful  accents,  everyone  in  his  presence  felt 
lighter  in  heart  and  more  joyous.  He  brought  light  with 
him.  He  loved  his  fellow-men  with  all  the  strength  of  his 
great  nature,  and  those  who  came  in  contact  with  him 
could  not  help  reciprocating  the  love." 
Another  old  friend  describes  Lincoln  as  being  at  this 
time  "very  plain  in  his  costume,  as  well  as  rather  uncourtly 
in  his  address  and  general  appearance.  His  clothing  was 
of  home  Kentucky  jean,  and  the  first  impression  made  by 
his  tall,  lank  figure  upon  those  who  saw  him  was  not 
specially  prepossessing.  He  had  not  outgrown  his  hard 
backwoods  experience,  and  showed  no  inclination  to  dis 
guise  or  to  cast  behind  him  the  honest  and  manly  though 
unpolished  characteristics  of  his  earlier  days.  Never  was 
a  man  further  removed  from  all  snobbish  affectation.  As 
little  was  there,  also,  of  the  demagogue  art  of  assuming  an 
uncouthness  or  rusticity  of  manner  and  outward  habit 
with  the  mistaken  notion  of  thus  securing  particular
76     EVERY-DAY    LIFE    OF    LINCOLN 
favor  as  'one  of  the  masses.'  He  chose  to  appear  then, 
as  in  all  his  later  life,  precisely  what  he  was.  His  deport 
ment  was  unassuming,  though  without  any  awkwardness 
of  reserve." 
Mr.  Crane,  an  old  settler  of  Tazewell  County,  says  he 
used  to  see  Lincoln  when  passing  through  Washington, 
in  that  county,  on  his  way  to  attend  court  at  Metamora; 
and  he  remembers  him  as  "dressed  in  a  homespun  coat 
that  came  below  his  knees  and  was  out  at  both  elbows." 
//    Lincoln's   tenderness   of   heart   was    displayed   in   his 
//  treatment  of  animals,  toward  which  he  was  often  perform- 
JT  ing  unusual  acts  of  kindness.     On  one  occasion,  as  Mr. 
Speed  relates,   Lincoln   and  the  other  members  of  the 
Springfield  bar  had  been  attending  court  at  Christiansburg, 
and  Mr.  Speed  was  riding  with  them  toward  Springfield. 
There  was  quite  a  party  of  these  lawyers,  riding  two  by 
two  along  a  country  lane.     Lincoln  and  John  J.  Hardin 
brought  up  the  rear  of  the  cavalcade.     "We  had  passed 
through  a  thicket  of  wild  plum  and  crab-apple  trees," 
says   Mr.    Speed,    "and   stopped   to   water   our   horses. 
Hardin  came  up  alone.     'Where  is  Lincoln?'  we  inquired. 
'Oh,'  replied  he,  'when  I  saw  him  last  he  had  caught  two 
young  birds  which  the  wind  had  blown  out  of  their  nests, 
and  he  was  hunting  the  nest  to  put  them  back.'     In  a 
short  time  Lincoln  came  up,  having  found  the  nest  and 
)  placed  the  young  birds  in  it.     The  party  laughed  at  him; 
but  he  said,  'I  could  not  have  slept  if  I  had  not  restored 
those  little  birds  to  their  mother.'" 
,     Again,  as  Dr.  Holland  narrates,  "Lincoln  was  one  day 
/  riding  by  a  deep  slough  or  pit  in  which,  to  his  exceeding 
pain,  he  saw  a  pig  struggling,  and  with  such  faint  efforts 
that  it  was  evident  that  he  could  not  extricate  himself. 
Lincoln  looked  at  the  pig  and  the  mud  that  enveloped  him, 
and  then  looked  ruefully  at  some  new  clothes  in  which 
he  had  but  a  short  time  before  enveloped  himself.  Decid 
ing  against  the  claims  of  the  pig  he  rode  on;  but  he  could
EVERY-DAY    LIFE    OF    LINCOLN     77 
not  get  rid  of  the  vision  of  the  poor  brute,  and  at  last, 
after  riding  two  miles,  he  turned  back,  determined  to  rescue 
the  animal  at  the  expense  of  his  new  clothes.  Arrived  at 
the  spot,  he  tied  his  horse,  and  coolly  went  to  work  to  build 
of  old  rails  a  passage  to  the  bottom  of  the  hole.  Descend 
ing  on  these  rails,  he  seized  the  pig  and  dragged  him  out, 
but  not  without  serious  damage  to  the  clothes  he  wore. 
Washing  his  hands  in  the  nearest  brook  and  wiping  them 
on  the  grass,  he  mounted  his  gig  and  rode  along.  He 
then  fell  to  examining  the  motive  that  sent  him  back  to 
the  release  of  the  pig.  At  the  first  thought  it  seemed  to  be 
pure  benevolence;  but  at  length  he  came  to  the  conclusion 
that  it  was  selfishness,  for  he  certainly  went  to  the  pig's 
relief  in  order  (as  he  said  to  the  friend  to  whom  he  related 
the  incident)  to  'take  a  pain  out  of  his  own  mind.'" 
Instances  showing  the  integrity,  candor,  unselfishness, 
and  humanity  of  Lincoln's  conduct  in  his  law  practice 
could  be  multiplied  indefinitely.  The  following  are 
given  by  Dr.  Holland:  "The  lawyers  of  Springfield, 
particularly  those  who  had  political  aspirations,  were 
afraid  to  undertake  the  defense  of  anyone  who  had  been 
engaged  in  helping  off  fugitives  slaves.  It  was  a  very 
unpopular  business  in  those  days  and  in  that  locality; 
and  few  felt  that  they  could  afford  to  engage  in  it.  One 
who  needed  such  aid  went  to  Edward  D.  Baker,  and  was 
refused,  distinctly  and  frankly  on  the  ground  that  as  a 
political  man  he  could  not  afford  it.  The  man  applied  to 
an  ardent  anti-slavery  friend  for  advice.  He  spoke  of 
Mr.  Lincoln,  and  said,  'He's  not  afraid  of  an  unpopular 
case.  When  I  go  for  a  lawyer  to  defend  an  arrested  fugi 
tive  slave,  other  lawyers  will  refuse  me.  But  if  Mr. 
Lincoln  is  at  home  he  will  always  take  my  case.'" 
An  old  woman  of  seventy-five  years,  the  widow  of  a 
revolutionary  pensioner,  came  tottering  into  his  law  office 
one  day,  and  told  him  that  a  certain  pension  agent  had 
charged  her  the  exorbitant  fee  of  two  hundred  dollars  for
78     EVERY-DAY    LIFE    OF    LINCOLN 
collecting  her  pension.  Lincoln  was  satisfied  by  her 
representations  that  she  had  been  swindled,  and  finding 
that  she  was  not  a  resident  of  the  town,  and  that  she  was 
poor,  gave  her  money,  and  set  about  the  work  of  procuring 
restitution.  He  immediately  entered  suit  against  the 
agent  to  recover  a  portion  of  his  ill-gotten  money.  This 
suit  was  one  of  the  most  remarkable  that  Lincoln  ever 
conducted.  The  day  before  the  case  came  up  he  asked 
his  partner,  Mr.  Herndon,  to  get  him  a  "Life  of  Washing 
ton,"  and  he  spent  the  whole  afternoon  reading  it.  His 
speech  to  the  jury  was  long  remembered.  The  whole 
court-room  was  in  tears  as  he  closed  with  these  words: 
"Gentlemen  of  the  jury.  Time  rolls  by.  The  heroes  of 
'76  have  passed  away.  They  are  encamped  on  the  other 
shore.  This  soldier  has  gone  to  his  rest,  and  now,  crippled, 
blinded,  and  broken,  his  widow  comes  to  you  and  to  me, 
gentlemen  of  the  jury,  to  right  her  wrongs.  She  was  not 
always  as  you  see  her  now.  Once  her  step  was  elastic. 
Her  face  was  fair.  Her  voice  was  as  sweet  as  any  that 
rang  in  the  mountains  of  old  Virginia.  Now  she  is  old. 
She  is  poor  and  defenceless.  Out  here  on  the  prairies  of 
Illinois,  hundreds  of  miles  from  the  scenes  of  her  childhood, 
she  appeals  to  you  and  to  me  who  enjoy  the  privileges 
achieved  for  us  by  the  patriots  of  the  Revolution  for  our 
sympathetic  aid  and  manly  protection.  I  have  but  one 
question  to  ask  you,  gentlemen  of  the  jury.  Shall  we 
befriend  her?"  During  the  speech  the  defendant  sat 
huddled  up  in  the  court-room,  writhing  under  the  lash  of 
Lincoln's  tongue.  The  jury  returned  a  verdict  for  every 
cent  that  Lincoln  had  asked.  H[e  became  the  old  lady's 
surety  for  costs,  paid  her  hotel  bill  and  sent  her  home 
rejoicing.  He  made  no  charges  for  his  own  or  his  partner's 
services.  A  few  days  afterwards  Mr.  Herndon  picked  up 
a  little  scrap  of  paper  in  the  office.  He  looked  at  it  a 
moment,  and  burst  into  a  roar  of  laughter.  It  was  Lin 
coln's  notes  for  the  argument  of  this  case.  They  were
EVERY-DAY    LIFE    OF    LINCOLN     79 
unique:  — "No  contract  —  Not  professional  services  — 
Unreasonable  charges  —  Money  retained  by  Deft  not 
given  by  Pl'ff .  —  Revolutionary  War  —  Describe  Valley 
Forge  —  Ice  —  Soldiers'  bleeding  feet  —  Pl'ff 's  husband 
—  Soldiers  leaving  home  for  the  army  —  Skin  Deft  — 
Close." 
In  his  Autobiography,  Joseph  Jefferson  tells  how  he 
visited  Springfield  with  a  theatrical  company  in  the  early 
days  (1839)  and  planned  to  open  a  theatrical  season  in 
that  godly  town.  But  "a  religious  revival  was  in  pro 
gress,  and  the  fathers  of  the  church  not  only  launched 
forth  against  us  in  their  sermons,  but  got  the  city  to  pass 
a  new  law  enjoining  a  heavy  license  against  our  '  unholy' 
calling.  I  forget  the  amount,  but  it  was  large  enough 
to  be  prohibitory."  The  company  had  begun  the  build 
ing  of  a  new  theatre;  and  naturally  the  situation  was 
perplexing.  In  the  midst  of  their  trouble,  says  Mr. 
Jefferson,  "a  young  lawyer  called  on  the  Managers.  He 
had  heard  of  the  injustice,  and  offered,  if  they  would 
place  the  matter  in  his  hands,  to  have  the  license  taken 
off,  —  declaring  that  he  only  wanted  to  see  fair  play,  and 
he  would  accept  no  fee  whether  he  failed  or  succeeded. 
The  case  was  brought  up  before  the  council.  The  young 
lawyer  began  his  harangue.  He  handled  the  subject  with 
tact,  skill,  and  humor,  tracing  the  history  of  the  drama 
from  the  time  when  Thespis  acted  in  a  cart,  to  the  stage 
of  to-day.  He  illustrated  his  speech  with  a  number  of 
anecdotes,  and  kept  the  council  in  a  roar  of  laughter. 
His  good  humor  prevailed,  and  the  exorbitant  tax  was 
taken  off.  This  young  lawyer  was  very  popular  in 
Springfield,  and  was  honored  and  beloved  by  all  who 
knew  him;  and  after  the  time  of  which  I  write  he  held 
rather  an  important  position  in  the  Government  of  the 
United  States.  He  now  lies  buried  in  Springfield,  under 
a  monument  commemorating  his  greatness  and  his  virtues, 
—  and  his  name  was  Abraham  Lincoln."
80     EVERY-DAY    LIFE    OF    LINCOLN 
Judge  Gillespie  tells  a  good  story,  to  the  effect  that 
Lincoln  and  General  U.  P.  Linder  were  once  defending  a 
man  who  was  being  tried  on  a  criminal  charge  before 
Judge  David  Davis,  who  said  at  dinner-time  that  the  case 
must  be  disposed  of  that  night.  Lincoln  suggested  that 
the  best  thing  they  could  do  would  be  to  run  Benedict, 
the  prosecuting  attorney,  as  far  into  the  night  as  possible, 
in  hopes  that  he  might,  in  his  rage,  commit  some  indiscre 
tion  that  would  help  their  case.  Lincoln  began,  but  to 
save  his  life  he  could  not  speak  one  hour,  and  the  laboring 
oar  fell  into  Linder's  hands.  "But,"  said  Lincoln,  "he 
was  equal  to  the  occasion.  He  spoke  most  interestingly 
three  mortal  hours,  about  everything  in  the  world.  He 
discussed  Benedict  from  head  to  foot,  and  put  in  about 
three-quarters  of  an  hour  on  the  subject  of  Benedict's 
whiskers."  Lincoln  said  he  never  envied  a  man  so  much 
as  he  did  Linder  on  that  occasion.  He  thought  he  was 
inimitable  in  his  capacity  to  talk  interestingly  about 
everything  and  nothing,  by  the  hour. 
But  if  Lincoln  had  not  General  Linder's  art  of  "talk 
ing  against  time,"  his  wit  often  suggested  some  readier 
method  of  gaining  advantage  in  a  case.  On  one  occasion, 
a  suit  was  on  trial  in  the  Circuit  Court  of  Sangamon 
County,  in  which  Lincoln  was  attorney  for  the  plaintiff, 
and  Mr.  James  C.  Conkling,  then  a  young  man  just  enter 
ing  practice,  was  attorney  for  the  defendant.  It  was  a 
jury  trial,  and  Lincoln  waived  the  opening  argument 
to  the  jury,  leaving  Mr.  Conkling  to  sum  up  his  case  for 
the  defense.  The  latter  spoke  at  considerable  length, 
in  a  sophomoric  style,  laboring  under  the  impression  that 
unless  he  made  an  extraordinary  exertion  to  influence  the 
jury  he  would  be  quite  eclipsed  by  Lincoln  in  his 
closing  speech.  But  he  was  completely  taken  back 
by  the  unlooked-for  light  manner  in  which  Lincoln 
treated  the  case  in  his  closing.  Lincoln  proceeded  to 
reply  but,  in  doing  so  he  talked  on  without  making  the
EVERY-DAY    LIFE    OF    LINCOLN     81 
slightest  reference  to  the  case  on  hearing  or  to  the  argu 
ment  of  Mr.  Conkling.  His  summing-up  to  the  jury  was 
to  the  following  effect:  "Gentlemen  of  the  jury:  In  early 
days  there  lived  in  this  vicinity,  over  on  the  Sangamon 
river,  an  old  Indian  of  the  Kickapoo  tribe  by  the  name  of 
Johnnie  Kongapod.  He  had  been  taken  in  charge  by  some 
good  missionaries,  converted  to  Christianity,  and  educated 
to  such  extent  that  he  could  read  and  write.  He  took  a 
great  fancy  to  poetry  and  became  somewhat  of  a  poet 
himself.  His  desire  was  that  after  his  death  there  should 
be  placed  at  the  head  of  his  grave  an  epitaph,  which  he 
prepared  himself,  in  rhyme,  in  the  following  words: 
'"Here  lies  poor  Johnnie  Kongapod; 
Have  mercy  on  him,  gracious  God, 
As  he  would  do  if  he  were  God 
And  you  were  Johnnie  Kongapod/" 
Of  course  all  this  had  no  reference  to  the  case,  nor  did 
Lincoln  intend  it  should  have  any.  It  was  merely  his  way 
of  ridiculing  the  eloquence  of  his  opponent.  The  verdict 
of  the  jury  was  for  the  plaintiff,  as  Lincoln  expected 
it  would  be;  and  this  was  the  reason  of  his  treating  the 
case  as  he  did. 
A  story  somewhat  similar  to  the  above  was  told  by  the 
late  Judge  John  Pearson  shortly  before  his  death.  In  the 
February  term,  1850,  of  the  Circuit  Court  of  Vermilion 
County,  Illinois,  a  case  was  being  tried  in  which  a  young 
lady  had  brought  suit  for  $10,000  against  a  recreant  lover 
who  had  married  another  girl.  The  amount  sued  for  was 
thought  to  be  an  enormous  sum  in  those  days,  and  the 
ablest  talent  to  be  found  was  brought  into  requisition  by 
both  sides.  Richard  Thompson  and  Daniel  W.  Voorhees 
were  associated  with  O.  L.  Davis  for  the  fair  plaintiff. 
H.  W.  Beckwith,  Ward  Lamon,  and  Abraham  Lincoln 
were  for  the  defendant.  The  little  town  of  Danville  was 
crowded  with  people  from  far  and  near  who  had  come
82     EVERY-DAY    LIFE    OF    LINCOLN 
to  hear  the  big  speeches.  The  evidence  brought  out  in 
the  trial  was  in  every  way  against  the  defendant,  and  the 
sympathy  of  the  public  was,  naturally  enough,  with  the 
young  lady  plaintiff.  Lincoln  and  his  associate  counsel 
plainly  saw  the  hopelessness  of  their  cause;  and  they 
wisely  concluded  to  let  their  side  of  the  case  stand  upon  its 
merits,  without  even  a  plea  of  extenuating  circumstances. 
Voorhees  was  young,  ambitious,  and  anxious  to  display  his 
oratory.  He  arranged  with  his  colleagues  at  the  beginning 
that  he  should  make  a  speech,  and  he  spent  several  hours 
in  his  room  at  the  hotel  in  the  preparation  of  an  oratorical 
avalanche.  It  became  generally  known  that  Dan  was 
going  to  out-do  himself,  and  the  expectation  of  the  com 
munity  was  at  its  highest  tension.  The  little  old  court 
house  was  crowded.  The  ladies  were  out  in  full  force. 
Voorhees  came  in  a  little  late,  glowing  with  the  excitement 
of  the  occasion.  It  had  been  arranged  that  Davis  was  to 
open,  Lincoln  was  to  follow,  and  Voorhees  should  come 
next.  Mr.  Davis  made  a  clear  statement  of  the  case, 
recited  the  character  of  the  evidence,  and  closed  with  a 
plain  logical  argument.  Then  Lincoln  arose,  and  stood 
in  silence  for  a  moment,  looking  at  the  jury.  He  de 
liberately  re-arranged  some  of  the  books  and  papers  on 
the  table  before  him,  as  though  "making  a  good  ready," 
as  he  used  to  say,  and  began  in  a  spirited  but  deliberate 
way:  "Your  Honor,  the  evidence  in  this  case  is  all  in, 
and  doubtless  all  concerned  comprehend  its  fullest  import 
without  the  aid  of  further  argument.  Therefore  we  will 
rest  our  case  here."  This  move,  of  course,  cut  off  all 
future  discussion.  Voorhees,  with  his  load  of  pyrotechnics 
was  shut  out.  An  ominous  silence  followed  Lincoln's 
remark;  then  Voorhees  arose,  white  writh  rage,  and 
entered  a  protest  against  the  tactics  of  fhe  defense.  All 
the  others  were  disappointed,  but  amused,  and  the  only 
consolation  that  Voorhees  got  out  of  this  affair  was  a 
verdict  for  the  full  amount  claimed  by  his  client.  But  he
EVERY-DAY    LIFE    OF    LINCOLN     83 
never  forgave  Lincoln  for  thus  "nipping"  his  great  speech 
"in  the  bud." 
Mr.  Wickizer  gives  a  story  which  illustrates  the  off-hand 
readiness  of  Lincoln's  wit.  "In  the  court  at  Bloom- 
ington  Mr.  Lincoln  was  engaged  in  a  case  of  no  great 
importance;  but  the  attorney  on  the  other  side,  Mr.  S., 
a  young  lawyer  of  fine  abilities,  was  always  very  sensitive 
about  being  beaten,  and  in  this  case  he  manifested  unusual 
zeal  and  interest.  The  case  lasted  until  late  at  night, 
when  it  was  finally  submitted  to  the  jury.  Mr.  S.  spent 
a  sleepless  night  in  anxiety,  and  early  next  morning  learned, 
to  his  great  chagrin,  that  he  had  lost  the  case.  Mr. 
Lincoln  met  him  at  the  court-house  and  asked  him  what 
had  become  of  his  case.  With  lugubrious  countenance 
and  melancholy  tone,  Mr.  S.  said,  'It's  gone  to  hell!' 
'  Oh,  well ! '  replied  Lincoln,  *  Never  mind,  —  you  can  try 
it  again  there ! ' ' 
Lincoln  was  always  ready  to  join  in  a  laugh  at  his  own 
expense,  and  used  to  tell  the  following  story  with  intense 
enjoyment:  "In  the  days  when  I  used  to  be  'on  the 
circuit '  I  was  accosted  in  the  cars  by  a  stranger  who  said, 
'Excuse  me,  sir,  but  I  have  an  article  in  my  possession 
which  belongs  to  you.'  'How  is  that?'  I  asked,  con 
siderably  astonished.  The  stranger  took  a  jack-knife 
from  his  pocket.  'This  knife,'  said  he,  'was  placed  in  my 
hands  some  years  ago  with  the  injunction  that  I  was  to 
keep  it  until  I  found  a  man  uglier  than  myself.  I  have 
carried  it  from  that  time  to  this.  Allow  me  to  say,  sir, 
that  I  think  you  are  fairly  entitled  to  the  property.'" 
Mr.  Gillespie  says  of  Lincoln's  passion  for  story-telling: 
"As  a  boon  companion,  Lincoln,  although  he  never  drank 
liquor  or  used  tobacco  in  any  form,  was  without  a  rival. 
No  one  would  ever  think  of  'putting  in'  when  he  was 
talking.  He  could  illustrate  any  subject,  it  seemed  to 
me,  with  an  appropriate  and  amusing  anecdote.  He  did 
not  tell  stories  merely  for  the  sake  of  telling  them,  but
84     EVERY-DAY    LIFE    OF    LINCOLN 
rather  by  way  of  illustration  of  something  that  had  hap 
pened  or  been  said.  There  seemed  to  be  no  end  to  his 
fund  of  stories."  Mr.  Lamon  states:  "Lincoln  fre 
quently  said  that  he  lived  by  his  humor  and  would  have 
died  without  it.  His  manner  of  telling  a  story  was  irre 
sistibly  comical,  the  fun  of  it  dancing  in  his  eyes  and 
playing  over  every  feature.  His  face  changed  in  an  in 
stant;  the  hard  lines  faded  out  of  it,  and  the  mirth  seemed 
to  diffuse  itself  all  over  him  like  a  spontaneous  tickle. 
You  could  see  it  coming  long  before  he  opened  his  mouth, 
and  he  began  to  enjoy  the  *  point '  before  his  eager  auditors 
could  catch  the  faintest  glimpse  of  it.  Telling  and  hearing 
ridiculous  stories  was  one  of  his  ruling  passions."  A  good 
illustration  of  this  fondness  for  story-telling  is  given  by 
Judge  Sibley,  of  Quincy,  Illinois,  who  knew  Lincoln  when 
practicing  law  at  Springfield.  One  day  a  party  of  lawyers 
were  sitting  in  the  law  library  of  the  court-house  at  Spring 
field,  awaiting  the  opening  of  court,  and  telling  stories  to 
fill  the  time.  Judge  Breese  of  the  Supreme  bench  —  one 
of  the  most  distinguished  of  American  jurists,  and  a  man 
of  great  personal  dignity  —  passed'through  the  room  where 
the  lawyers  were  sitting,  on  his  wTay  to  open  court.  Lin 
coln,  seeing  him,  called  out  in  his  hearty  way,  "Hold  on, 
Breese!  Don't  open  court  yet!  Here's  Bob  Blackwell 
just  going  to  tell  a  new  story ! "  The  judge  passed  on  with 
out  replying,  evidently  regarding  it  as  beneath  the  dignity 
of  the  Supreme  Court  to  delay  proceedings  for  the  sake  of 
a  story.
CHAPTER  V 
Lincoln  in  the  Legislature  —  Eight  Consecutive  Years  of  Service  — 
His  Influence  in  the  House  —  Leader  of  the  Whig  Party  in  Illinois 
—  Takes  a  Hand  in  National  Politics  —  Presidential  Election  in 
1840  —  A  "  Log  Cabin  "  Reminiscence  —  Some  Memorable  Politi 
cal  Encounters  —  A  Tilt  with  Douglas  —  Lincoln  Facing  a  Mob 
—  His   Physical   Courage  —  Lincoln   as   a   Duellist  —  The   Affair 
with  General  Shields  —  An  Eye- Witness'  Account  of  the  Duel  — 
Courtship   and   Marriage. 
IN  1838  Lincoln  was  for  a  third  time  a  candidate  for 
the  State  Legislature.  Mr.  Wilson,  one  of  his  col 
leagues  from  Sangamon  County,  states  that  a  question  of 
the  division  of  the  county  was  one  of  the  local  issues. 
"Mr.  Lincoln  and  myself,"  says  Mr.  Wilson,  "among 
others  residing  in  the  portion  of  the  county  which  sought 
to  be  organized  into  a  new  county,  opposed  the  division; 
and  it  became  necessary  that  I  should  make  a  special 
canvass  through  the  northwest  part  of  the  county,  then 
known  as  Sand  Ridge.  I  made  the  canvass.  Mr.  Lincoln 
accompanied  me,  and  being  personally  acquainted  with 
everyone  we  called  at  nearly  every  house.  At  that  time 
it  was  the  universal  custom  to  keep  some  whiskey  in  the 
house  for  private  use  and  to  treat  friends.  The  subject 
was  always  mentioned  as  a  matter  of  politeness,  but  with 
the  usual  remark  to  Mr.  Lincoln,  'We  know  you  never 
drink,  but  maybe  your  friend  would  like  to  take  a  little.' 
I  never  saw  Mr.  Lincoln  drink.  He  often  told  me  he  never 
drank;  had  no  desire  for  drink,  nor  for  the  companionship 
of  drinking  men." 
The  result  of  this  canvass  was  that  Lincoln  was  elected 
to  the  Legislature  for  the  session  of  1838-39.     The  next
86     EVERY-DAY    LIFE    OF    LINCOLN 
year  he  was  elected  for  the  session  of  1840-41.  This 
ended  his  legislative  service,  which  comprised  eight 
consecutive  years,  from  1834  to  1841.  In  these  later 
sessions  he  was  as  active  and  prominent  in  the  House  as 
he  had  been  in  the  earlier  times  when  a  member  from 
New  Salem. 
Lincoln's  faculty  for  getting  the  better  of  an  adversary 
by  an  apt  illustration  or  anecdote  was  seldom  better  shown 
than  by  an  incident  which  occurred  during  his  last  term  in 
the  Legislature.  Hon.  James  C.  Conkling  has  given  the 
following  graphic  description  of  the  scene:  "A  gentleman 
who  had  formerly  been  Attorney- General  of  the  State  was 
also  a  member.  Presuming  upon  his  age,  experience,  and 
former  official  position,  he  thought  it  incumbent  upon 
himself  to  oppose  Lincoln,  who  was  then  one  of  the  ac 
knowledged  leaders  of  his  party.  He  at  length  attracted 
the  attention  of  Lincoln,  who  replied  to  his  remarks, 
telling  one  of  his  humorous  anecdotes  and  making  a  per 
sonal  application  to  his  opponent  which  placed  the  latter 
in  such  a  ridiculous  attitude  that  it  convulsed  the 
whole  House.  All  business  was  suspended.  In  vain  the 
Speaker  rapped  with  his  gavel.  Members  of  all  parties, 
without  distinction,  were  compelled  to  laugh.  They  not 
only  laughed,  they  screamed  and  yelled;  they  thumped 
upon  the  floor  with  their  canes;  they  clapped  their  hands 
and  threw  up  their  hats;  they  shouted  and  twisted  them 
selves  into  all  sorts  of  contortions,  until  their  sides  ached 
and  the  tears  rolled  down  their  cheeks.  One  paroxysm 
passed  away,  but  was  speedily  succeeded  by  another,  and 
again  they  laughed  and  screamed  and  yelled.  Another 
lull  occurred,  and  still  another  paroxysm,  until  they  seemed 
to  be  perfectly  exhausted.  The  ambition  of  Lincoln's 
opponent  was  abundantly  gratified,  and  for  the  remainder 
of  the  session  he  lapsed  into  profound  obscurity." 
In  June,  1842,  ex-President  Van  Buren  was  journeying 
through  Illinois  with  a  company  of  friends.  When  near
EVERY-DAY    LIFE    OF    LINCOLN     87 
Springfield  they  were  delayed  by  bad  roads,  and  were  com 
pelled  to  spend  the  night  at  Rochester,  some  miles  out. 
The  accommodations  at  this  place  were  very  poor,  and  a 
few  of  the  ex-President's  Springfield  friends  proposed  to  go 
out  to  meet  him  and  try  to  aid  in  entertaining  him.  Know 
ing  Lincoln's  ability  as  a  talker  and  story-teller,  they 
begged  him  to  go  with  them  and  aid  in  making  their  guest 
at  the  country  inn  pass  the  evening  as  pleasantly  as  possi 
ble.  Lincoln,  with  his  usual  good  nature,  went  with  them, 
and  entertained  the  party  for  hours  with  graphic  descrip 
tions  of  Western  life,  anecdotes  and  witty  stories.  Judge 
Peck,  who  was  of  the  party,  and  a  warm  friend  of  the  ex- 
President,  says  that  Lincoln  was  at  his  best.  There  was 
a  constant  succession  of  brilliant  anecdotes  and  funny 
stories,  accompanied  by  loud  laughter  in  which  Van  Buren 
took  his  full  share.  "He  also,"  says  the  Judge,  "gave  us 
incidents  and  anecdotes  of  Elisha  Williams,  and  other 
leading  members  of  the  New  York  bar,  going  back  to  the 
days  of  Hamilton  and  Burr.  Altogether  there  was  a  right 
merry  time.  Mr.  Van  Buren  said  the  only  drawback  upon 
his  enjoyment  was  that  his  sides  were  sore  from  laughing 
at  Lincoln's  stories  for  a  week  thereafter." 
Lincoln's  eight  years  of  legislative  service  had  given  him 
considerable  reputation  in  politics,  and  he  had  become 
the  acknowledged  leader  of  the  Whig  party  in  Illinois. 
In  the  exciting  Presidential  campaign  of  1840,  known  as 
the  "Log  Cabin"  campaign,  he  took  a  very  active  part. 
He  had  been  nominated  as  Presidential  Elector  on  the 
Harrison  ticket,  and  stumped  a  large  portion  of  the  State. 
A  peculiarly  interesting  reminiscence  of  Lincoln's  appear 
ance  on  one  occasion  during  the  "Log  Cabin"  campaign 
is  furnished  by  Mr.  G.  W.  Harris,  who  says:  "In  the  fall 
of  the  year  1840  there  came  into  the  log  school-house  in  a 
village  in  Southern  Illinois  where  I,  a  lad,  was  a  pupil,  a 
tall,  awkward,  plain-looking  young  man  dressed  in  a  full 
suit  of  'blue  jean.'  Approaching  the  master,  he  gave  his
88     EVERY-DAY    LIFE    OF    LINCOLN 
name,  and,  apologizing  for  the  intrusion,  said,  'I  am  told 
you  have  a  copy  of  Byron's  works.  I  would  like  to  borrow 
it  for  a  few  hours/  The  book  was  produced  and  loaned  to 
him.  With  his  thanks  and  a  'Good-day'  to  the  teacher, 
and  a  smile  such  as  I  have  never  seen  on  any  other  man's 
and  a  look  that  took  in  all  of  us  lads  and  lassies,  the 
stranger  passed  out  of  the  room.  This  was  during  a  Presi 
dential  canvass.  Isaac  Walker,  candidate  for  Democratic 
Elector,  and  Abraham  Lincoln,  candidate  for  Whig 
Elector,  were  by  appointment  to  discuss  political  matters 
in  the  afternoon  of  that  day.  I  asked  for  and  got  a  half- 
holiday.  I  had  given  no  thought  to  the  matter  until  the 
appearance  of  Lincoln  (for  he  it  was)  in  the  school-room. 
But,  something  in  the  man  had  aroused,  not  only  in  me 
but  in  others  of  the  scholars,  a  strong  desire  to  see  him 
again  and  to  hear  him  speak.  Isaac  Walker  in  his  younger 
days  had  been  a  resident  of  the  village.  Lincoln  was 
aware  of  this,  and  shrewdly  suspected  that  Walker  in  his 
remarks  would  allude  to  the  circumstance;  so,  having  the 
opening  speech,  he  determined  to  'take  the  wind  out  of  his 
sails.'  He  did  so  —  how  effectually,  it  is  hardly  necessary 
for  me  to  say.  He  had  borrowed  Byron's  works  to  read 
the  opening  lines  of  '  Lara ' : 
"He,  their  unhoped,  but  unforgotten  lord, 
The  long  self-exiled  chieftain,  is  restored. 
There  be  bright  faces  in  the  busy  hall, 
Bowls  on  the  board,  and  banners  on  the  wall; 
"He  comes  at  last  in  sudden  loneliness, 
And  whence  they  know  not,  why  they  need  not  guess; 
They  more  might  marvel,  when  the  greeting's  o'er, 
Not  that  he  came,  but  came  not  long  before." 
During  this  period  Lincoln  continued  to  enjoy  the 
hospitality  of  Mr.  Speed  at  Springfield.  "After  he  made 
his  home  with  me,"  says  Mr.  Speed,  "on  every  winter's 
night  at  my  store,  by  a  big  wood  fire,  no  matter  how
EVERY-DAY    LIFE    OF    LINCOLN     89 
inclement  the  weather,  eight  or  ten  choice  spirits  as 
sembled,  without  distinction  of  party.  It  was  a  sort  of 
social  club  without  organization.  They  came  there  be 
cause  they  were  sure  to  find  Lincoln.  His  habit  was  to 
engage  in  conversation  upon  any  and  all  subjects  except 
politics.  But  one  evening  a  political  argument  sprang  up 
between  Lincoln  and  Douglas,  which  for  a  time  ran  high. 
Douglas  sprang  to  his  feet  and  said:  'Gentlemen,  this  is 
no  place  to  talk  politics;  we  will  discuss  the  questions 
publicly  with  you.'"  A  few  days  later  the  Whigs  held  a  /j 
meeting  and  challenged  the  Democrats  to  a  joint  debate.  / 
The  challenge  was  accepted.  Douglas,  Lamborn,  Calhoun,  / 
and  Jesse  Thomas  were  deputed  by  the  Democrats  to 
meet  Logan,  Baker,  Browning,  and  Lincoln  on  the  part 
of  the  Whigs.  The  intellectual  encounter  between  these 
noted  champions  is  still  described  by  those  who  witnessed 
it  as  "the  great  debate."  It  took  place  in  the  Second 
Presbyterian  church  at  Springfield,  and  lasted  eight 
nights,  each  speaker  occupying  a  night  in  turn.  Mr. 
Speed  speaks  thus  of  Lincoln's  effort :  "Lincoln  delivered  his 
speech  without  manuscript  or  notes.  He  had  a  wonderful 
faculty  in  that  way.  He  might  be  writing  an  important 
document,  be  interrupted  in  the  midst  of  a  sentence,  turn 
his  attention  to  other  matters  entirely  foreign  to  the 
subject  on  which  he  was  engaged,  and  then  take  up  his 
pen  and  begin  where  he  left  off  without  reading  the 
previous  part  of  the  sentence.  He  could  grasp,  exhaust,  - 
and  quit  any  subject  with  more  facility  than  any  man  I 
have  ever  seen  or  heard  of."  The  subjoined  paragraphs 
from  the  speech  above  referred  to  show  the  impassioned 
feeling  which  Lincoln  poured  forth  that  night.  Those 
familiar  with  his  admirable  style  in  his  later  years  would 
scarcely  recognize  him  in  these  florid  and  rather  over 
weighted  periods: 
Many  free  countries  have  lost  their  liberty,  and  ours 
may  lose  hers;  but  if  she  shall,  be  it  my  proudest  plume,
90     EVERY-DAY    LIFE    OF    LINCOLN 
not  that  I  was  the  last  to  desert,  but  that  I  never  deserted 
her.  I  know  that  the  great  volcano  at  Washington, 
aroused  and  directed  by  the  evil  spirit  that  reigns  there,  is 
belching  forth  the  lava  of  political  corruption  in  a  current 
broad  and  deep,  which  is  sweeping  with  frightful  velocity 
over  the  whole  length  and  breadth  of  the  land,  bidding 
fair  to  leave  unscathed  no  green  spot  or  living  thing; 
while  on  its  bosom  are  riding,  like  demons  on  the  waves  of 
hell,  the  imps  of  the  Evil  Spirit,  and  fiendishly  torturing 
and  taunting  all  those  who  dare  resist  its  destroying  course 
with  the  hopelessness  of  their  effort;  and  knowing  this, 
I  cannot  deny  that  all  may  be  swept  away.  Broken  by 
it,  I  too  may  be;  bow  to  it,  I  never  will.  The  probability 
that  we  may  fall  in  the  struggle  ought  not  to  deter  us  from 
the  support  of  a  cause  which  we  deem  to  be  just.  It  shall 
not  deter  me.  If  I  ever  feel  the  soul  within  me  elevate 
and  expand  to  those  dimensions  not  wholly  unworthy  of 
its  Almighty  architect,  it  is  when  I  contemplate  the  cause 
of  my  country  deserted  by  all  the  world  beside,  and  I, 
standing  up  boldly  and  alone,  hurling  defiance  at  her 
victorious  oppressors.  And  here,  without  contemplating 
consequences,  before  high  Heaven  and  in  the  face  of  the 
whole  world,  I  swear  eternal  fidelity  to  the  just  cause,  as 
I  deem  it,  of  the  land  of  my  life,  my  liberty,  and  my  love. 
And  who  that  thinks  with  me  will  not  fearlessly  adopt 
the  oath  I  take?  Let  none  falter  who  thinks  he  is  right, 
and  we  may  succeed.  But  if,  after  all,  we  shall  fail,  be  it 
so.  We  shall  have  the  proud  consolation  of  saying  to  our 
conscience  and  to  the  departed  shade  of  our  country's 
freedom,  that  the  cause  approved  by  our  judgments  and 
adored  by  our  hearts  in  disaster,  in  chains,  in  torture,  and 
in  death,  we  never  failed  in  defending. 
In  this  canvass  Lincoln  came  again  into  collision  with 
Douglas,  the  adversary  whom  he  had  met  two  years  before 
and  with  whom  he  was  to  sustain  an  almost  life-long 
political  conflict.  He  also  had  occasion  to  show  his 
courage  and  presence  of  mind  in  rescuing  from  a  mob  his 
distinguished  friend,  Col.  E.  D.  Baker,  afterwards  a 
Senator  of  the  United  States.  "Baker  was  speaking  in  a 
large  room,"  says  Mr.  Arnold,  "rented  and  used  for  the 
court  sessions,  and  Lincoln's  office  was  in  an  apartment
EVERY-DAY    LIFE    OF    LINCOLN    91 
over  the  court-room,  communicating  with  it  by  a  trap 
door.  Lincoln  was  in  his  office  listening  to  Baker  through 
the  open  trap-door,  when  Baker,  becoming  excited, 
abused  the  Democrats,  many  of  whom  were  present. 
A  cry  was  raised,  'Pull  him  off  the  stand!'  The  instant 
Lincoln  heard  the  cry,  knowing  a  general  fight  was  im 
minent,  his  athletic  form  was  seen  descending  from  above 
through  the  opening  of  the  trap-door,  and,  springing  to 
the  side  of  Baker,  and  waving  his  hand  for  silence,  he  said 
with  dignity :  '  Gentlemen,  let  us  not  disgrace  the  age  and 
country  in  which  we  live.  This  is  a  land  where  freedom 
of  speech  is  guaranteed.  Baker  has  a  right  to  speak. 
I  am  here  to  protect  him,  and  no  man  shall  take  him  from 
this  stand  if  I  can  prevent  it.'  Quiet  was  restored,  and 
Baker  finished  his  speech  without  further  interruption." 
A  similar  occurrence,  happening  about  the  same  period, 
is  detailed  by  General  Linder:  "On  a  later  occasion,  when 
Colonel  Baker  and  myself  were  both  battling  together  in 
the  Whig  cause,  at  a  convention  held  in  Springfield,  I 
made  a  speech  at  the  State  House,  which  I  think  now, 
looking  back  at  it  from  this  point,  was  the  very  best  I 
ever  made  in  my  life.  While  I  was  addressing  the  vast 
assembly  some  ruffian  in  the  galleries  flung  at  me  a  gross 
personal  insult  accompanied  with  a  threat.  Lincoln  and 
Colonel  Baker,  who  were  both  present  and  were  warm 
personal  and  political  friends  of  mine,  anticipating  that  I 
might  be  attacked  when  I  left  the  State  House,  came  upon 
the  stand  a  little  while  before  I  concluded  my  speech  and 
took  their  station  on  each  side  of  me.  When  I  was 
through,  and  after  my  audience  had  greeted  me  with 
three  hearty  cheers,  each  took  one  of  my  arms,  and 
Lincoln  said  to  me :  '  Linder,  Baker  and  I  are  apprehensive 
that  you  may  be  attacked  by  some  of  those  ruffians  who 
insulted  you  from  the  galleries,  and  we  have  come  up  to 
escort  you  to  your  hotel.  We  both  think  we  can  do  a  little 
fighting,  so  we  want  you  to  walk  between  us  until  we  get
92     EVERY-DAY    LIFE    OF    LINCOLN 
you  to  your  hotel.  Your  quarrel  is  our  quarrel  and  that 
of  the  great  Whig  party  of  this  nation.  Your  speech  upon 
this  occasion  is  the  greatest  that  has  been  made  by  any 
of  us,  for  which  we  wish  to  honor  and  defend  you.*  This 
I  consider  no  ordinary  compliment,  coming  from  Lincoln, 
for  he  was  no  flatterer  nor  disposed  to  bestow  praise  where 
it  was  undeserved.  Colonel  Baker  heartily  concurred 
in  all  he  said,  and  between  those  two  glorious  men  I  left 
the  stand  and  we  marched  out  of  the  State  House  through 
our  friends,  who  trooped  after  us  evidently  anticipating 
what  Lincoln  and  Baker  had  suggested  to  me,  accompany 
ing  us  to  my  hotel." 
That  Lincoln  had  an  abundance  of  physical  courage, 
and  was  well  able  to  defend  himself  when  necessity  de 
manded,  is  clear  from  the  incidents  just  given.  Mr. 
Herndon,  his  intimate  friend,  adds  his  testimony  on  this 
point.  As  Lincoln  was  grand  in  his  good  nature,  says  Mr. 
Herndon,  so  he  was  grand  in  his  rage.  "Once  I  saw  him 
incensed  at  a  judge  for  giving  an  unfair  decision.  It  was 
a  terrible  spectacle.  At  another  time  I  saw  two  men 
come  to  blows  in  his  presence.  He  picked  them  up 
separately  and  tossed  them  apart  like  a  couple  of  kittens. 
He  was  the  strongest  man  I  ever  knew,  and  has  been 
known  to  lift  a  man  of  his  own  weight  and  throw  him  over 
a  worm  fence.  Once  in  Springfield  the  Irish  voters  medi 
tated  taking  possession  of  the  polls.  News  came  down 
the  street  that  they  would  permit  nobody  to  vote  but 
those  of  their  own  party.  Mr.  Lincoln  seized  an  axe- 
handle  from  a  hardware  store  and  went  alone  to  open  a 
way  to  the  ballot-box.  His  appearance  intimidated  them, 
and  we  had  neither  threats  nor  collisions  all  that  day." 
An  unsuspected  side  of  Lincoln's  character  was  shown, 
at  this  period  of  his  life,  in  the  affair  with  General  Shields. 
With  all  his  gentleness  and  his  scrupulous  regard  for  the 
y  rights  of  others,  Lincoln  was  not  one  to  submit  to  being 
bullied;  while  his  physical  courage  had  been  proved  in
EVERY-DAY    LIFE    OF    LINCOLN     93 
many  a  rough-and-tumble  encounter,  often  against  heavy 
odds,  with  the  rude  and  boisterous  spirits  of  his  time. 
These  encounters  were  usually  with  nature's  weapons; 
but  in  the  Shields  affair  —  duel,  it  was  sometimes  called  — 
he  showed  that  he  would  not  shrink  from  the  use  of  more 
deadly  weapons  if  forced  to  do  so.  In  judging  this  phase 
of  his  character,  account  must  be  taken  of  his  I^ej^jckv 
birth  and  origin,  and  of  the  customs  and  standards  of  ms 
time.  James  Shields  (afterwards  a  distinguished  Union 
General  and  U.  S.  Senator)  was  at  this  time  (1842)  living 
at  Springfield,  holding  the  office  of  State  Auditor.  He  is 
described  as  "a  gallant,  hot-headed  bachelor,  from  Tyrone 
County,  Ireland."  He  was  something  of  a  beau  in  society, 
and  was  the  subject  of  some  satirical  articles  which,  in  a 
spirit  of  fun,  Miss  Mary  Todd  (afterwards  Mrs.  Lincoln) 
had  written  and  published  in  a  local  journal.  Shields  was 
furious,  and,  demanding  the  name  of  the  writer,  Lincoln 
sent  him  word  that  he  would  assume  full  responsibility 
in  the  matter.  A  challenge  to  a  duel  followed,  which 
Lincoln  accepted  and  named  broadswords  as  the  weapons. 
General  Linder  states  that  Lincoln  said  to  him  that  he  did 
not  want  to  kill  Shields,  and  felt  sure  he  could  disarm 
him  if  they  fought  with  broadswords,  while  he  felt  sure 
Shields  would  kill  him  if  pistols  were  the  weapons.  It 
seems  that  Lincoln  actually  took  lessons  in  broadsword 
exercise  from  a  Major  Duncan;  and  at  the  appointed 
time  all  parties  proceeded  to  the  chosen  field,  near  Alton. 
But  friends  appeared  on  the  scene  while  the  preliminaries 
were  being  arranged,  and  succeeded  in  effecting  a  recon 
ciliation.  Major  Lucas,  of  Springfield,  who  was  on  the 
field,  stated  that  he  "had  no  doubt  Lincoln  meant  to 
fight.  Lincoln  was  no  coward,  and  he  would  unquestion 
ably  have  held  his  own  against  his  antagonist,  for  he  was 
a  powerful  man  and  well  skilled  in  the  use  of  the  broad- 
jsword.  Lincoln  said  to  me,  after  the  affair  was  all  over, 
*I  could  have  split  him  in  two.'"  But  there  can  be  little
94     EVERY-DAY    LIFE    OF    LINCOLN 
doubt  that  he  was  well  pleased  that  the  affair  proved  a 
bloodless  one. 
The  mention  of  Miss  Mary  Todd,  in  the  preceding 
paragraph,  brings  us  to  Lincoln's  marriage  with  that 
lady,  which  occurred  in  1842,  he  being  then  in  his  thirty- 
fourth  year.  Miss  Todd  was  the  daughter  of  the  Hon. 
Robert  T.  Todd,  of  Lexington,  Kentucky.  She  came  to 
Springfield  in  1839,  to  live  with  her  sister,  Mrs.  Ninian  W. 
Edwards.  "She  was  young,"  says  Mr.  Lamon,  "just 
twenty-one,  —  her  family  was  of  the  best  and  her  con 
nections  in  Illinois  among  the  most  refined  and  distin 
guished  people.  Her  mother  having  died  when  she  was  a 
little  girl,  she  had  been  educated  under  the  care  of  a  French 
lady.  She  was  gifted  with  rare  talents,  had  a  keen  sense 
of  the  ridiculous,  a  ready  insight  into  the  weaknesses  of 
individual  character,  and  a  most  fiery  and  ungovernable 
temper.  Her  tongue  and  her  pen  were  equally  sharp. 
Highbred,  proud,  brilliant,  witty,  and  with  a  will  that 
bent  every  one  else  to  her  purpose,  she  took  Lincoln 
captive.  He  was  a  rising  politician,  fresh  from  the  people, 
and  possessed  of  great  power  among  them.  Miss  Todd 
was  of  aristocratic  and  distinguished  family,  able  to  lead 
through  the  awful  portals  of  'good  society'  whomsoever 
they  chose  to  countenance.  It  was  thought  that  a  union 
between  them  could  not  fail  of  numerous  benefits  to  both 
parties.  Mr.  Edwards  thought  so;  Mrs.  Edwards  thought 
so;  and  it  was  not  long  before  Mary  Todd  herself  thought 
so.  She  was  very  ambitious,  and  even  before  she  left 
Kentucky  announced  her  belief  that  she  was  destined  to 
be  the  wife  of  some  future  President.  For  a  while  she  was 
courted  by  Douglas  as  well  as  by  Lincoln.  Being  asked 
which  of  them  she  intended  to  have,  she  answered,  'The 
one  that  has  the  best  chance  of  being  President.'  She 
decided  in  favor  of  Lincoln;  and  in  the  opinion  of  some 
of  her  husband's  friends  she  aided  to  no  small  extent  in 
the  fulfilment  of  the  prophecy  which  the  bestowal  of  her
EVERY-DAY    LIFE    OF    LINCOLN     95 
hand  implied."  Mrs.  Edwards,  Miss  Todd's  sister,  has 
related  that  "Lincoln  was  charmed  with  Mary's  wit  and 
fascinated  with  her  quick  sagacity,  her  will,  her  nature 
and  culture.  I  have  happened  in  the  room,"  she  says, 
"where  they  were  sitting,  often  and  often,  and  Mary  led 
the  conversation.  Lincoln  would  listen,  and  gaze  on  her 
as  if  drawn  by  some  superior  power  —  irresistibly  so. 
He  listened,  but  seldom  said  a  word." 
Preparations  were  made  for  the  marriage  between 
Lincoln  and  Miss  Todd.  But  they  were  interrupted  by 
a  painful  occurrence  —  a  sudden  breaking  out  of  a  fit  of 
melancholy,  or  temporary  insanity,  such  as  had  afflicted  / 
Lincoln  on  a  former  occasion.  This  event  has  been  made 
the  subject  of  no  little  gossip,  into  which  it  is  not  now 
necessary  or  desirable  to  go,  further  than  to  mention  that 
at  about  this  time  Lincoln  seems  to  have  formed  a  strong 
attachment  for  Miss  Matilda  Edwards,  a  sister  of  Ninian 
W.  Edwards;  and  that  the  engagement  with  Miss  Todd 
was  for  a  time  broken  off.  In  consequence  of  these  com 
plications,  Lincoln's  health  was  seriously  affected.  He 
suffered  from  melancholy,  which  was  so  profound  that 
"his  friends  were  alarmed  for  his  life."  His  intimate  com 
panion,  Mr.  Speed,  endeavored  to  rescue  him  from  the 
terrible  depression,  urging  that  he  would  die  unless  he 
rallied.  Lincoln  replied,  "I  am  not  afraid  to  die,  and 
would  be  more  than  willing.  But  I  have  an  irrepressible 
desire  to  live  till  I  can  be  assured  that  the  world  is  a  little 
better  for  my  having  been  in  it." 
Mr.  Herndon  gives  as  his  opinion  that  Lincoln's  insanity 
grew  out  of  a  most  extraordinary  complication  of  feelings 
—  aversion  to  the  marriage  proposed,  a  counter-attach 
ment  to  Miss  Edwards,  and  a  revival  of  hisjenderness  for_ 
the  memory  of  Anne  Rutledge.  At  all  events,  his  derange 
ment  was  nearly  if  not  quite  complete.  "We  had  to 
remove  razors  from  his  room,"  says  Mr.  Speed,  "take 
away  all  knives,  and  other  dangerous  things.  It  was
96     EVERY-DAY    LIFE    OF    LINCOLN 
terrible."  Mr.  Speed  determined  to  do  for  him  what 
Bowlin  Greene  had  done  on  a  similar  occasion  at  New 
Salem.  Having  sold  out  his  store  on  the  first  of  January, 
1841,  he  took  Lincoln  with  him  to  his  home  in  Kentucky 
and  kept  him  there  during  most  of  the  summer  and  fall, 
or  until  he  seemed  sufficiently  restored  to  be  given  his 
liberty  again,  when  he  was  brought  back  to  Springfield. 
His  health  was  soon  regained,  and  on  the  4th  of  November, 
1842,  the  marriage  between  him   and  Miss  Todd  was 
celebrated  according  to  the  rites  of  the  Episcopal  Church. 
After    the    marriage    Lincoln    secured    pleasant    rooms 
for  himself  and  wife  at  the  Globe  Tavern,  at  a  cost  of  four 
dollars  a  week.     In  1844  he  purchased  of  the  Rev.  Nathan 
Dressar  the  plain  dwelling  which  was  his  home  for  the 
ensuing  seventeen  years,  and  which  he  left  in  1861  to 
enter  the  White  House.
CHAPTER  VI 
Lincoln  in  National  Politics  —  His  Congressional  Aspirations  —  Law- 
Partnership  of  Lincoln  and  Herndon — The  Presidential  Campaign 
of  1844  —  Visit  to  Henry  Clay  —  Lincoln  Elected  to  Congress  — 
Congressional  Reputation  —  Acquaintance  with  Distinguished 
Men  —  First  Speech  hi  Congress  —  "Getting  the  Hang"  of  the 
House  —  Lincoln's  Course  on  the  Mexican  War  —  Notable  Speech 
in  Congress  —  Ridicule  of  General  Cass  —  Bill  for  the  Abolition 
of  Slavery  —  Delegate  to  the  Whig  National  Convention  of  1848  — 
Stumping  the  Country  for  Taylor  —  Advice  to  Young  Politicians 
—  "  Old  Abe  "  —  A  Political  Disappointment  —  Lincoln's  Appear 
ance  as  an  Office  Seeker  in  Washington  —  "A  Divinity  that  Shapes 
our  Ends." 
IN  
the  spring  of  1843  Lincoln  was  among  the  nominees 
proposed  to  represent  the  Sangamon  district  in 
Congress;  but  Col.  Edward  D.  Baker  carried  the  delega 
tion,  and  was  elected.  In  writing  to  his  friend  Speed, 
Lincoln  treated  the  circumstance  with  his  usual  humor. 
"We  had,"  he  says,  "a  meeting  of  the  Whigs  of  the  county 
here  last  Monday  to  appoint  delegates  to  a  district  con 
vention.  Baker  beat  me,  and  got  the  delegation  instructed 
to  go  for  him.  The  meeting,  in  spite  of  my  attempt  to 
decline  it,  appointed  me  one  of  the  delegates;  so  that  in 
getting  Baker  the  nomination  I  shall  be  *  fixed'  a  good 
deal  like  a  fellow  who  is  made  groomsman  to  the  man 
who  'cut  him  out*  and  is  marrying  his  own  girl." 
On  the  20th  of  September,  1843,  the  partnership  between 
Lincoln  and  Judge  Logan  was  dissolved;  and  the  same 
day  a  new  association  was  formed  with  William  H. 
Herndon,  a  relative  of  one  of  Lincoln's  former  friends  of 
Clary  Grove.  It  is  said  that  in  spite  of  their  close  friend 
ship  Mr.  Herndon  could  not  understand  it  when  Lincoln 
one  day  plunged  up  the  office  stairs  and  said,  "Herndon, 
should  you  like  to  be  my  partner?  "  "  Don't  laugh  at  me,
98     EVERY-DAY    LIFE    OF    LINCOLN 
Mr.  Lincoln,"  was  the  response.  Persistent  repetition  of 
the  question  could  hardly  gain  a  hearing;  but  at  last  Mr. 
Herndon  said:  "Mr.  Lincoln,  you  know  I  am  too  young, 
and  I  have  no  standing  and  no  money;  but  if  you  are  in 
earnest,  there  is  nothing  in  this  world  that  would  make 
me  so  happy."  Nothing  more  was  said  till  the  papers 
were  brought  to  Herndon  to  sign.  The  partnership  of 
"Lincoln  &  Herndon"  was  a  happy  one,  and  continued 
until  Lincoln  became  President,  a  period  of  nearly  eighteen 
years. 
,.-  The  life  of  Henry  Clay,  which  Lincoln  read  in  his  boy- 
'  hood,  had  filled  him  with  enthusiasm  for  the  great  Whig 
leader;  and  when  the  latter  was  nominated  for  the 
Presidency,  in  1844,  there  was  no  more  earnest  adherent 
of  his  cause  than  the  "Sangamon  Chief,"  as  Lincoln  was 
now  called.  Lincoln  canvassed  Illinois  and  a  part  of 
Indiana  during  the  campaign,  meeting  the  chief  Demo 
cratic  speakers,  and  especially  Douglas,  in  debate.  Lin 
coln  had  not  at  this  time  heard  the  "  sil very-tongued 
orator"  of  Kentucky;  but  two  years  later  the  opportunity 
was  afforded  and  eagerly  embraced.  It  is  possible,  as 
Dr.  Holland  remarks,  that  he  "needed  the  influence  of 
this  visit  to  restore  a  healthy  tone  to  his  feelings,  and  to 
teach  him  that  the  person  whom  his  imagination  had 
transformed  into  a  demigod  was  only  a  man,  possessing 
the  full  measure  of  weaknesses  common  to  men.  In  1846 
Lincoln  learned  that  Clay  was  to  deliver  a  speech  at 
4  Lexington,  Kentucky,  in  favor  of  gradual  emancipation. 
This  event  seemed  to  give  him  an  excuse  for  breaking  away 
from  his  business  and  satisfying  his  desire  to  look  his 
demigod  in  the  face  and  hear  the  music  of  his  eloquence. 
He  accordingly  went  to  Lexington,  and  arrived  there  in 
time  to  attend  the  meeting.  On  returning  to  his  home 
from  this  visit  he  did  not  attempt  to  disguise  his  disap 
pointment.  Clay's  speech  was  written  and  read;  it 
lacked  entirely  the  fire  and  eloquence  which  Lincoln  had
EVERY-DAY   LIFE    OF 
anticipated.  At  the  close  of  the  meeting  Lincoln  secured 
an  introduction  to  the  great  orator  and  as  Clay  knew  what 
a  friend  Lincoln  had  been  to  him,  he  invited  his  admirer 
and  partisan  to  Ashland.  No  invitation  could  have 
delighted  Lincoln  more.  But  the  result  of  his  private 
intercourse  with  Clay  was  no  more  satisfactory  than  that 
which  followed  the  speech.  Those  who  have  known 
both  men  will  not  wonder  at  this ;  for  two  men  could  hardly 
be  more  unlike  in  their  motives  and  manners  than  the 
two  thus  brought  together.  One  was  a  proud  man;  the 
other  was  a  humble  man.  One  was  princely  in  his  bear 
ing;  the  other  was  lowly.  One  was  distajit  and  dignified; 
the  other  was  as  simple  and  approachable  as  a  child. 
One  received  the  deference  of  men  as  his  due;  the  other 
received  it  with  an  uncomfortable  sense  of  his  unworthi- 
ness.  A  friend  of  Lincoln,  who  had  a  long  conversation 
with  him  after  his  return  from  Ashland,  found  that  his  old 
enthusiasm  was  gone.  Lincoln  said  that  though  Clay 
was  polished  in  his  manners,  and  very  hospitable,  he 
betrayed  a  consciousness  of  superiority  that  none  could 
mistake." 
For  two  years  after  the  Presidential  contest  between 
Clay  and  Polk,  Lincoln  devoted  himself  assiduously  to 
his  law  practice.  But  in  1846  he  was  again  active  in 
politics,  this  time  striving  for  a  seat  in  the  National 
Congress.  His  chief  opponent  among  the  Whig  candi 
dates  was  his  old  friend  John  J.  Hardin,  who  soon  with 
drew  from  the  contest,  leaving  Mr.  Lincoln  alone  in  the 
field.  The  candidate  on  the  Democratic  ticket  was  Peter 
Cartwright,  the  famous  Methodist  preacher.  It  was 
supposed  from  his  great  popularity  as  a  pulpit  orator  that 
Mr.  Cartwright  would  run  far  ahead  of  his  ticket.  Instead 
of  this,  Lincoln  received  a  majority  of  1,511  in  his  district, 
which  in  1844  had  given  Clay  a  majority  of  only  914  and 
in  1848  had  allowed  the  Whig  candidate  for  Congress  to 
be  defeated  by  106  votes.
:LDO  :&VERY-DAY    LIFE    OF    LINCOLN 
Lincoln  took  his  seat  in  the  Thirtieth  Congress  in 
December,  1847,  the  only  Whig  member  from  Illinois. 
Among  the  notable  members  of  this  Congress  were  ex- 
president  John  Quincy  Adams;  Andrew  Johnson,  elected 
Vice-President  with  Lincoln  on  his  second  election;  A.  H. 
Stephens,  afterwards  Vice-President  of  the  Confederacy; 
Toombs,  Rhett,  Cobb,  and  others  who  afterwards  became 
leaders  of  the  Rebellion.  In  the  Senate  were  Daniel 
Webster,  Simon  Cameron,  Lewis  Cass,  Mason,  Hunter, 
John  C.  Calhoun,  and  Jefferson  Davis. 
Lincoln  entered  Congress  as  the  Illinois  leader  of  the 
Whig  party.  He  was  reputed  to  be  an  able  and  effective 
speaker.  In  speaking  of  the  impression  he  made  upon  his 
associates,  the  Hon.  Robert  C.  Winthrop  says:  "I  recall 
vividly  the  impressions  I  then  formed  both  of  his  ability 
and  amiability.  We  were  old  Whigs  together,  and  agreed 
entirely  upon  all  questions  of  public  interest.  I  could  not 
always  concur  in  the  policy  of  the  party  which  made  him 
President,  but  I  never  lost  my  personal  regard  for  him. 
For  shrewdness,  sagacity,  and  keen  practical  sense,  he  has 
had  no  superior  in  our  day  or  generation." 
Alexander  H.  Stephens,  writing  seventeen  years  after 
Lincoln's  death,  recalled  their  service  together  in 
Congress.  "I  knew  Mr.  Lincoln  well  and  intimately," 
said  Mr.  Stephens.  "We  both  were  ardent  supporters  of 
General  Taylor  for  President  in  1848.  Lincoln,  Toombs, 
Preston,  myself,  and  others,  formed  the  first  Congressional 
Taylor  Club,  known  as  'The  Young  Indians/  and  or 
ganized  the  Taylor  movement  which  resulted  in  his  nomi 
nation.  Mr.  Lincoln  was  careless  as  to  his  manners  and 
awkward  in  his  speech,  but  possessed  a  strong,  clear, 
.vigorous  mind.  He  always  attracted  and  riveted  the 
attention  of  the  House  when  he  spoke.  His  manner  of 
speech  as  well  as  of  thought  was  original.  He  had  no 
model.  He  was  a  man  of  strong  convictions,  and  what 
Carlyle  would  have  called  an  earnest  man.  He  abounded
EVERY-DAY    LIFE    OF    LINCOLN     101 
in  anecdote.  He  illustrated  everything  he  was  talking 
about  by  an  anecdote,  always  exceedingly  apt  and  pointed ; 
and  socially  he  always  kept  his  company  in  a  roar  of 
laughter." 
Alluding  to  his  first  speech  in  Congress  —  on  some 
post-office  question  of  no  special  interest  —  Lincoln  wrote 
to  his  friend  Herndon  that  his  principal  object  was  to  "get 
the  hang  of  the  House";  adding  that  he  "found  speaking 
here  and  elsewhere  about  the  same  thing.  I  was  about  as 
badly  scared  as  when  I  spoke  in  court,  but  no  more  so." 
Lincoln's  mental  power,  as  well  as  his  self-confidence, 
developed  rapidly  under  the  responsibilities  of  his  new 
position.  During  his  term  of  service  in  the  House  he  was 
zealous  in  the  performance  of  his  duties,  alert  to  seize  every 
opportunity  to  strike  a  blow  for  his  party  and  acquit 
himself  to  the  satisfaction  of  his  constituents.  In  January, 
1848,  he  made  a  telling  speech  in  support  of  the  "Spot 
Resolutions,"  in  which  his  antagonism  to  the  course  of  the 
Administration  in  regard  to  the  war  on  Mexico  was  un 
compromisingly  announced.  These  resolutions  were 
offered  for  the  purpose  of  getting  from  President  Polk  a 
statement  of  facts  regarding  the  beginning  of  the  war. 
In  this  speech  Lincoln  warned  the  President  not  to  try 
to  "escape  scrutiny  by  fixing  the  public  gaze  upon  the 
exceeding  brightness  of  military  glory  —  that  attractive 
rainbow  that  rises  in  showers  of  blood,  that  serpent's  eye 
that  charms  but  to  destroy."  In  writing,  a  few  days 
after  the  delivery  of  this  speech,  to  Mr.  Herndon,  Lincoln 
said:  "I  will  stake  my  life  that  if  you  had  been  in  my 
place  you  would  have  voted  just  as  I  did.  Would  you 
have  voted  what  you  felt  and  knew  to  be  a  lie?  I  know 
you  would  not.  Would  you  have  gone  out  of  the  House 
—  skulked  the  vote?  I  expect  not.  If  you  had  skulked 
one  vote  you  would  have  had  to  skulk  many  more  before 
the  end  of  the  session.  Richardson's  resolutions,  in 
troduced  before  I  made  any  move  or  gave  any  vote  upon
1G2    EVERY-DAY    LIFE    OF    LINCOLN 
the  subject,  make  a  direct  question  of  the  justice  of  the 
war;  so  no  man  can  be  silent  if  he  would.  You  are  com 
pelled  to  speak;  and  your  only  alternative  is  to  tell  the 
truth  or  tell  a  lie.  I  cannot  doubt  which  you  would  do." 
Lincoln's  position  on  the  Mexican  War  has  been  gen 
erally  approved  by  the  moral  sense  of  the  country;  but  it 
gave  his  political  enemies  an  opportunity,  which  they  were 
not  slow  to  improve,  for  trying  to  make  political  capital 
out  of  it  and  using  it  to  create  a  prejudice  against  him. 
Douglas  in  particular  never  missed  an  opportunity  of  refer 
ring  to  it.  In  the  great  joint  debate  in  1858  he  spoke 
of  Lincoln's  having  "distinguished  himself  in  Congress  by 
his  opposition  to  the  Mexican  War,  taking  the  side  of  the 
common  enemy  against  his  own  country."  No  better 
refutation  of  these  oft-repeated  charges  could  be  made 
than  that  given  by  Lincoln  himself  on  this  occasion. 
"The  Judge  charges  me,"  he  said,  "with  having,  while  in 
Congress,  opposed  our  soldiers  who  were  fighting  in  the 
Mexican  War.  I  will  tell  you  what  he  can  prove  by  re 
ferring  to  the  record.  You  remember  I  was  an  old  Whig; 
and  whenever  the  Democratic  party  tried  to  get  me  to 
vote  that  the  war  had  been  righteously  begun  by  the  Presi 
dent,  I  would  not  do  it.  But  whenever  they  asked  for 
any  money  or  land-warrants,  or  anything  to  pay  the 
soldiers,  I  gave  the  same  vote  that  Judge  Douglas  did. 
Such  is  the  truth,  and  the  Judge  has  a  right  to  make  all 
he  can  out  of  it." 
The  most  ambitious  utterance  of  Lincoln  during 
this  term  in  Congress  was  that  of  July  27,  1848,  when  he 
took  for  his  subject  the  very  comprehensive  one  of  "The 
Presidency  and  General  Politics."  It  was  a  piece  of 
sound  and  forcible  argumentation,  relieved  by  strong 
and  effective  imagery  and  quiet  humor.  A  considerable 
portion  of  it  was  occupied  with  an  exposure  of  the  weak 
nesses  of  General  Cass,  the  Presidential  candidate  opposed 
to  General  Taylor.  Lincoln  ridiculed  Cass  with  all  the
EVERY-DAY    LIFE    OF    LINCOLN     103 
wit  at  his  command.  An  extract  from  this  speech  has 
already  been  quoted  in  this  work,  in  the  account  of  Lincoln 
in  the  Black  Hawk  War.  Another  passage,  equally  telling, 
relates  to  the  vacillating  action  of  General  Cass  on  the 
Wilmot  Proviso.  After  citing  a  number  of  facts  in  refer 
ence  to  the  case,  Lincoln  says:  " These  extracts  show  that 
in  1846  General  Cass  was  for  the  Proviso  at  once;  that  in 
March,  1847,  he  was  still  for  it,  but  not  just  then;  and  that 
in  December,  1847,  he  was  against  it  altogether.  This  is 
a  true  index  to  the  whole  man.  When  the  question  was 
raised,  in  1846,  he  was  in  a  blustering  hurry  to  take  ground 
for  it.  He  sought  to  be  in  advance,  and  to  avoid  the 
uninteresting  position  of  a  mere  follower.  But  soon  he 
began  to  see  glimpses  of  the  great  Democratic  ox-gad 
waving  in  his  face,  and  to  hear  indistinctly  a  voice  saying, 
'Back!  Back,  sir!  Back  a  little!'  He  shakes  his  head 
and  bats  his  eyes  and  blunders  back  to  his  position  of 
March,  1847.  But  still  the  gad  waves,  and  the  voice 
grows  more  distinct  and  sharper  still,  'Back,  sir!  Back, 
I  say !  Further  back ! '  And  back  he  goes  to  the  position 
of  December,  1847,  at  which  the  gad  is  still  and  the  voice 
soothingly  says,  'So!  Stand  still  at  that!" 
Again,  after  extended  comment  on  the  extra  charges  of 
General  Cass  upon  the  Treasury  for  military  services,  he 
continued  in  a  still  more  sarcastic  vein:  "But  I  have 
introduced  General  Cass's  accounts  here  chiefly  to  show 
the  wonderful  physical  capacities  of  the  man.  They 
show  that  he  not  only  did  the  labor  of  several  men  at  the 
same  time,  but  that  he  often  did  it  at  several  places  many 
hundred  miles  apart  at  the  same  time.  And  at  eating, 
too,  his  capacities  are  shown  to  be  quite  as  wonderful. 
From  October,  1821,  to  May,  1822,  he  ate  ten  rations  a 
day  in  Michigan,  ten  rations  a  day  here  in  Washington, 
and  near  five  dollars'  worth  a  day  besides,  partly  on  the 
road  between  the  two  places.  And  then  there  is  an 
important  discovery  in  his  example  —  the  art  of  being
104     EVERY-DAY    LIFE    OF    LINCOLN 
paid  for  what  one  eats,  instead  of  having  to  pay  for  it. 
Hereafter  if  any  nice  young  man  shall  owe  a  bill  which  he 
cannot  pay  in  any  other  way  he  can  just  board  it  out. 
Mr.  Speaker,  we  have  all  heard  of  the  animal  standing  in 
doubt  between  two  stacks  of  hay  and  starving  to  death. 
The  like  of  that  would  never  happen  to  General  Cass. 
Place  the  stacks  a  thousand  miles  apart,  he  would  stand 
stock-still  midway  between  them  and  eat  them  both  at 
once;  and  the  green  grass  along  the  line  would  be  apt  to 
suffer  some,  too,  at  the  same  time.  By  all  means  make 
him  President,  gentlemen.  He  will  feed  you  bounteously 
—  if  —  if  —  there  is  any  left  after  he  shall  have  helped 
himself." 
Lincoln's  most  important  act  in  the  Congress  of  1848-9 
was  the  introduction  of  a  bill  for  the  gradual  abolition  of 
slavery  in  the  District  of  Columbia.  But  the  state  of 
feeling  on  the  subject  of  emancipation  was  so  feverish  at 
the  time  that  the  bill  could  not  even  be  got  before  the 
House. 
The  Whig  National  Convention  met  at  Philadelphia 
the  first  of  June,  to  nominate  a  candidate  for  the  Presi 
dency.  Lincoln  attended  the  Convention  as  a  delegate 
from  Illinois.  During  the  campaign  of  1848  he  labored 
earnestly  for  the  election  of  General  Taylor.  This 
campaign  made  him  known  more  generally  throughout 
the  country,  as  he  spoke  in  New  York  and  New  England 
as  well  as  in  Illinois  and  the  West. 
While  in  Washington,  Lincoln  kept  up  a  free  correspon 
dence  with  his  friend  and  law-partner  Herndon,  which 
affords  many  interesting  glimpses  of  his  thoughts  and 
views.  In  one  of  these  letters,  endeavoring  to  incite 
Herndon  to  political  ambition,  he  WTote:  "Nothing  could 
afford  me  more  satisfaction  than  to  learn  that  you  and 
others  of  my  young  friends  at  home  were  doing  battle  in 
the  contest,  endearing  themselves  to  the  people  and 
taking  a  stand  far  above  any  I  have  ever  been  able  to
EVERY-DAY    LIFE    OF    LINCOLN     105 
reach  in  their  admiration.  I  cannot  conceive  that  other 
old  men  feel  differently.  Of  course,  I  cannot  demonstrate 
what  I  say;  but  I  was  young  once,  and  I  am  sure  I  was 
never  ungenerously  thrust  back.  The  way  for  a  young 
man  to  rise  is  to  improve  himself  in  every  way  he  can, 
never  suspecting  that  anybody  wishes  to  hinder  him. 
Allow  me  to  assure  you  that  suspicion  and  jealousy  never 
did  help  any  man  in  any  situation.  There  may  sometimes 
be  ungenerous  attempts  to  keep  a  young  man  down; 
and  they  will  succeed,  too,  if  he  allows  his  mind  to  be 
diverted  from  its  true  channel,  to  brood  over  the  attempted 
injury.  Cast  about  and  see  if  this  feeling  has  not  injured 
every  person  you  have  ever  known  to  fall  into  it.  Now, 
in  what  I  have  said  I  am  sure  you  will  suspect  nothing 
but  sincere  friendship.  I  would  save  you  from  a  fatal 
error.  You  have  been  a  laborious,  studious  young  man. 
You  are  far  better  informed  on  almost  all  subjects  than  I 
have  ever  been.  You  cannot  fail  in  any  laudable  object 
unless  you  allow  your  mind  to  be  improperly  directed. 
I  have  some  the  advantage  of  you  in  the  world's  experi 
ence,  merely  by  being  older;  and  it  is  this  that  induces 
me  to  offer  you  this  advice." 
It  will  be  observed  that,  in  this  letter  Lincoln  speaks  of 
himself  as  an  "old  man."  This  had  been  a  habit  with 
him  for  years;  and  yet  at  this  date  he  was  under  thirty- 
nine.  He  was  already  beginning  to  be  known  as  "Old 
Abe."  Hon.  E.  B.  Washburne  states  that  he  remembers 
hearing  him  thus  called,  in  Chicago,  in  July,  1847.  "One 
afternoon,"  says  Mr.  Washburne,  "several  of  us  sat  on  the 
sidewalk  under  the  balcony  in  front  of  the  Sherman  House, 
and  among  the  number  was  the  accomplished  scholar  and 
unrivalled  orator,  Lisle  Smith,  who  suddenly  interrupted 
the  conversation  by  exclaiming,  *  There  .is  Lincoln  on  the 
other  side  of  the  street !  Just  look  at  old  Abe!'  And  from 
that  time  we  all  called  him  'Old  Abe/  No  one  who  saw 
him  can  forget  his  personal  appearance  at  that  time.
106     EVERY-DAY    LIFE    OF    LINCOLN 
Tall,  angular,  and  awkward,  he  had  on  a  short-waisted, 
thin,  swallow-tail  coat,  a  short  vest  of  the  same  material, 
thin  pantaloons  scarcely  coming  down  to  his  ankles,  a 
straw  hat,  and  a  pair  of  brogans,  with  woollen  socks." 
During  the  summer  following  the  expiration  of 
Lincoln's  term  in  Congress  (March  4,  1849)  he  made  a 
strong  effort  to  secure  the  position  of  Commissioner  of 
the  General  Land  Office,  but  without  success.  The  place 
was  given  to  Justin  Butterfield  of  Chicago.  It  was  a 
severe  disappointment  to  Lincoln.  Major  Wilcox,  who 
at  the  period  referred  to  lived  in  McDonough  County, 
Illinois,  and  in  early  days  was  a  Whig  politician,  visited 
Washington  to  aid  Lincoln  in  seeking  this  appointment, 
and  has  furnished  a  graphic  account  of  the  circum 
stances  and  of  Lincoln's  appearance  at  the  national 
capital  in  the  novel  capacity  of  an  office-seeker.  Major 
Wilcox  says  that  in  June,  1849,  he  went  to  Washington 
and  had  an  interview  with  the  newly-inaugurated  Presi 
dent,  General  Taylor,  regarding  Lincoln's  appointment 
to  the  desired  office.  The  interview  was  but  partially 
satisfactory,  the  President  remarking  that  he  was  favor 
able  to  Lincoln,  but  that  Mr.  Butterfield  was  very  strongly 
urged  for  the  place  and  the  chances  of  appointment  were 
in  his  favor.  Lincoln  had  arranged  to  be  in  Washing 
ton  at  a  time  specified,  after  Major  Wilcox  should  have 
had  opportunity  to  look  the  ground  over.  Major  Wil 
cox  says  that  he  went  to  the  railroad  depot  to  meet 
Lincoln  at  the  train.  It  was  in  the  afternoon,  towards 
night.  The  day  had  been  quite  warm,  and  the  road  was 
dry  and  dusty.  He  found  Lincoln  just  emerging  from  the 
depot.  He  had  on  a  thin  suit  of  summer  clothes,  his  coat 
being  a  linen  duster,  much  soiled.  His  whole  appearance 
was  decidedly  shabby.  He  carried  in  his  hand  an  old- 
fashioned  carpet-sack,  which  added  to  the  oddity  of  his 
appearance.  Major  Wilcox  says  if  it  had  been  anybody 
else  he  would  have  been  rather  shy  of  being  seen  in  his
EVERY-DAY    LIFE    OF    LINCOLN     107 
company,  because  of  the  awkward  and  unseemly  appear 
ance  he  presented.  Lincoln  immediately  began  to  talk 
about  his  chances  for  the  appointment;  whereupon  Major 
Wilcox  related  to  him  everything  that  had  transpired, 
and  what  President  Taylor  had  said  to  him.  They 
proceeded  at  once  to  Major  Wilcox's  room,  where  they  sat 
down  to  look  over  the  situation.  Lincoln  took  from 
his  pocket  a  paper  he  had  prepared  in  the  case,  which 
comprised  eleven  reasons  why  he  should  be  appointed 
Commissioner  of  the  General  Land  Office.  Amongst 
other  things  Lincoln  presented  the  fact  that  he  had  been  a 
member  of  Congress  from  Illinois  two  years;  that  his 
location  was  in  the  West,  where  the  government  lands 
were;  that  he  was  a  native  of  the  West,  and  had  been 
reared  under  Western  influences.  He  gave  reasons  why 
the  appointment  should  be  given  to  Illinois,  and  particu 
larly  to  the  southern  part  of  the  State.  Major  Wilcox 
says  that  he  was  forcibly  struck  by  the  clear,  convincing, 
and  methodical  statement  of  Lincoln  as  contained  in  these 
eleven  reasons  why  he  should  have  the  appointment. 
But  it  was  given  to  Mr.  Butterfield. 
After  Lincoln  became  President,  a  Member  of  Congress 
asked  him  for  an  appointment  in  the  army  in  behalf  of  a 
son  of  the  same  Justin  Butterfield.  When  the  application 
was  presented,  the  President  paused,  and  after  a  moment's 
silence,  said:  "Mr.  Justin  Butterfield  once  obtained  an 
appointment  I  very  much  wanted,  in  which  my  friends 
believed  I  could  have  been  useful,  and  to  which  they 
thought  I  was  fairly  entitled.  I  hardly  ever  felt  so  bad 
at  any  failure  in  my  life.  But  I  am  glad  of  an  opportunity 
of  doing  a  service  to  his  son."  And  he  made  an  order  for 
his  commission.  In  lieu  of  the  desired  office,  General 
Taylor  offered  Lincoln  the  post  of  Governor,  and  after 
wards  of  Secretary,  of  Oregon  Territory;  but  these  offers 
he  declined.  In  after  years  a  friend  remarked  to  him, 
alluding  to  the  event:  ''How  fortunate  that  you  declined!
108     EVERY-DAY    LIFE    OF    LINCOLN 
If  you  had  gone  to  Oregon  you  might  have  come  back  as 
Senator,  but  you  would  never  have  been  President." 
"Yes,  you  are  probably  right,'*  said  Lincoln;  and  then, 
with  a  musing,  dreamy  look,  he  added:  "I  have  all  my 
life  been  a  fatalist.  What  is  to  be,  will  be;  or,  rather,  I 
have  found  all  my  life,  as  Hamlet  says,  — 
*  There's  a  divinity  that  shapes  our  ends, 
Rough-hew  them  how  we  will.' '
CHAPTER  VII 
Lincoln  again  in  Springfield  —  Back  to  the  Circuit  —  His  Personal 
Manners  and  Appearance  —  Glimpses  of  Home-Life  —  His  Family 
—  His  Absent-Mindedness —  A  Painful  Subject  —  Lincoln  a 
Man  of  Sorrows  —  Familiar  Appearance  on  the  Streets  of  Spring 
field  —  Scenes  in  the  Law-Office  —  Forebodings  of  a  "  Great  or 
Miserable  End  "  —  An  Evening  with  Lincoln  in  Chicago  —  Lin 
coln's  Tenderness  to  His  Relatives  —  Death  of  His  Father  —  A 
Sensible  Adviser  —  Care  of  His  Step-Mother  —  Tribute  from  Her. 
RETIRING,  somewhat  reluctantly,  from  Washington 
life,  which  he  seems  to  have  liked  very  much, 
Lincoln  returned  to  Springfield  in  1849  and  resumed  the 
practice  of  the  law.  He  declined  an  advantageous  offer 
of  a  law-partnership  at  Chicago,  made  him  by  Judge 
Goodrich,  giving  as  a  reason  that  if  he  went  to  Chicago 
he  would  have  to  sit  down  and  study  hard,  and  this  would 
kill  him;  that  he  would  rather  go  around  the  circuit  in  the 
country  than  to  sit  down  and  die  in  a  big  city.  So  he 
settled  down  once  more  in  the  rather  uneventful  and 
fairly  prosperous  life  of  a  country  lawyer. 
A  gentleman  who  knew  Lincoln  intimately  in  Springfield, 
in  his  maturity,  has  given  the  following  capital  description 
of  him.  "He  stands  six  feet  four  inches  high  in  his  stock 
ings.  His  frame  is  not  muscular,  but  gaunt  and  wiry; 
his  arms  are  long,  but  not  disproportionately  so  for  a 
person  of  his  height;  his  lower  limbs  are  not  dispropor- 
tioned  to  his  body.  In  walking,  his  gait,  though  firm,  is 
never  brisk.  He  steps  slowly  and  deliberately,  almost 
always  with  his  head  inclined  forward  and  his  hands 
clasped  behind  his  back.  In  matters  of  dress  he  is  by  no 
means  precise.  Always  clean,  he  is  never  fashionable; 
he  is  careless,  but  not  slovenly.  In  manner  he  is  re-
110     EVERY-DAY    LIFE    OF    LINCOLN 
markably  cordial  and  at  the  same  time  simple.  His 
politeness  is  always  sincere  but  never  elaborate  and 
oppressive.  A  warm  shake  of  the  hand  and  a  warmer 
smile  of  recognition  are  his  methods  of  greeting  his  friends. 
At  rest,  his  features,  though  those  of  a  man  of  mark,  are 
not  such  as  belong  to  a  handsome  man;  but  when  his 
fine  dark  gray  eyes  are  lighted  up  by  any  emotion,  and 
his  features  begin  their  play,  he  would  be  chosen  from 
among  a  crowd  as  one  who  had  in  him  not  only  the  kindly 
sentiments  which  women  love  but  the  heavier  metal  of 
which  full-grown  men  and  Presidents  are  made.  His 
hair  is  black,  and,  though  thin,  is  wiry.  His  head  sits 
well  on  his  shoulders,  but  beyond  that  it  defies  description. 
It  nearer  resembles  that  of  Clay  than  that  of  Webster; 
but  it  is  unlike  either.  It  is  very  large,  and  phrenologi- 
cally  well  proportioned,  betokening  power  in  all  its 
developments.  A  slightly  Roman  nose,  a  wide-cut  mouth, 
and  a  dark  complexion,  with  the  appearance  of  having 
been  weather-beaten,  complete  the  description." 
Of  Lincoln's  life  at  this  period,  another  writer  says: 
"He  lived  simply,  comfortably,  and  respectably,  with 
neither  expensive  tastes  nor  habits.  His  wants  were  few 
and  simple.  He  occupied  a  small  unostentatious  house  in 
Springfield,  and  was  in  the  habit  of  entertaining,  in  a  very 
simple  way,  his  friends  and  his  brethren  of  the  bar  during 
the  terms  of  the  court  and  the  sessions  of  the  Legislature. 
Mrs.  Lincoln  often  entertained  small  numbers  of  friends 
at  dinner  and  somewhat  larger  numbers  at  evening  parties. 
In  his  modest  and  simple  home  everything  was  orderly 
and  refined,  and  there  was  always,  on  the  part  of  both 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Lincoln,  a  cordial  and  hearty  Western  wel 
come  which  put  every  guest  at  ease.  Yet  it  was  the  wit 
and  humor,  anecdote,  and  unrivalled  conversation  of  the 
host  which  formed  the  chief  attraction  and  made  a  dinner 
at  Lincoln's  cottage  an  event  to  be  remembered.  Lincoln's 
income  from  his  profession  was  now  from  $2,000  to  $3,000
EVERY-DAY    LIFE    OF    LINCOLN     111 
per  annum.  His  property  consisted  of  his  house  and  lot 
in  Springfield,  a  lot  in  the  town  of  Lincoln  which  had  been 
given  to  him,  and  160  acres  of  wild  land  in  Iowa  which  he 
had  received  for  his  services  in  the  Black  Hawk  War. 
He  owned  a  few  law  and  miscellaneous  books.  All  his 
property  may  have  been  of  the  value  of  $10,000  or 
$12,000." 
Lincoln  was  at  this  time  the  father  of  two  sons :  Robert 
Todd,  born  on  the  1st  day  of  August,  1843;  and  Edward 
Baker,  born  on  the  10th  of  March,  1846.  In  a  letter  to 
his  friend  Speed,  dated  October  22  of  the  latter  year, 
Lincoln  writes:  "We  have  another  boy,  born  the  10th  of 
March.  He  is  very  much  such  a  child  as  Bob  was  at  his 
age,  rather  of  a  longer  order.  Bob  is  *  short  and  low/ 
and  I  expect  he  always  will  be.  He  talks  very  plainly, 
almost  as  plainly  as  anybody.  He  is  quite  smart  enough. 
I  sometimes  fear  he  is  one  of  the  little  rare-ripe  sort  that 
are  smarter  at  about  five  than  ever  after.  He  has  a  great 
deal  of  that  sort  of  mischief  that  is  the  offspring  of  much 
animal  spirits.  Since  I  began  this  letter  a  messenger  came 
to  tell  me  Bob  was  lost;  but  by  the  time  I  reached  the 
house  his  mother  had  found  him  and  had  him  whipped. 
By  now,  very  likely,  he  is  run  away  again." 
December  21,  1850,  a  third  son,  William  Wallace,  was 
born  to  him;  and  on  April  4,  1853,  a  fourth  and  last  chiloV"" 
named  Thomas. 
"A  young  man  bred  in  Springfield,"  says  Dr.  Holland, 
"speaks  of  a  vision  of  Lincoln,  as  he  appeared  in  those 
days,  that  has  clung  to  his  memory  very  vividly.  The 
young  man's  way  to  school  led  by  the  lawyer's  door. 
On  almost  any  fair  summer  morning  he  would  find  Lincoln 
on  the  sidewalk  in  front  of  his  house,  drawing  a  child 
backward  and  forward  in  a  little  gig.  Without  hat  or 
coat,  wearing  a  pair  of  rough  shoes,  his  hands  behind  him 
holding  to  the  tongue  of  the  gig,  and  his  tall  form  bent 
forward  to  accommodate  himself  to  the  service,  he  paced
112     EVERY-DAY    LIFE    OF    LINCOLN 
up  and  down  the  walk  forgetful  of  everything  around  him 
and  intent  only  on  some  subject  that  absorbed  his  mind. 
The  young  man  says  he  remembers  wondering  in  his 
boyish  way  how  so  rough  and  plain  a  man  should  happen 
to  live  in  so  respectable  a  house.  The  habit  of  mental 
absorption,  or  'absent-mindedness'  as  it  is  called,  was 
common  with  him  always,  but  particularly  during  the 
formative  periods  of  his  life.  The  New  Salem  people,  it 
will  be  remembered,  thought  him  crazy  because  he  passed 
his  best  friends  in  the  street  without  seeing  them.  At 
the  table,  in  his  own  family,  he  often  sat  down  without 
knowing  or  realizing  where  he  was,  and  ate  his  food 
mechanically.  When  he  'came  to  himself  it  was  a  trick 
with  him  to  break  the  silence  by  the  quotation  of  some 
verse  of  poetry  from  a  favorite  author.  It  relieved  the 
awkwardness  of  the  situation,  served  as  a  'blind'  to  the 
thoughts  which  had  possessed  him,  and  started  conversa 
tion  in  a  channel  that  led  as  far  as  possible  from  the 
subject  that  he  had  set  aside." 
Mr.  Lamon  has  written  with  great  freedom  of  the  sorrow 
that  brooded  over  Lincoln's  home.  Some  knowledge  of 
the  blight  which  this  cast  upon  his  life  is  necessary  for  a 
right  interpretation  of  the  gloomy  moods  that  constantly 
oppressed  him  and  left  their  indelible  impress  on  his  face 
and  character.  Mr.  Lamon  states  unreservedly  that 
Lincoln's  marriage  was  an  unhappy  one.  The  circum 
stances  preceding  his  union  with  Miss  Todd  have  been 
related.  Mr.  Lamon  says:  "He  was  conscientious  and 
honorable  and  just.  There  was  but  one  way  of  repairing 
the  injury  he  had  done  Miss  Todd,  and  he  adopted  it. 
They  were  married;  but  they  understood  each  other,  and 
suffered  the  inevitable  consequences.  Such  troubles 
seldom  fail  to  find  a  tongue;  and  it  is  not  strange  that  in 
this  case  neighbors  and  friends,  and  ultimately  the  whole 
country,  came  to  know  the  state  of  things  in  that  house. 
Lincoln  scarcely  attempted  to  conceal  it.  He  talked  of  it
EVERY-DAY    LIFE    OF    LINCOLN     113 
with  little  or  no  reserve  to  his  wife's  relatives,  as  well  as 
to  his  own  friends.  Yet  the  gentleness  and  patience  with 
which  he  bore  this  affliction  from  day  to  day  and  from  year 
to  year  was  enough  to  move  the  shade  of  Socrates.  It 
touched  his  acquaintances  deeply,  and  they  gave  it  the 
widest  publicity."  Mrs.  Colonel  Chapman,  daughter  of 
Dennis  Hanks  and  a  relative  of  Lincoln,  made  him  a  long 
visit  previous  to  her  marriage.  "You  ask  me,"  says  she, 
"how  Mr.  Lincoln  acted  at  home.  I  can  say,  and  that 
truly,  he  was  all  that  a  husband,  father,  and  neighbor 
should  be,  kind  and  affectionate  to  his  wife  and  child 
('Bob'  being  the  only  one  they  had  when  I  was  with 
them),  and  very  pleasant  to  all  around  him.  Never  did 
I  hear  him -utter  an  unkind  word." 
It  seems  impossible  to  arrive  at  all  the  causes  of  Lincoln's 
melancholy  disposition.  He  was,  according  to  his  most 
intimate  friends,  totally  unlike  other  people,  —  was,  in 
fact,  "a  mystery."  But  whatever  the  history  or  the 
cause,  —  whether  physical  reasons,  the  absence  of  domes 
tic  concord,  a  series  of  painful  recollections  of  his  mother, 
of  early  sorrows  and  hardships,  of  Anne  Rutledge  and 
fruitless  hopes,  or  all  these  combined,  —  Lincoln  was  a 
terribly  sad  and  gloomy  man.  "I  do  not  think  that  he 
knew  what  happiness  was  for  twenty  years,"  says  Mr. 
Herndon.  "'Terrible'  is  the  word  which  all  his  friends 
used  to  describe  him  in  the  black  mood.  '  It  was  terrible ! 
It  was  terrible!'  said  one  to  another."  Judge  Davis 
believes  that  Lincoln's  hilarity  was  mainly  simulated,  and 
that  "his  stories  and  jokes  were  intended  to  whistle  off 
sadness . "  "  The  groundwork  of  his  social  nature  was  sad, ' ' 
says  Judge  Scott.  "But  for  the  fact  that  he  studiously 
cultivated  the  humorous,  it  would  have  been  very  sad 
indeed.  His  mirth  always  seemed  to  me  to  be  put  on; 
like  a  plant  produced  in  a  hot-bed,  it  had  an  unnatural 
and  luxuriant  growth."  Mr.  Herndon,  Lincoln's  law- 
partner  and  most  intimate  friend,  describes  him  at  this
114     EVERY-DAY    LIFE    OF    LINCOLN 
period  as  a  "thin,  tall,  wiry,  sinewy,  grizzly,  raw-boned 
man,  looking  *  woe-struck.'  His  countenance  was  haggard 
and  careworn,  exhibiting  all  the  marks  of  deep  and  pro 
tracted  suffering.  Every  feature  of  the  man  —  the  hollow 
eyes,  with  the  dark  rings  beneath;  the  long,  sallow, 
cadaverous  face  intersected  by  those  peculiar  deep  lines; 
his  whole  air;  his  walk;  his  long  silent  reveries,  broken  at 
long  intervals  by  sudden  and  startling  exclamations,  as  if 
to  confound  an  observer  who  might  suspect  the  nature  of 
his  thoughts,  —  showed  he  was  a  man  of  sorrows,  not 
sorrows  of  to-day  or  yesterday,  but  long-treasured  and 
deep,  bearing  with  him  a  continual  sense  of  weariness  and 
pain.  He  was  a  plain,  homely,  sad,  weary-looking  man, 
to  whom  one's  heart  warmed  involuntarily  because  he 
seemed  at  once  miserable  and  kind." 
Mr.  Page  Eaton,  an  old  resident  of  Springfield,  says: 
"Lincoln  always  did  his  own  marketing,  even  after  he 
was  elected  President  and  before  he  went  to  Washington. 
I  used  to  see  him  at  the  butcher's  or  baker's  every  morning, 
with  his  basket  on  his  arm.  He  was  kind  and  sociable, 
and  would  always  speak  to  everyone.  He  was  so  kind, 
so  childlike,  that  I  don't  believe  there  was  one  in  the  city 
who  didn't  love  him  as  a  father  or  brother."  "On  a 
winter's  morning,"  says  Mr.  Lamon,  "he  could  be  seen 
wending  his  way  to  the  market,  with  a  basket  on  his  arm 
and  at  his  side  a  little  boy  whose  small  feet  rattled  and 
pattered  over  the  ice-bound  pavement,  attempting  to 
make  up  by  the  number  of  his  short  steps  for  the  long 
strides  of  his  father.  The  little  fellow  jerked  at  the  bony 
hand  which  held  his,  and  prattled  and  questioned,  begged 
and  grew  petulant,  in  a  vain  effort  to  make  his  father 
talk  to  him.  But  the  latter  was  probably  unconscious  of 
the  other's  existence,  and  stalked  on,  absorbed  in  his  own 
reflections.  He  wore  on  such  occasions  an  old  gray  shawl, 
rolled  into  a  coil  and  wrapped  like  a  rope  around  his 
neck.  The  rest  of  his  clothes  were  in  keeping.  'He  did
EVERY-DAY    LIFE    OF    LINCOLN     115 
not  walk  cunningly  —  Indian-like  —  but  cautiously  and 
firmly/  His  tread  was  even  and  strong.  He  was  a  little 
pigeon-toed;  and  this,  with  another  peculiarity,  made 
his  walk  very  singular.  He  set  his  whole  foot  flat  on  the 
ground,  and  in  turn  lifted  it  all  at  once  —  not  resting 
momentarily  upon  the  toe  as  the  foot  rose  nor  upon  the 
heel  as  it  fell.  He  never  wore  his  shoes  out  at  the  heel 
and  the  toe,  as  most  men  do,  more  than  at  the  middle. 
Yet  his  gait  was  not  altogether  awkward,  and  there  was 
manifest  physical  power  in  his  step.  As  he  moved  along 
thus,  silent  and  abstracted,  his  thoughts  dimly  reflected 
in  his  sharp  face,  men  turned  to  look  after  him  as  an  object 
of  sympathy  as  well  as  curiosity.  His  melancholy,  in 
the  words  of  Mr.  Herndon, ' dripped  from  him  as  he  walked.' 
If,  however,  he  met  a  friend  in  the  street,  and  was  roused 
by  a  hearty  '  Good-morning,  Lincoln ! '  he  would  grasp  the 
friend's  hand  with  one  or  both  of  his  own,  and  with  his 
usual  expression  of  'Howdy!  howdy!'  would  detain  him 
to  hear  a  story;  something  reminded  him  of  it;  it  happened 
in  Indiana,  and  it  must  be  told,  for  it  was  wonderfully 
pertinent.  It  was  not  at  home  that  he  most  enjoyed 
seeing  company.  He  preferred  to  meet  his  friends  abroad, 
—  on  a  street-corner,  in  an  office,  at  the  court-house,  or 
sitting  on  nail-kegs  in  a  country  store."  Mrs.  Lincoln 
experienced  great  difficulty  in  securing  the  punctual 
attendance  of  her  husband  at  the  family  meals.  Dr. 
Bateman  has  repeatedly  seen  two  of  the  boys  pulling  with 
all  their  might  at  his  coat-tails,  and  a  third  pushing  in 
front,  while  paterfamilias  stood  upon  the  street  cordially 
shaking  the  hand  of  an  old  acquaintance. 
After  his  breakfast-hour,  says  Mr.  Lamon,  he  would 
appear  at  his  office  and  go  about  the  labors  of  the  day  with 
all  his  might,  displaying  prodigious  industry  and  capacity 
for  continuous  application,  although  he  never  was  a  fast 
worker.  Sometimes  it  happened  that  he  came  without 
his  breakfast;  and  then  he  would  have  in  his  hands  a  piece
116     EVERY-DAY    LIFE    OF    LINCOLN 
of  cheese  or  bologna  sausage,  and  a  few  crackers,  bought 
by  the  way.  At  such  times  he  did  not  speak  to  his  partner, 
or  his  friends  if  any  happened  to  be  present;  the  tears 
perhaps  struggling  into  his  eyes,  while  his  pride  was  strug 
gling  to  keep  them  back.  Mr.  Herndon  knew  the  whole 
story  at  a  glance.  There  was  no  speech  between  them, 
but  neither  wished  the  visitors  at  the  office  to  witness  the 
scene.  So  Lincoln  retired  to  the  back  office  while  Mr. 
Herndon  locked  the  front  one  and  walked  away  with  the 
key  in  his  pocket.  In  an  hour  or  more  the  latter  would 
return  and  perhaps  find  Lincoln  calm  and  collected. 
Otherwise  he  went  out  again  and  waited  until  he  was  so. 
Then  the  office  was  opened  and  everything  went  on  as 
usual. 
"His  mind  was  filled  with  gloomy  forebodings  and 
strong  apprehensions  of  impending  evil,  mingled  with 
extravagant  visions  of  personal  grandeur  and  power.  He 
never  doubted  for  a  moment  that  he  was  formed  for  some 
*  great  or  miserable  end.'  He  talked  about  it  frequently 
and  sometimes  calmly.  Mr.  Herndon  remembers  many 
of  these  conversations  in  their  office  at  Springfield  and  in 
their  rides  around  the  circuit.  Lincoln  said  the  impression 
had  grown  in  him  all  his  life;  but  Mr.  Herndon  thinks  it 
was  about  1840  that  it  took  the  character  of  a  *  religious 
conviction.'  He  had  then  suffered  much,  and  consider 
ing  his  opportunities  he  had  achieved  great  things.  He 
was  already  a  leader  among  men,  and  a  most  brilliant 
career  had  been  promised  him  by  the  prophetic  enthusiasm 
of  many  friends.  Thus  encouraged  and  stimulated,  and 
feeling  himself  growing  gradually  stronger  and  stronger 
in  the  estimation  of  'the  plain  people'  whose  voice  was 
more  potent  than  all  the  Warwicks,  his  ambition  painted 
the  rainbow  of  glory  in  the  sky,  while  his  morbid  mel 
ancholy  supplied  the  clouds  that  were  to  overcast  and 
obliterate  it  with  the  wrath  and  ruin  of  the  tempest.  To 
him  it  was  fate,  and  there  was  no  escape  or  defense.  The
EVERY-DAY    LIFE    OF    LINCOLN     117 
presentiment  never  deserted  him.  It  was  as  clear,  as 
perfect,  as  certain  as  any  image  conveyed  by  the  senses. 
He  had  now  entertained  it  so  long  that  it  was  as  much  a 
part  of  his  nature  as  the  consciousness  of  identity.  All 
doubts  had  faded  away,  and  he  submitted  humbly  to  a 
power  which  he  could  neither  comprehend  nor  resist. 
He  was  to  fall,  —  fall  from  a  lofty  place  and  in  the  per 
formance  of  a  great  work." 
On  one  occasion  Lincoln  visited  Chicago  as  counsel  in 
a  case  in  the  U.  S.  District  Court.  The  Hon.  N.  B.  Judd, 
an  intimate  friend,  was  also  engaged  upon  the  case,  and 
took  Mr.  Lincoln  home  with  him  as  a  guest.  The  follow 
ing  account  of  this  visit  is  given  by  Mrs.  Judd  in  Oldroyd's 
Memorial  Album:  "Mr.  Judd  had  invited  Mr.  Lincoln 
to  spend  the  evening  at  our  pleasant  home  on  the  shore  of 
Lake  Michigan.  After  tea,  and  until  quite  late,  we  sat 
on  the  broad  piazza,  looking  out  upon  as  lovely  a  scene  as 
that  which  has  made  the  Bay  of  Naples  so  celebrated. 
A  number  of  vessels  were  availing  themselves  of  a  fine 
breeze  to  leave  the  harbor,  and  the  lake  was  studded  with 
many  a  white  sail.  I  remember  that  a  flock  of  sea-gulls 
were  flying  along  the  beach,  dipping  their  beaks  and  white- 
lined  wings  in  the  foam  that  capped  the  short  waves  as 
they  fell  upon  the  shore.  Whilst  we  sat  there  the  great 
white  moon  appeared  on  the  rim  of  the  eastern  horizon 
and  slowly  crept  above  the  water,  throwing  a  perfect 
flood  of  silver  light  upon  the  dancing  waves.  The  stars 
shone  with  the  soft  light  of  a  midsummer  night,  and  the 
breaking  of  the  low  weaves  upon  the  shore  added  the  charm 
of  pleasant  sound  to  the  beauty  of  the  night.  Mr.  Lincoln, 
whose  home  was  far  inland  from  the  great  lakes,  seemed 
greatly  impressed  with  the  wondrous  beauty  of  the  scene, 
and  carried  by  its  impressiveness  away  from  all  thought 
of  jars  and  turmoil  of  earth.  In  that  mild,  pleasant  voice, 
attuned  to  harmony  with  his  surroundings,  as  was  his 
wont  when  his  soul  was  stirred  by  aught  that  was  lovely  or
118     EVERY-DAY    LIFE    OF    LINCOLN 
beautiful,  Mr.  Lincoln  began  to  speak  of  the  mystery  which 
for  ages  enshrouded  and  shut  out  those  distant  worlds 
above  us  from  our  own;  of  the  poetry  and  beauty  which 
was  seen  and  felt  by  seers  of  old  when  they  contemplated 
Orion  and  Arcturus  as  they  wheeled,  seemingly  around  the 
earth,  in  their  nightly  course;  of  the  discoveries  since  the 
invention  of  the  telescope,  which  had  thrown  a  flood  of 
light  and  knowledge  on  what  before  was  incomprehensible 
and  mysterious;  of  the  wonderful  computations  of 
scientists  who  had  measured  the  miles  of  seemingly  endless 
space  which  separated  the  planets  in  our  solar  system  from 
our  central  sun,  and  our  sun  from  other  suns.  He  specu 
lated  on  the  possibilities  of  knowledge  which  an  increased 
power  of  the  lens  would  give  in  the  years  to  come.  When 
the  night  air  became  too  chilling  to  remain  longer  on  the 
piazza  we  went  into  the  parlor.  Seated  on  the  sofa,  his 
long  limbs  stretching  across  the  carpet  and  his  arms  folded 
behind  him,  Mr.  Lincoln  went  on  to  speak  of  other  dis 
coveries,  of  the  inventions  which  had  been  made  during 
the  long  cycles  of  time  lying  between  the  present  and  those 
early  days  when  the  sons  of  Adam  began  to  make  use  of 
material  things  about  them  and  invent  instruments  of 
various  kinds  in  brass  and  gold  and  silver.  He  gave  us  a 
short  but  succinct  account  of  all  the  inventions  referred 
to  in  the  Old  Testament,  from  the  time  when  Adam 
walked  in  the  garden  of  Eden  until  the  Bible  record  ended, 
600  B.C.  I  said,  'Mr.  Lincoln,  I  did  not  know  you  were 
such  a  Bible  student.'  He  replied:  *I  must  be  honest, 
Mrs.  Judd,  and  tell  you  just  how  I  come  to  know  so  much 
about  these  early  inventions.'  He  then  went  on  to  say 
that  in  discussing  with  some  friend  the  relative  age  of  the 
discovery  and  use  of  the  precious  metals  he  went  to  the 
Bible  to  satisfy  himself  and  became  so  interested  in  his 
researches  that  he  made  memoranda  of  the  different 
discoveries  and  inventions.  Soon  after,  he  was  invited 
to  lecture  before  some  literary  society,  I  think  in  Bloom-
EVERY-DAY    LIFE    OF    LINCOLN     119 
ington.  The  interest  he  had  felt  in  the  study  convinced 
him  that  the  subject  would  interest  others,  and  he  there 
fore  prepared  and  delivered  his  lecture  on  The  Age  of 
Different  Inventions.  'Of  course/  he  added,  'I  could  not 
after  that  forget  the  order  or  time  of  such  discoveries  and 
inventions.' " 
In  all  the  years  that  had  passed  since  Lincoln  left  his 
father's  humble  house,  he  had  preserved  an  affectionate 
interest  in  the  welfare  of  its  various  members.  He  paid 
them  visits  whenever  he  could  find  opportunity,  and  never 
failed  to  extend  his  aid  and  sympathy  whenever  needed. 
He  had  risen  to  success  in  his  profession,  was  widely 
known  throughout  his  section,  and  though  still  a  poor 
man  he  had  good  prospects  and  considerable  influence. 
Yet  he  ever  retained  a  considerate  regard  and  remembrance 
for  the  poor  and  obscure  relatives  he  had  left  plodding  in 
the  humble  ways  of  life.  He  never  assumed  the  slightest 
superiority  to  them.  Whenever,  upon  his  circuit,  he  found 
time,  he  always  visited  them.  Countless  times  he  was 
known  to  leave  his  companions  at  the  village  hotel  after 
a  hard  day's  work  in  the  court-room  and  spend  the  evening 
with  these  old  friends  and  companions  of  his  humbler 
days.  On  one  occasion,  when  urged  not  to  go,  he  replied, 
"Why,  Aunt's  heart  would  be  broken  if  I  should  leave 
town  without  calling  upon  her,"  —yet  he  was  obliged  to 
walk  several  miles  to  make  the  call.  As  his  fortunes 
improved  he  often  sent  money  and  presents  to  his  father 
and  step-mother,  bought  land  for  them,  and  tried  in  every 
way  to  make  them  comfortable  and  happy.  The  father 
was  gratified  at  these  marks  of  affection,  and  felt  great 
pride  in  the  rising  prosperity  of  his  son.  Mr.  Herndon 
says  that  "for  years  Lincoln  supported  or  helped  to 
support  his  aged  father  and  mother.  It  is  to  his  honor 
that  he  dearly  loved  his  step-mother,  and  it  is  equally 
true  that  she  idolized  her  step-son.  He  purchased  a 
piece  of  property  in  Coles  County  as  a  home  for  his  father
120     EVERY-DAY    LIFE    OF    LINCOLN 
and  mother,  and  had  it  deeded  in  trust  for  their  use  and 
benefit." 
In  1851  Lincoln's  father  died,  at  the  age  of  seventy- 
three.  The  following  letter,  written  a  few  days  before 
this  event,  reveals  the  affectionate  solicitude  of  the  son: 
Springfield,  Jan.  12, 1851. 
DEAR  BROTHER  :  —  On  the  day  before  yesterday  I 
received  a  letter  from  Harriet,  written  at  Greenup.  She 
says  she  has  just  returned  from  your  house,  and  that 
father  is  very  low  and  will  hardly  recover.  She  also  says 
that  you  have  written  me  two  letters,  and  that,  although 
you  do  not  expect  me  to  come  now,  you  wonder  that  I  do 
not  write.  I  received  both  your  letters;  and  although  I 
have  not  answered  them,  it  is  not  because  I  have  forgotten 
them,  or  not  been  interested  about  them,  but  because  it 
appeared  to  me  I  could  write  nothing  which  could  do  any 
good.  You  already  know  I  desire  that  neither  father  nor 
mother  shall  be  in  want  of  any  comfort,  either  in  health  or 
sickness,  while  they  live;  and  I  feel  sure  you  have  not 
failed  to  use  my  name,  if  necessary,  to  procure  a  doctor  or 
anything  else  for  father  in  his  present  sickness.  My 
business  is  such  that  I  could  hardly  leave  home  now,  if  it 
were  not,  as  it  is,  that  my  wife  is  sick  a-bed.  I  sincerely 
hope  father  may  yet  recover  his  health;  but,  at  all  events, 
tell  him  to  remember  to  call  upon  and  confide  in  our  great 
and  good  and  merciful  Maker,  who  will  not  turn  away  from 
him  in  any  extremity.  He  notes  the  fall  of  a  sparrow,  and 
numbers  the  hairs  of  our  heads;  and  He  will  not  forget  the 
dying  man  who  puts  his  trust  in  Him.  Say  to  him,  that 
if  we  could  meet  now  it  is  doubtful  whether  it  would  not 
be  more  painful  than  pleasant;  but  that  if  it  be  his  lot  to 
go  now  he  will  soon  have  a  joyous  meeting  with  loved  ones 
gone  before,  and  where  the  rest  of  us,  through  the  help  of 
God,  hope  ere  long  to  join  them. 
Write  me  again  when  you  receive  this. 
Affectionately, 
A.  LINCOLN. 
The  step-brother,  John  Johnston,  to  whom  the  fore 
going  letter  is  addressed,  was  the  cause  of  considerable 
anxiety  to  Lincoln.  It  was  with  him  that  their  parents
EVERY-DAY    LIFE    OF    LINCOLN     121 
resided,  and  frequent  were  his  appeals  to  Lincoln  to  ex 
tricate  him  from  some  pecuniary  strait  into  which  he  had 
fallen  through  his  confirmed  thriftlessness  and  improvi 
dence.  "John  Johnston,"  Mr.  Herndon  says,  "was  an 
indolent  and  shiftless  man,  one  who  was  'born  tired.* 
Yet  he  was  clever,  generous  and  hospitable."  The  follow 
ing  document  affords  a  hint  of  Lincoln's  kindly  patience 
as  well  as  of  his  capacity  for  sound  practical  advice  when 
it  was  much  needed: 
DEAR  JOHNSTON  :  —  Your  request  for  eighty  dollars  I 
do  not  think  it  best  to  comply  with  now.  At  the  various 
times  when  I  have  helped  you  a  little  you  have  said  to  me, 
*  We  can  get  along  very  well  now ' ;  but  in  a  very  short  time 
I  find  you  in  the  same  difficulty  again.  Now,  this  can  only 
happen  by  some  defect  in  your  conduct.  What  that  defect 
is,  I  think  I  know.  You  are  not  lazy,  and  still  you  are  an 
idler.  I  doubt  whether,  since  I  saw  you,  you  have  done 
a  good  whole  day's  work  in  any  one  day.  You  do  not  very 
much  dislike  to  work,  and  still  you  do  not  work  much,  merely 
because  it  does  not  seem  to  you  that  you  could  get  much 
for  it.  This  habit  of  uselessly  wasting  time  is  the  whole 
difficulty;  and  it  is  vastly  important  to  you,  and  still  more 
so  to  your  children,  that  you  should  break  the  habit.  It 
is  more  important  to  them,  because  they  have  longer  to 
live,  and  can  keep  out  of  an  idle  habit  before  they  are  in  it 
easier  than  they  can  get  out  after  they  are  in.  You  are 
now  in  need  of  some  money;  and  what  I  propose  is  that 
you  shall  go  to  work,  *  tooth  and  nail,'  for  somebody  who 
will  give  you  money  for  it.  Let  father  and  your  boys  take 
charge  of  things  at  home,  prepare  for  a  crop,  and  make  the 
crop,  and  you  go  to  work  for  the  best  money-wages,  or  in 
discharge  of  any  debt  you  owe,  that  you  can  get;  and,  to 
secure  you  a  fair  reward  for  your  labor,  I  now  promise  you, 
that,  for  every  dollar  you  will,  between  this  and  the  first 
of  next  May,  get  for  your  own  labor,  either  in  money  or  as 
your  own  indebtedness,  I  will  then  give  you  one  other 
dollar.  By  this,  if  you  hire  yourself  at  ten  dollars  a  month, 
from  me  you  will  get  ten  more,  making  twenty  dollars  a 
month  for  your  work.  In  this  I  do  not  mean  you  shall  go 
off  to  St.  Louis,  or  the  lead-mines,  or  the  gold-mines  in
122     EVERY-DAY    LIFE    OF    LINCOLN 
California;  but  I  mean  for  you  to  go  at  it,  for  the  best 
wages  you  can  get,  close  to  home,  in  Coles  County.  Now, 
if  you  will  do  this  you  will  soon  be  out  of  debt,  and,  what  is 
better,  you  will  have  a  habit  that  will  keep  you  from 
getting  in  debt  again.  But  if  I  should  now  clear  you  out 
of  debt,  next  year  you  would  be  in  just  as  deep  as  ever. 
You  say  you  would  almost  give  your  place  in  heaven  for 
$70  or  $80.  Then  you  value  your  place  in  heaven  very 
cheap;  for  I  am  sure  you  can,  with  the  offer  I  make,  get 
the  seventy  or  eighty  dollars  for  four  or  five  months' 
work.  You  say,  if  I  will  furnish  you  the  money,  you  will 
deed  me  the  land,  and  if  you  don't  pay  the  money  back, 
you  will  deliver  possession.  Nonsense!  If  you  can't 
now  live  with  the  land,  how  will  you  then  live  without  it? 
You  have  always  been  kind  to  me,  and  I  do  not  mean  to 
be  unkind  to  you.  On  the  contrary,  if  you  will  but  follow 
my  advice,  you  will  find  it  worth  more  than  eighty  times 
eighty  dollars  to  you. 
Affectionately  your  brother, 
A.  LINCOLN. 
In  other  letters  he  wrote  even  more  sharply  to  his 
thriftless  step-brother. 
Shelbyville,  Nov.  4,  1851 
DEAR  BROTHER  :  —  When  I  came  into  Charleston,  day 
before  yesterday,  I  learned  that  you  are  anxious  to  sell 
the  land  where  you  live,  and  move  to  Missouri.  I  have 
been  thinking  of  this  ever  since,  and  cannot  but  think 
such  a  notion  is  utterly  foolish.  What  can  you  do  in 
Missouri  better  than  here?  Is  the  land  any  richer?  Can 
you  there,  any  more  than  here,  raise  corn  and  wheat  and 
oats  without  work?  Will  any  body  there,  any  more  than 
here,  do  your  work  for  you?  If  you  intend  to  go  to  work, 
there  is  no  better  place  than  right  where  you  are;  if  you 
do  not  intend  to  go  to  work,  you  can  not  get  along  any 
where.  Squirming  and  crawling  about  from  place  to  place 
can  do  no  good.  You  have  raised  no  crop  this  year;  and 
what  you  really  want  is  to  sell  the  land,  get  the  money 
and  spend  it.  Part  with  the  land  you  have,  and,  my  life 
upon  it,  you  will  never  after  own  a  spot  big  enough  to 
bury  you  in.  Half  of  what  you  will  get  for  the  land  you 
will  spend  in  moving  to  Missouri,  and  the  other  half  you
EVERY-DAY    LIFE    OF    LINCOLN     123 
will  eat  and  drink  and  wear  out,  and  no  foot  of  land  will 
be  bought.  Now,  I  feel  it  is  my  duty  to  have  no  hand  in 
such  a  piece  of  foolery.  I  feel  that  it  is  so  even  on  your 
own  account,  and  particularly  on  mother's  account.  The 
eastern  forty  acres  I  intend  to  keep  for  mother  while  she 
lives;  if  you  will  not  cultivate  it,  it  will  rent  for  enough  to 
support  her;  at  least,  it  will  rent  for  something.  Her 
dower  in  the  other  two  forties  she  can  let  you  have,  and  no 
thanks  to  me.  Now,  do  not  misunderstand  this  letter. 
I  do  not  write  it  in  any  unkindness.  I  write  it  in  order,  if 
possible,  to  get  you  to  face  the  truth,  which  truth  is,  you 
are  destitute  because  you  have  idled  away  all  your  time. 
Your  thousand  pretences  for  not  getting  along  better  are 
all  nonsense.  They  deceive  nobody  but  yourself.  Go  to 
work  is  the  only  cure  for  your  case. 
Sincerely  yours, 
A.  LINCOLN. 
In  still  another  letter  he  reveals  his  tender  solicitude 
for  his  step-mother,  as  well  as  his  care  for  his  step-brother's 
unfortunate  children. 
Shelbyville,  Nov.  9,  1851 
DEAR  BROTHER  :  —  When  I  wrote  you  before,  I  had  not 
received  your  letter.  I  still  think  as  I  did;  but  if  the  land 
can  be  sold  so  that  I  get  $300  to  put  at  interest  for  mother, 
I  will  not  object,  if  she  does  not.  But  before  I  will  make  a 
deed,  the  money  must  be  had,  or  secured  beyond  all  doubt, 
at  ten  per  cent.  As  to  Abram,  I  do  not  want  him  on  my 
own  account;  but  I  understand  he  wants  to  live  with  me, 
so  that  he  can  go  to  school,  and  get  a  fair  start  in  the  world, 
which  I  very  much  wish  him  to  have.  When  I  reach  home, 
if  I  can  make  it  convenient  I  will  take  him,  provided  there 
is  no  mistake  between  us  as  to  the  object  and  terms  of  my 
taking  him. 
In  haste,  as  ever, 
A.  LINCOLN. 
In  speaking  of  Lincoln's  regard  for  his  step-mother,  it 
is  interesting  also  to  learn  her  opinion  of  him.  A  gentle 
man  visiting  the  old  lady  after  her  son's  death  says:  "She 
is  eighty-four  years  old,  and  quite  feeble.  She  is  a  plain,
124     EVERY-DAY    LIFE    OF    LINCOLN 
unsophisticated  old  lady,  with  a  frank,  open  countenance, 
a  warm  heart  full  of  kindness  toward  others,  and  in  many 
respects  very  much  like  the  President.  Abraham  was 
evidently  her  idol;  she  speaks  of  him  still  as  her  'good 
boy,'  and  with  much  feeling  said,  'He  was  always  a  good 
boy,  and  willing  to  do  just  what  I  wanted.  He  and  his 
step-brother  never  quarrelled  but  once,  and  that,  you 
know,  is  a  great  deal  for  step-brothers.  I  didn't  want 
him  elected  President.  I  knowed  they  would  kill  him.'" 
She  died  in  April,  1869,  and  was  buried  by  the  side  of  her 
husband,  Thomas  Lincoln.
CHAPTER  VIII 
Lincoln  as  a  Lawyer  —  His  Appearance  in  Court  —  Reminiscences  of 
a  Law-Student  in  Lincoln's  Office  —  An  "  Office  Copy "  of  Byron 
—  Novel  way  of  Keeping  Partnership  Accounts  —  Charges  for  Legal 
Services  —  Trial  of  Bill  Armstrong  —  Lincoln  before  a  Jury  — 
Kindness  toward  Unfortunate  Clients  —  Refusing  to  Defend 
Guilty  Men —  Courtroom  Anecdotes  —  Anecdotes  of  Lincoln  at 
the  Bar — -Some  Striking  Opinions  of  Lincoln  as  a  Lawyer. 
THE  ten  years  following  the  close  of  Lincoln's  Con 
gressional  service,  in  1849,  were  given  to  the  unin 
terrupted  practice  of  the  law,  to  which  he  devoted  himself 
laboriously  and  successfully,  though  not  with  great  pe 
cuniary  gains.  His  legal  fees  were  regarded  by  his  brethren 
at  the  bar  as  "ridiculously  small."  His  practice  had 
extended  to  the  Supreme  Court  of  his  State  and  to  the 
United  States  District  and  Circuit  Courts,  and  he  was 
occasionally  retained  for  cases  in  other  States.  With 
greater  love  of  money  and  less  sympathy  for  his  fellows, 
he  might  have  acquired  a  fortune  in  his  profession. 
Lincoln  never  speculated.  Apparently  he  had  no  great 
desire  to  acquire  wealth.  He  had  many  opportunities 
in  the  days  of  the  State's  early  growth  to  make  good  and 
safe  investments,  but  he  never  took  advantage  of  them. 
Many  of  his  fellow  lawyers  were  becoming  wealthy,  but 
Lincoln  still  rode  the  circuit  wearing  the  familiar  gray 
shawl  about  his  shoulders,  carrying  a  carpet-bag  filled 
with  papers  and  a  change  of  underclothing,  and  a  faded, 
green  cotton  umbrella  with  "A.  Lincoln"  in  large  white 
muslin  letters  on  the  inside.  The  knob  was  gone  from 
the  handle  of  the  umbrella  and  a  piece  of  twine  kept  it 
from  falling  open.  A  young  lawyer  who  saw  him  for  the 
first  time  thus  —  one  who  grew  to  love  him  and  who  after-
126     EVERY-DAY    LIFE    OF    LINCOLN 
wards  gave  his  life  for  the  Union  —  in  relating  the  cir 
cumstance  a  long  time  afterward,  exclaimed:  "He  was  the 
ungodliest  figure  I  ever  saw." 
An  interesting  and  vivid  description  of  Lincoln's  per 
sonal  appearance  and  manner  in  the  trial  of  a  case  is 
furnished  by  one  who  was  a  witness  of  the  scenes  which  he 
so  admirably  describes.  The  writer  says:  "While  living 
in  Danville,  Illinois,  in  1854,  I  saw  Abraham  Lincoln  for 
the  first  time.  The  occasion  of  his  visit  was  as  prosecutor 
of  a  slander  suit  brought  by  Dr.  Fithian  against  a  wealthy 
farmer  whose  wife  died  under  the  doctor's  hands.  The 
defense  was  represented  by  Edward  A.  Hannegan,  of 
Indiana,  ex-United  States  Senator  and  afterward  Minister 
to  Berlin,  an  able  and  eloquent  man;  and  O.  B.  Ficklin, 
who,  after  Douglas  and  Lincoln,  was  considered  the  best 
lawyer  in  Illinois.  Lincoln  had  all  he  could  do  to  maintain 
himself  against  his  two  formidable  adversaries,  but  he  was 
equal  to  the  occasion.  The  trial  lasted  three  or  four  days, 
the  examination  of  witnesses  consuming  most  of  the  time. 
In  this  part  of  the  work  Lincoln  displayed  remarkable 
tact.  He  did  not  badger  the  witnesses,  or  attempt  to 
confuse  them.  His  questions  were  plain  and  practical, 
and  elicited  answers  that  had  a  direct  bearing  upon  the 
case.  He  did  nothing  for  effect,  and  made  no  attempt  to 
dazzle  the  jury  or  captivate  the  audience.  When  he  arose 
to  speak  he  was  confronted  by  an  audience  that  was  too 
numerous  for  all  to  find  seats  in  the  court-room.  He  was 
attired  in  a  fine  broadcloth  suit,  silk  hat,  and  polished 
boots.  His  neck  was  encircled  by  an  old-fashioned  silk 
choker.  He  perspired  freely,  and  used  a  red  silk  handker 
chief  to  remove  the  perspiration.  His  clothes  fitted  him, 
and  he  was  as  genteel-looking  as  any  man  in  the  audience. 
The  slouchy  appearance  which  he  is  said  to  have  presented 
on  other  occasions  was  conspicuously  absent  here.  As 
he  stood  before  the  vast  audience,  towering  above  every 
person  around  him,  he  was  the  centre  of  attraction.  I
EVERY-DAY    LIFE    OF    LINCOLN     127 
can  never  forget  how  he  looked,  as  he  cast  his  eyes  over 
the  crowd  before  beginning  his  argument.  His  face  was 
long  and  sallow;  high  cheek  bones;  large,  deep-set  eyes, 
of  a  grayish-brown  color,  shaded  by  heavy  eyebrows; 
high  but  not  broad  forehead;  large,  well-formed  head, 
covered  with  an  abundance  of  coarse  black  hair,  worn 
rather  long,  through  which  he  frequently  passed  his 
fingers;  arms  and  legs  of  unusual  length;  head  inclined 
slightly  forward,  which  made  him  appear  stoop-shouldered. 
His  features  betrayed  neither  excitement  nor  anxiety. 
They  were  calm  and  fixed.  In  short,  his  appearance  was 
that  of  a  man  who  felt  the  responsibility  of  his  position 
and  was  determined  to  acquit  himself  to  the  best  of  his 
ability.  I  do  not  remember  the  points  of  his  speech;  but 
his  manner  was  so  peculiar,  so  different  from  that  of  other 
orators  whom  I  have  heard,  that  I  can  never  forget  it. 
He  spoke  for  almost  two  hours,  entirely  without  notes 
and  with  an  eloquence  that  I  have  never  heard  surpassed. 
He  was  all  life,  all  motion;  every  muscle  and  fibre  of  his 
body  seemed  brought  into  requisition.  His  voice  was 
clear,  distinct,  and  well  modulated.  Every  word  was 
clean-cut  and  exactly  suited  to  its  place.  At  times  he 
would  stoop  over  until  his  hands  almost  swept  the  floor. 
Then  he  would  straighten  himself  up,  fold  his  arms  across 
his  breast,  and  take  a  few  steps  forward  or  back.  This 
movement  completed,  he  would  fling  his  arms  above  his 
head,  or  thrust  them  beneath  his  coat-tails,  elevating  or 
depressing  his  voice  to  suit  the  attitude  assumed  and  the 
sentiment  expressed.  Arms  and  legs  were  continually 
in  motion.  It  seemed  impossible  for  him  to  stand  still. 
In  the  midst  of  the  most  impassioned  or  pathetic  portions 
of  his  speech,  he  would  extend  his  long  arms  toward  the 
judge  or  jury,  and  shake  his  bony  fingers  with  an  effect 
that  is  indescribable.  He  held  his  audience  to  the  last; 
and  when  he  sat  down  there  was  a  murmur  of  applause 
which  the  judge  with  difficulty  prevented  from  swelling
128     EVERY-DAY    LIFE    OF    LINCOLN 
to  a  roar.  The  argument  must  have  been  as  able  as  the 
manner  of  the  speaker  was  attractive,  for  the  verdict  was 
in  favor  of  his  client. 
"When  he  had  retired  to  his  hotel  after  the  trial,  and 
while  conversing  with  a  number  of  gentlemen  who  had 
called  to  pay  their  respects  to  him,  Lincoln  was  informed 
that  an  old  colored  woman,  who  had  known  him  years 
before  in  Kentucky,  wished  to  see  him.  She  was  too 
feeble  to  come  to  him,  and  desired  him  to  go  to  her. 
Ascertaining  where  she  lived,  Lincoln  started  at  once, 
accompanied  by  a  boy  who  acted  as  pilot.  He  found  the 
woman  in  a  wretched  hovel  in  the  outskirts  of  the  town, 
sick  and  destitute.  He  remembered  her  very  well,  as  she 
had  belonged  to  the  owner  of  the  farm  upon  which  Lincoln 
was  born.  He  gave  her  money  to  supply  her  immediate 
wants,  promised  her  that  he  would  see  she  did  not  suffer 
for  the  necessaries  of  life,  and  when  he  returned  to  town 
hunted  up  a  physician  and  engaged  him  to  give  the  old 
woman  all  the  medical  attention  that  her  case  demanded." 
Mr.  G.  W.  Harris,  whose  first  meeting  with  Lincoln 
in  a  log  school-house  has  been  previously  described  in 
these  pages,  subsequently  became  a  clerk  in  Lincoln's 
law-office  at  Springfield,  and  furnishes  some  excellent 
reminiscences  of  that  interesting  period.  "A  crack- 
brained  attorney  who  lived  in  Springfield,  supported 
mainly  by  the  other  lawyers  of  the  place,  became  in 
debted,  in  the  sum  of  two  dollars  and  fifty  cents,  to  a 
wealthy  citizen  of  the  county,  a  recent  comer.  The 
creditor,  failing  after  repeated  efforts  to  collect  the  amount 
due  him,  came  to  Mr.  Lincoln  and  asked  him  to  bring 
suit.  Lincoln  explained  the  man's  condition  and  circum 
stances,  and  advised  his  client  to  let  the  matter  rest; 
but  the  creditor's  temper  was  up,  and  he  insisted  on 
having  suit  brought.  Again  Lincoln  urged  him  to  let  the 
matter  drop,  adding,  'You  can  make  nothing  out  of  him, 
and  it  will  cost  you  a  good  deal  more  than  the  debt  to
EVERY-DAY    LIFE    OF    LINCOLN     129 
bring  suit.'  The  creditor  was  still  determined  to  have  his 
way,  and  threatened  to  seek  some  other  attorney  who 
would  be  more  willing  to  take  charge  of  the  matter  than 
Lincoln  appeared  to  be.  Lincoln  then  said,  'Well,  if 
you  are  determined  that  suit  shall  be  brought,  I  will  bring 
it;  but  my  charge  will  be  ten  dollars.'  The  money  was 
paid  him,  and  peremptory  orders  were  given  that  the  suit 
be  brought  that  day.  After  the  client's  departure, 
Lincoln  went  out  of  the  office,  returning  in  about  an  hour 
with  an  amused  look  on  his  face.  I  asked  what  pleased 
him,  and  he  replied,  *  I  brought  suit  against   ,  and 
then  hunted  him  up,  told  him  what  I  had  done,  handed 
him  half  of  the  ten  dollars,  and  we  wrent  over  to  the 
squire's  office.  He  confessed  judgment  and  paid  the  bill.' 
Lincoln  added  that  he  didn't  see  any  other  way  to  make 
things  satisfactory  for  his  client  as  well  as  the  rest  of  the 
parties. 
"Mr.  Lincoln  had  a  heart  that  was  more  a  woman's 
than  a  man's  —  filled  to  overflowing  with  sympathy  for 
those  in  trouble,  and  ever  ready  to  relieve  them  by  any 
means  in  his  power.  He  was  ever  thoughtful  of  others' 
comforts,  even  to  the  forgetting  of  himself.  In  those 
early  days  his  face  wore  a  sad  look  when  at  rest  —  a  look 
that  made  you  feel  that  you  would  like  to  take  from  him 
a  part  of  his  burden.  One  who  knew  him  then  and  had 
known  his  career  since  would  be  inclined  to  think  that  he 
already  felt  premonitions  of  the  heavy  burdens  that  his 
broad  shoulders  were  to  bear,  and  the  sorrows  that  his 
kind  heart  would  have  to  endure. 
"Mr.  Lincoln  was  fond  of  playing  chess  and  checkers, 
and  usually  acted  cautiously  upon  the  defensive  until  the 
game  had  reached  a  stage  where  aggressive  movements 
were  clearly  justified.  He  was  also  somewhat  fond  of 
ten-pins,  and  occasionally  indulged  in  a  game.  Whatever 
may  have  been  his  tastes  in  his  younger  days,  at  this 
period  of  his  life  he  took  no  interest  in  fishing-rod  or  gun.
130     EVERY-DAY    LIFE    OF    LINCOLN 
He  was  indifferent  to  dress,  careless  almost  to  a  fault  of 
his  personal  appearance.  The  same  indifference  extended 
to  money.  So  long  as  his  wants  were  supplied  —  and  they 
were  few  and  simple  —  he  seemed  to  have  no  further  use 
for  money,  except  in  the  giving  or  the  lending  of  it,  with 
no  expectation  or  desire  for  its  return,  to  those  whom  he 
thought  needed  it  more  than  he.  Debt  he  abhorred,  and 
under  no  circumstances  would  he  incur  it.  He  was  ab 
stemious  in  every  respect.  I  have  heard  him  say  that  he 
did  not  know  the  taste  of  liquor.  At  the  table  he  preferred 
plain  food,  and  a  very  little  satisfied  him. 
"Under  no  circumstances  would  he,  as  an  attorney, 
take  a  case  he  knew  to  be  wrong.  Every  possible  means 
was  used  to  get  at  the  truth  before  he  would  undertake  a 
case.  More  cases,  by  his  advice,  were  settled  without 
trial  than  he  carried  into  the  courts;  and  that,  too,  without 
charge.  When  on  one  occasion  I  suggested  that  he  ought 
to  make  a  charge  in  such  cases,  he  laughingly  answered, 
'They  wouldn't  want  to  pay  me;  they  don't  think  I  have 
earned  a  fee  unless  I  take  the  case  into  court  and  make 
a  speech  or  two/  When  trivial  cases  were  brought  to 
him,  such  as  would  most  probably  be  carried  no  farther 
than  a  magistrate's  office,  and  he  could  not  induce  a 
settlement  without  trial,  he  would  generally  refer  them  to 
some  young  attorney,  for  whom  he  w^ould  speak  a  good 
word  at  the  same  time.  He  was  ever  kind  and  courteous 
to  these  young  beginners  when  he  was  the  opposing  counsel. 
He  had  a  happy  knack  of  setting  them  at  their  ease  and 
encouraging  them.  In  consequence  he  was  the  favorite 
of  all  who  came  in  contact  with  him.  When  his  heart  was 
in  a  case  he  was  a  powerful  advocate.  I  have  heard  more 
than  one  attorney  say  that  it  was  little  use  to  expect  a 
favorable  verdict  in  any  case  where  Lincoln  was  opposing 
counsel,  as  his  simple  statements  of  the  facts  had  more 
weight  with  the  jury  than  those  of  the  witnesses. 
"As  a  student  (if  such  a  term  could  be  applied  to  Mr.
EVERY-DAY    LIFE    OF    LINCOLN     131 
Lincoln)  one  who  did  not  know  him  might  have  called  him 
indolent.  He  would  pick  up  a  book  and  run  rapidly  over 
the  pages,  pausing  here  and  there.  At  the  end  of  an  hour 
—  never,  as  I  remember,  more  than  two  or  three  hours  — 
he  would  close  the  book,  stretch  himself  out  on  the  office 
lounge,  and  with  hands  under  his  head  and  eyes  shut  he 
would  digest  the  mental  food  he  had  just  taken. 
"In  the  spring  of  1846,  war  between  the  United  States 
and  Mexico  broke  out.  Mr.  Lincoln  was  opposed  to  the 
war.  He  looked  upon  it  as  unnecessary  and  unjust. 
Volunteers  were  called  for.  John  J.  Hardin,  who  lost  his 
life  in  that  war,  and  Edward  D.  Baker,  who  was  killed  at 
Ball's  Bluff  during  our  Civil  War  —  both  Whigs  —  were 
engaged  in  raising  regiments.  Meetings  were  held  and 
speeches  made.  At  one  of  them,  after  Baker  and  others 
had  spoken,  Lincoln,  who  was  in  the  audience,  was  called 
for,  and  the  call  was  repeated  until  at  last  he  ascended  the 
platform.  He  thanked  the  audience  for  the  compliment 
paid  him  in  the  wish  they  had  expressed  to  hear  him  talk, 
and  said  he  would  gladly  make  them  a  speech  if  he  had 
anything  to  say.  But  he  was  not  going  into  the  war; 
and  as  he  was  not  going  himself,  he  did  not  feel  like  telling 
others  to  go.  He  would  simply  leave  it  to  each  individual 
to  do  as  he  thought  his  duty  called  for.  After  a  few  more 
remarks,  and  a  story  'with  a  nib  to  it,'  he  bowed  himself 
off  the  platform. 
"About  a  year  after  this,  Mr.  Lincoln  was  seeking  to  be 
nominated  as  a  candidate  for  Congress.  Finding  the 
writing  of  letters  (at  his  dictation)  to  influential  men  in 
the  different  counties  and  even  precincts  of  the  district 
somewhat  burdensome,  I  suggested  printing  circulars. 
He  objected,  on  the  ground  that  a  printed  letter  would 
not  have  the  same  effect  that  a  written  one  would;  the 
latter  had  the  appearance  of  personality,  it  was  more 
flattering  to  the  receiver,  and  would  more  certainly  gain 
his  assistance,  or  at  least  his  good-will.  In  discussing  the
132     EVERY-DAY    LIFE    OF    LINCOLN 
probabilities  of  his  nomination,  I  remarked  that  there  was 
so  much  unfairness,  if  not  downright  trickery,  used  that 
it  appeared  to  me  almost  useless  to  seek  a  nomination 
without  resort  to  similar  means.  His  reply  was:  'I  want 
to  be  nominated;  I  would  like  to  go  to  Congress;  but  if  I 
cannot  do  so  by  fair  means,  I  prefer  to  stay  at  home/ 
He  was  nominated,  and  in  the  following  fall  was  elected 
by  a  majority  over  three  times  as  large  as  the  district 
had  ever  before  given. 
"Mr.  Lincoln,  like  many  others  in  their  callow  days, 
scribbled  verses;  and  so  far  as  I  was  capable  of  judging, 
their  quality  was  above  the  average.  It  was  accidentally 
that  I  learned  this.  In  arranging  the  books  and  papers 
in  the  office,  I  found  two  or  three  quires  of  letter-paper 
stitched  together  in  book  form,  nearly  filled  with  poetical 
effusions  in  Mr.  Lincoln's  handwriting,  and  evidently 
original.  I  looked  through  them  somewhat  hurriedly,  and 
when  Lincoln  came  in  I  showed  him  the  manuscript,  asking 
him  if  it  was  his.  His  response  was,  'Where  did  you  find 
it?'  and  rolling  it  up,  he  put  it  in  his  coat-tail  pocket; 
and  I  saw  it  no  more.  Afterwards,  in  speaking  of  the 
matter  to  Mr.  Lincoln's  partner,  he  said,  'I  believe  he 
has  at  times  scribbled  some  verses;  but  he  is,  I  think, 
somewhat  unwilling  to  have  it  known.'" 
Lincoln's  love  of  poetry  is  further  shown  by  the  following 
incident,  related  by  a  gentleman  who  visited  the  old  law- 
office  of  Lincoln  &  Herndon,  at  Springfield.  He  says: 
"I  took  up  carelessly,  as  I  stood  thinking,  a  handsome 
octavo  volume  lying  on  the  office  table.  It  opened  so 
persistently  at  one  place,  as  I  handled  it,  that  I  looked  to 
see  what  it  was,  and  found  that  somebody  had  thoroughly 
thumbed  the  pages  of  'Don  Juan.'  I  knew  Mr.  Herndon 
was  not  a  man  to  dwell  on  it,  and  it  darted  through  my 
mind  that  perhaps  it  had  been  a  favorite  with  Lincoln. 
'Did  Mr.  Lincoln  ever  read  this  book?'  I  said,  hurriedly. 
'That  book!'  said  Herndon,  looking  up  from  his  writing
EVERY-DAY    LIFE    OF    LINCOLN     133 
and  taking  it  out  of  my  hand.  *  Oh,  yes;  he  read  it  often. 
It  is  the  office  copy.'"  Lincoln  was  so  fond  of  the  book 
that  he  kept  it  ready  to  his  hand. 
Mr.  John  T.  Stuart,  Lincoln's  first  law-partner,  says 
of  him  that  his  accounts  were  correctly  kept,  but  in  a 
manner  peculiar  to  himself.  Soon  after  their  law-partner 
ship  was  formed,  Mr.  Stuart  was  elected  to  Congress, 
thereafter  spending  much  of  his  time  in  Washington. 
Lincoln  conducted  the  business  of  the  firm  in  his 
absence.  When  Mr.  Stuart  reached  home,  at  the  close 
of  the  first  session  of  Congress,  Lincoln  proceeded  to  give 
him  an  account  of  the  earnings  of  the  office  during  his 
absence.  The  charges  for  fees  and  entry  of  receipts  of 
money  were  not  in  an  account  book,  but  stowed  away  in 
a  drawer  in  Lincoln's  desk,  among  the  papers  in  each  case. 
He  proceeded  to  ky  the  papers  before  Mr.  Stuart,  taking 
up  each  case  by  itself.  The  account  would  run  in  this 
way: 
Fees  charged  in  this  case   $ 
Amount  collected   $ 
Stuart's  half   $ 
The  half  that  belonged  to  Mr.  Stuart  would  invariably 
accompany  the  papers  in  the  case.  Lincoln  had  the 
reputation  of  being  very  moderate  in  his  charges.  He 
was  never  grasping,  and  seemed  incapable  of  believing 
that  his  services  could  be  worth  much  to  anyone. 
One  of  the  most  famous  cases  in  which  Lincoln  engaged 
was  that  of  William  D.  Armstrong,  son  of  Jack  and  Hannah 
Armstrong  of  New  Salem,  the  child  whom  Lincoln  had 
rocked  in  the  cradle  while  Mrs.  Armstrong  attended  to 
other  household  duties.  Jack  Armstrong,  it  will  be 
remembered,  was  an  early  friend  of  Lincoln's,  whom  he 
had  beaten  in  a  wrestling-match  on  his  first  arrival  in 
New  Salem.  He  and  his  wife  had  from  that  time  treated 
the  youth  with  the  utmost  kindness,  giving  him  a  home 
when  he  was  out  of  work,  and  showing  him  every  kindness
134     EVERY-DAY    LIFE    OF    LINCOLN 
it  was  in  their  power  to  offer.  Lincoln  never  forgot  his 
debt  of  gratitude  to  them;  and  when  Hannah,  now  a 
widow,  wrote  to  him  of  the  peril  her  boy  was  in,  and 
besought  him  to  help  them  in  their  extremity,  he  replied 
promptly  that  he  would  do  what  he  could.  The  circum 
stances  were  these:  "In  the  summer  of  1857,  at  a  camp- 
meeting  in  Mason  County,  one  Metzgar  was  most  brutally 
murdered.  The  affray  took  place  about  half  a  mile  from 
the  place  of  worship,  near  some  wagons  loaded  with  liquor 
and  provisions.  Two  men,  James  H.  Norris  and  William 
D.  Armstrong,  were  indicted  for  the  crime.  Norris  was 
tried  in  Mason  County,  convicted  of  manslaughter,  and 
sentenced  to  the  penitentiary  for  a  term  of  eight  years. 
The  popular  feeling  being  very  high  against  Armstrong  in 
Mason  County,  he  took  a  change  of  venue  to  Cass  County, 
and  was  there  tried  (at  Beardstown)  in  the  spring  of  1858. 
Hitherto  Armstrong  had  had  the  services  of  two  able 
counsellors;  but  now  their  efforts  were  supplemented  by 
those  of  a  most  determined  and  zealous  volunteer.  The 
case  was  so  clear  against  the  accused  that  defense  seemed 
almost  useless.  The  strongest  evidence  was  that  of  a 
man  who  swore  that  at  eleven  o'clock  at  night  he  saw 
Armstrong  strike  the  deceased  on  the  head;  that  the 
moon  was  shining  brightly,  and  was  nearly  full;  and  that 
its  position  in  the  sky  was  just  about  that  of  the  sun  at 
ten  o'clock  in  the  morning,  and  by  it  he  saw  Armstrong 
give  the  mortal  blow."  This  was  fatal,  unless  the  effect 
could  be  broken  by  contradiction  or  impeachment.  Lin 
coln  quietly  looked  up  an  almanac,  and  found  that  at  the 
time  this  witness  declared  the  moon  to  have  been  shin 
ing  with  full  light  there  was  no  moon  at  all.  Lincoln 
made  the  closing  argument.  "At  first,"  says  Mr.  Walker, 
one  of  the  counsel  associated  with  him,  "he  spoke  very 
slowly  and  carefully,  reviewing  the  testimony  and  pointing 
out  its  contradictions,  discrepancies  and  impossibilities. 
When  he  had  thus  prepared  the  way,  he  called  for  an
EVERY-DAY    LIFE    OF    LINCOLN     135 
almanac,  and  showed  that  at  the  hour  at  which  the 
principal  witness  swore  he  had  seen,  by  the  light  of  the 
full  moon,  the  mortal  blow  given,  there  was  no  moon.  The 
last  fifteen  minutes  of  his  speech  were  as  eloquent  as  I 
ever  heard;  and  such  were  the  power  and  earnestness  with 
which  he  spoke  to  that  jury,  that  all  sat  as  if  entranced, 
and,  when  he  was  through,  found  relief  in  a  gush  of  tears." 
Said  one  of  the  prosecutors:  "He  took  the  jury  by  storm. 
There  were  tears  in  Mr.  Lincoln's  eyes  while  he  spoke, 
but  they  were  genuine.  His  sympathies  were  fully  en 
listed  in  favor  of  the  young  man,  and  his  terrible  sincerity 
could  not  help  but  arouse  the  same  passion  in  the  jury. 
I  have  said  a  hundred  times  that  it  was  Lincoln's  speech 
that  saved  that  man  from  the  gallows."  "Armstrong 
was  not  cleared  by  any  want  of  testimony  against  him, 
but  by  the  irresistible  appeal  of  Mr.  Lincoln  in  his  favor," 
says  Mr.  Shaw,  one  of  the  associates  in  the  prosecution. 
His  mother,  who  sat  near  during  Lincoln's  appeal,  says: 
"He  told  the  stories  about  our  first  acquaintance,  and 
what  I  did  for  him  and  how  I  did  it.  Lincoln  said  to 
me,  'Hannah,  your  son  will  be  cleared  before  sundown.' 
He  and  the  other  lawyers  addressed  the  jury,  and  closed 
the  case.  I  went  down  to  Thompson's  pasture.  Stator 
came  to  me  and  told  me  that  my  son  was  cleared  and  a 
free  man.  I  went  up  to  the  court-house;  the  jury  shook 
hands  with  me,  so  did  the  court,  so  did  Lincoln.  We 
were  all  affected,  and  tears  were  in  Lincoln's  eyes.  He 
then  remarked  to  me,  *  Hannah,  what  did  I  tell  you?  I 
pray  to  God  that  William  may  be  a  good  boy  hereafter; 
that  this  lesson  may  prove  in  the  end  a  good  lesson  to  him 
and  to  all.'  After  the  trial  was  over,  Lincoln  came  down 
to  where  I  was  in  Beardstown.  I  asked  him  what  he 
charged  me;  told  him  I  was  poor.  He  said,  'Why, 
Hannah,  I  shan't  charge  you  a  cent  —  never.  Anything 
I  can  do  for  you  I  will  do  willingly  and  without  charges.' 
He  wrote  to  me  about  some  land  which  some  men  were
136     EVERY-DAY    LIFE    OF    LINCOLN 
trying  to  get  from  me,  and  said,  *  Hannah,  they  can't  get 
your  land.  Let  them  try  it  in  the  Circuit 'Court,  and  then 
you  appeal  it.  Bring  it  to  the  Supreme  Court,  and 
Herndon  and  I  will  attend  to  it  for  nothing. '" 
Lincoln  regarded  himself  not  only  as  the  legal  adviser  of 
unfortunate  people,  but  as  their  friend  and  protector; 
and  he  would  never  press  them  for  pay  for  his  services. 
A  client  named  Cogdal  was  unfortunate  in  business,  and 
gave  Lincoln  a  note  in  payment  of  legal  fees.  Soon  after 
wards  he  met  with  an  accident  by  which  he  lost  a  hand. 
Meeting  Lincoln  some  time  after,  on  the  steps  of  the 
State  House,  the  kind  lawyer  asked  him  how  he  was  get 
ting  along.  "Badly  enough,"  replied  Mr.  Cogdal.  "I 
am  both  broken  up  in  business  and  crippled."  Then  he 
added,  "I  have  been  thinking  about  that  note  of  yours." 
Lincoln,  who  had  probably  known  all  about  Mr.  Cogdal's 
troubles,  and  had  prepared  himself  for  the  meeting,  took 
out  his  pocket-book,  and  saying,  with  a  laugh,  "Well  you 
needn't  think  any  more  about  it,"  handed  him  the  note. 
Mr.  Cogdal  protesting,  Lincoln  said,  "Even  if  you  had 
the  money,  I  would  not  take  it,"  and  hurried  away. 
Mr.  G.  L.  Austin  thus  describes  an  incident  of  Lincoln's 
career  at  the  bar:  "Mr.  Lincoln  was  once  associated  with 
Mr.  Leonard  Swett  in  defending  a  man  accused  of  murder. 
He  listened  to  the  testimony  which  witness  after  witness 
gave  against  his  client,  until  his  honest  heart  could  stand 
it  no  longer;  then,  turning  to  his  associate,  he  said: 
*  Swett,  the  man  is  guilty;  you  defend  him;  I  can't.' 
Swett  did  defend  him,  and  the  man  was  acquitted.  When 
proffered  his  share  of  the  large  fee,  Lincoln  most  emphati 
cally  declined  it,  on  the  ground  that  'all  of  it  belonged  to 
Mr.  Swett,  whose  ardor  and  eloquence  saved  a  guilty  man 
from  justice.'" 
At  a  term  of  court  in  Logan  County,  a  man  named 
Hoblit  had  brought  suit  against  a  man  named  Farmer. 
The  suit  had  been  appealed  from  a  justice  of  the  peace,  and
EVERY-DAY    LIFE    OF    LINCOLN     137 
Lincoln  knew  nothing  of  it  until  he  was  retained  by  Hoblit 
to  try  the  case  in  the  Circuit  Court.  G.  A.  Gridley, 
then  of  Bloomington,  appeared  for  the  defendant.  Judge 
Treat,  afterwards  on  the  United  States  bench,  was  the 
presiding  judge  at  the  trial.  Lincoln's  client  went  upon 
the  witness  stand  and  testified  to  the  account  he  had 
against  the  defendant,  gave  the  amount  due  after  allowing 
all  credits  and  set-offs,  and  swore  positively  that  it  had 
not  been  paid.  The  attorney  for  the  defendant  simply 
produced  a  receipt  in  full,  signed  by  Hoblit  prior  to  the 
beginning  of  the  case.  Hoblit  had  to  admit  the  signing  of 
the  receipt,  but  told  Lincoln  he  "supposed  the  cuss  had 
lost  it."  Lincoln  at  once  arose  and  left  the  court-room. 
The  Judge  told  the  parties  to  proceed  with  the  case;  and 
Lincoln  not  appearing,  Judge  Treat  directed  a  bailiff  to 
go  to  the  hotel  and  call  him.  The  bailiff  ran  across  the 
street  to  the  hotel,  and  found  Lincoln  sitting  in  the  office 
with  his  feet  on  the  stove,  apparently  in  a  deep  study, 
when  he  interrupted  him  with:  "Mr.  Lincoln,  the  Judge 
wants  you."  "Oh,  does  he?"  replied  Lincoln.  "Well, 
you  go  back  and  tell  the  Judge  I  cannot  come.  Tell 
him  I  have  to  wash  my  hands."  The  bailiff  returned 
with  the  message,  and  Lincoln's  client  suffered  a  non-suit. 
It  was  Lincoln's  way  of  saying  he  wanted  nothing  more 
to  do  with  such  a  case. 
Lincoln  would  never  advise  clients  into  unwise  or 
unjust  lawsuits.  He  would  always  sacrifice  his  own 
interests,  and  refuse  a  retainer,  rather  than  be  a  party 
to  a  case  which  did  not  command  the  approval  of  his 
sense  of  justice.  He  was  once  waited  upon  by  a  lady  who 
held  a  real-estate  claim  which  she  desired  to  have  him 
prosecute,  putting  into  his  hands,  with  the  necessary 
papers,  a  check  for  two  hundred  and  fifty  dollars  as  a 
retaining  fee.  Lincoln  said  he  would  look  the  case  over, 
and  asked  her  to  call  again  the  next  day.  Upon  presenting 
herself,  he  told  her  that  he  had  gone  through  the  papers
138     EVERY-DAY    LIFE    OF    LINCOLN 
very  carefully,  and  was  obliged  to  tell  her  frankly  that 
there  was  "not  a  peg"  to  hang  her  claim  upon,  and  he 
could  not  conscientiously  advise  her  to  bring  an  action. 
The  lady  was  satisfied,  and,  thanking  him,  rose  to  go. 
"Wait,"  said  Lincoln,'  fumbling  in  his  vest  pocket;  "here 
is  the  check  you  left  with  me."  "But,  Mr.  Lincoln," 
returned  the  lady,  "I  think  you  have  earned  that."  "No, 
no,"  he  responded,  handing  it  back  to  her;  "that  would 
not  be  right.  I  can't  take  pay  for  doing  my  duty." 
To  a  would-be  client  who  had  carefully  stated  his  case, 
to  which  Lincoln  had  listened  with  the  closest  attention, 
he  said:  "Yes,  there  is  no  reasonable  doubt  that  I  can 
gain  your  case  for  you.  I  can  set  a  whole  neighborhood 
at  loggerheads;  I  can  distress  a  widowed  mother  and  her 
six  fatherless  children,  and  thereby  get  for  you  six  hundred 
dollars,  which  rightfully  belongs,  it  appears  to  me,  as 
much  to  the  woman  and  her  children  as  it  does  to  you. 
You  must  remember  that  some  things  that  are  legally 
right  are  not  morally  right.  I  shall  not  take  your  case, 
but  will  give  you  a  little  advice,  for  which  I  will  charge 
you  nothing.  You  seem  to  be  a  sprightly,  energetic  man. 
I  would  advise  you  to  try  your  hand  at  making  six  hundred 
dollars  some  other  way." 
Senator  McDonald  states  that  he  saw  a  jury  trial  in 
Illinois,  at  which  Lincoln  defended  an  old  man  charged 
with  assault  and  battery.  No  blood  had  been  spilled, 
but  there  was  malice  in  the  prosecution,  and  the  chief 
witness  was  eager  to  make  the  most  of  it.  On  cross- 
examination,  Lincoln  "gave  him  rope"  and  drew  him  out; 
asked  him  how  long  the  fight  lasted  and  how  much  ground 
it  covered.  The  witness  thought  the  fight  must  have 
lasted  half  an  hour  and  covered  an  acre  of  ground.  Lin 
coln  called  his  attention  to  the  fact  that  nobody  was  hurt, 
and  then  with  an  inimitable  air  asked  him  if  he  didn't 
think  it  was  "a  mighty  small  crop  for  an  acre  of  ground." 
The  jury  rejected  the  prosecution's  claim.
EVERY-DAY    LIFE    OF    LINCOLN     139 
Many  of  the  stories  told  of  Lincoln  at  the  bar  are  ex 
tremely  ridiculous,  and  represent  him  in  anything  but  a 
dignified  light.  But  they  are  a  part  of  the  character  of  the 
man,  and  should  be  given  wherever  there  is  reason  to 
suppose  they  are  genuine.  Besides,  they  are  usually  full 
of  a  humor  that  is  irresistible.  Such  an  incident  is  given 
by  the  Hon.  Lawrence  Weldon,  Lincoln's  old  friend  and 
legal  associate  in  Illinois.  "I  can  see  him  now,"  says 
Judge  Weldon,  "through  the  decaying  memories  of  thirty 
years,  standing  in  the  corner  of  the  old  court-room,  and 
as  I  approached  him  with  a  paper  I  did  not  understand, 
he  said:  'Wait  until  I  fix  this  plug  for  my  gallus,  and  I 
will  pitch  into  that  like  a  dog  at  a  root.'  While  speaking, 
he  was  busily  engaged  in  trying  to  connect  his  suspender 
with  his  trousers  by  making  a  'plug'  perform  the  function 
of  a  button.  Lincoln  liked  old-fashioned  words,  and 
never  failed  to  use  them  if  they  could  be  sustained  as 
proper.  He  was  probably  accustomed  to  say  'gallows/ 
and  he  never  adopted  the  modern  word  'suspender.'" 
On  a  certain  occasion  Lincoln  appeared  at  the  trial  of 
a  case  in  which  his  friend  Judge  Logan  was  his  opponent. 
It  was  a  suit  between  two  farmers  who  had  had  a  disagree 
ment  over  a  horse-trade.  On  the  day  of  the  trial,  Mr. 
Logan,  having  bought  a  new  shirt,  open  in  the  back,  with 
a  huge  standing  collar,  dressed  himself  in  extreme  haste, 
and  put  on  the  shirt  with  the  bosom  at  the  back,  a  linen 
coat  concealing  the  blunder.  He  dazed  the  jury  with  his 
knowledge  of  "horse  points";  and  as  the  day  was  sultry, 
took  off  his  coat  and  "summed"  up  in  his  shirt-sleeves. 
Lincoln,  sitting  behind  him,  took  in  the  situation,  and 
when  his  turn  came  he  remarked  to  the  jury :  "Gentlemen, 
Mr.  Logan  has  been  trying  for  over  an  hour  to  make  you 
believe  he  knows  more  about  a  horse  than  these  honest 
old  farmers  who  are  witnesses.  He  has  quoted  largely 
from  his  'horse  doctor,'  and  now,  gentlemen,  I  submit  to 
you,"  (here  he  lifted  Logan  out  of  his  chair,  and  turned
140     EVERY-DAY    LIFE    OF    LINCOLN 
him  with  his  back  to  the  jury  and  the  crowd,  at  the  same 
time  flapping  up  the  enormous  standing  collar)  "what 
dependence  can  you  place  in  his  horse  knowledge,  when 
he  has  not  sense  enough  to  put  on  his  shirt?"  Roars  of 
laughter  greeted  this  exposition,  and  the  verdict  was  given 
to  Lincoln. 
The  preceding  incident  leads  to  another,  in  which 
Lincoln  himself  figures  as  a  horse-trader.  The  scene  is  a 
very  humorous  one;  and,  as  usual  in  an  encounter  of  wit, 
Lincoln  came  out  ahead.  He  and  a  certain  Judge  once 
got  to  bantering  each  other  about  trading  horses;  and  it 
was  agreed  that  the  next  morning  at  nine  o'clock  they 
should  make  a  trade,  the  horses  to  be  unseen  up  to  that 
hour,  —  and  no  backing  out,  under  a  forfeit  of  twenty-five 
dollars.  At  the  hour  appointed  the  Judge  came  up, 
leading  the  sorriest  looking  specimen  of  a  nag  ever  seen  in 
those  parts.  In  a  few  minutes  Lincoln  was  seen  approach 
ing  with  a  wooden  saw-horse  upon  his  shoulders.  Great 
were  the  shouts  and  the  laughter  of  the  crowd;  and  these 
increased,  when  Lincoln,  surveying  the  Judge's  animal, 
set  down  his  saw-horse,  and  exclaimed:  "Well,  Judge, 
this  is  the  first  time  I  ever  got  the  worst  of  it  in  a 
horse-trade!" 
There  has  been  much  discussion  as  to  Lincoln's  rank  and 
ability  as  a  lawyer.  Opinion  among  his  contemporaries 
seems  to  have  been  somewhat  divided.  Mr.  Herndon 
felt  warranted  in  saying  that  he  was  at  the  same  time 
a  very  great  and  a  very  insignificant  lawyer.  His 
mind  was  logical  and  direct.  Generalities  and  platitudes 
had  no  charm  for  him.  He  had  the  ability  to  seize  the 
strong  points  of  a  case  and  present  them  with  clearness 
and  compactness.  His  power  of  comparison  was  great. 
He  rarely  failed  in  a  legal  discussion  to  use  this  mode  of 
reasoning.  Yet  he  knew  practically  nothing  of  the  rules 
of  evidence,  of  pleading,  of  practice,  as  laid  down  in  the 
text-books,  and  seemed  to  care  little  about  them.  Some-
EVERY-DAY    LIFE    OF    LINCOLN     141 
times  he  lost  cases  of  the  plainest  justice  which  the  most 
inexperienced  lawyer  could  have  won.  He  looked  upon 
two  things  as  essential  to  his  success  in  a  case.  One  was 
time;  he  was  slow  in  reasoning  and  slow  in  speech.  The 
other  was  confidence  that  the  cause  he  represented  was 
just.  "  If  either  of  these  were  lacking,"  said  Mr.  Herndon, 
"Lincoln  was  the  weakest  man  at  the  bar.  When  it  fell 
to  him  to  address  the  jury  he  often  relied  absolutely  on 
the  inspiration  of  the  moment,  —  but  he  seldom  failed  to 
carry  his  point." 
Among  the  great  number  of  opinions  of  Lincoln's  rank 
as  a  lawyer,  expressed  by  his  professional  brethren,  a  few 
may  properly  be  given  in  closing  this  chapter,  which 
is  devoted  chiefly  to  Mr.  Lincoln's  professional  career. 
First  we  may  quote  the  brief  but  emphatic  words  of  the 
distinguished  jurist,  Judge  Sidney  Breese,  Chief  Justice  of 
Illinois,  who  said:  "For  my  single  self,  I  have  for  a  quarter 
of  a  century  regarded  Mr.  Lincoln  as  the  finest  lawyer  I 
ever  knew,  and  of  a  professional  bearing  so  high-toned  and 
honorable,  as  justly,  and  without  derogating  from  the 
claims  of  others,  entitling  him  to  be  presented  to  the 
profession  as  a  model  well  worthy  of  the  closest  imitation." 
Another  distinguished  Chief  Justice,  Hon.  John  Dean 
Caton,  says:  "In  1840  or  1841,  I  met  Mr.  Lincoln,  and 
was  for  the  first  time  associated  with  him  in  a  professional 
way.  We  attended  the  Circuit  Court  at  Pontiac,  Judge 
Treat  presiding,  where  we  were  both  engaged  in  the 
defense  of  a  man  by  the  name  of  Lavinia.  That  was  the 
first  and  only  time  I  was  associated  with  him  at  the  bar. 
He  practiced  in  a  circuit  that  was  beyond  the  one  in  which 
I  practiced,  and  consequently  we  were  not  brought  together 
much  in  the  practice  of  the  law.  He  stood  well  at  the  bar 
from  the  beginning.  I  was  a  younger  man,  but  an  older 
lawyer.  He  was  not  admitted  to  the  bar  till  after  I  was. 
I  was  not  closely  connected  with  him.  Indeed,  I  did  not 
meet  him  often,  professionally,  until  I  went  on  the  bench
142     EVERY-DAY    LIFE    OF    LINCOLN 
in  1842;  and  he  was  then  in  full  practice  before  the 
Supreme  Court,  and  continued  to  practice  there  regularly 
at  every  term  until  he  was  elected  President.  Mr.  Lincoln 
understood  the  relations  of  things,  and  hence  his  deduc 
tions  were  rarely  wrong  from  any  given  state  of  facts.  So 
he  applied  the  principles  of  law  to  the  transactions  of  men 
with  great  clearness  and  precision.  He  was  a  close 
reasoner.  He  reasoned  by  analogy,  and  enforced  his 
views  by  apt  illustration.  His  mode  of  speaking  was 
generally  of  a  plain  and  unimpassioned  character,  and  yet 
he  was  the  author  of  some  of  the  most  beautiful  and 
eloquent  passages  in  our  language,  which,  if  collected, 
would  form  a  valuable  contribution  to  American  literature. 
The  most  punctilious  honor  ever  marked  his  professional 
and  private  life." 
The  Hon.  Thomas  Drummond,  for  many  years  Judge 
of  the  United  States  District  Court  at  Chicago,  said: 
"It  is  not  necessary  to  claim  for  Mr.  Lincoln  attributes  or 
qualities  which  he  did  not  possess.  He  had  enough  to 
entitle  him  to  the  love  and  respect  and  esteem  of  all  who 
knew  him.  He  was  not  skilled  in  the  learning  of  the 
schools,  and  his  knowledge  of  the  law  was  acquired  almost 
entirely  by  his  own  unaided  study  and  by  the  practice  of 
his  profession.  Nature  gave  him  great  clearness  and 
acuteness  of  intellect  and  a  vast  fund  of  common-sense; 
and  as  a  consequence  of  these  he  had  much  sagacity  in 
judging  of  the  motives  and  springs  of  human  conduct. 
With  a  voice  by  no  means  pleasing,  and,  indeed,  when 
excited,  in  its  shrill  tones  sometimes  almost  disagreeable; 
without  any  of  the  personal  graces  of  the  orator;  without 
much  in  the  outward  man  indicating  superiority  of  in 
tellect;  without  great  quickness  of  perception,  —  still, 
his  mind  was  so  vigorous,  his  comprehension  so  exact 
and  clear,  and  his  judgments  so  sure,  that  he  easily 
mastered  the  intricacies  of  his  profession,  and  became  one 
of  the  ablest  reasoners  and  most  impressive  speakers  at
EVERY-DAY    LIFE    OF    LINCOLN     143 
our  bar.  With  a  probity  of  character  known  to  all, 
with  an  intuitive  insight  into  the  human  heart,  with  a 
clearness  of  statement  which  was  itself  an  argument, 
with  an  uncommon  power  and  facility  of  illustration,  often, 
it  is  true,  of  a  plain  and  homely  kind,  and  with  that  sin 
cerity  and  earnestness  of  manner  to  carry  conviction,  he 
was  perhaps  one  of  the  most  successful  jury  lawyers  we 
have  ever  had  in  the  State.  He  always  tried  a  case  fairly 
and  honestly.  He  never  intentionally  misrepresented  the 
testimony  of  a  witness  or  the  arguments  of  an  opponent. 
He  met  both  squarely,  and,  if  he  could  not  explain  the  one 
or  answer  the  other,  substantially  admitted  it.  He  never 
misstated  the  law  according  to  his  own  intelligent  view  of 
it.  Such  was  the  transparent  candor  and  integrity  of  his 
nature  that  he  could  not  well  or  strongly  argue  a  side  or  a 
cause  that  he  thought  wrong.  Of  course,  he  felt  it  his 
duty  to  say  what  could  be  said,  and  to  leave  the  decision 
to  others;  but  there  could  be  seen  in  such  cases  the  inward 
struggle  in  his  own  mind.  In  trying  a  cause  he  might 
occasionally  dwell  too  long  or  give  too  much  importance 
to  an  inconsiderable  point;  but  this  was  the  exception, 
and  generally  he  went  straight  to  the  citadel  of  a  cause  or 
a  question,  and  struck  home  there,  knowing  if  that  were 
won  the  outwork  would  necessarily  fall.  He  could  hardly 
be  called  very  learned  in  his  profession,  and  yet  he  rarely 
tried  a  cause  without  fully  understanding  the  law  appli 
cable  to  it.  I  have  no  hesitation  in  saying  he  was  one  of 
the  ablest  lawyers  I  have  ever  known.  If  he  was  forcible 
before  the  jury  he  was  equally  so  with  the  court.  He 
detected  with  unerring  sagacity  the  marked  points  of  his 
opponents*  arguments,  and  pressed  his  own  views  with 
overwhelming  force.  His  efforts  were  quite  unequal,  and 
it  may  have  been  that  he  would  not  on  some  occasions 
strike  one  as  at  all  remarkable;  but  let  him  be  thoroughly 
aroused,  let  him  feel  that  he  was  right  and  that  some  great 
principle  was  involved  in  his  case,  and  he  would  come  out
144     EVERY-DAY    LIFE    OF    LINCOLN 
with  an  earnestness  of  conviction,  a  power  of  argument, 
and  a  wealth  of  illustration,  that  I  have  never  seen  sur 
passed.  .  .  .  Simple  in  his  habits,  without  pretensions  of 
any  kind,  and  distrustful  of  himself,  he  was  willing  to 
yield  precedence  and  place  to  others,  when  he  ought  to 
have  claimed  them  for  himself.  He  rarely,  if  ever,  sought 
office  except  at  the  urgent  solicitations  of  his  friends. 
In  substantiation  of  this,  I  may  be  permitted  to  relate  an 
incident  which  now  occurs  to  me.  Prior  to  his  nomination 
for  the  Presidency,  and,  indeed,  when  his  name  was  first 
mentioned  in  connection  with  that  high  office,  I  broached 
the  subject  upon  the  occasion  of  meeting  him  here.  His 
response  was,  *I  hope  they  will  select  some  abler  man 
than  myself.'" 
Mr.  C.  S.  Parks,  a  lawyer  associated  with  Lincoln 
for  some  years,  furnishes  the  following  testimony  concern 
ing  his  more  prominent  qualities:  "I  have  often  said  that 
for  a  man  who  was  for  a  quarter  of  a  century  both  a  lawyer 
and  a  politician  he  was  the  most  honest  man  I  ever  knew. 
He  was  not  only  morally  honest,  but  intellectually  so. 
He  could  not  reason  falsely;  if  he  attempted  it,  he  failed. 
In  politics  he  would  never  try  to  mislead.  At  the  bar, 
when  he  thought  he  was  wrong,  he  was  the  weakest  lawyer 
I  ever  saw." 
Hon.  David  Davis,  afterwards  Associate  Justice  U.  S. 
Supreme  Court  and  U.  S.  Senator,  presided  over  the 
Eighth  Judicial  Circuit  of  Illinois  during  the  remaining 
years  of  Lincoln's  practice  at  the  bar.  He  was  united  to 
Lincoln  in  close  bonds  of  friendship,  and  year  after  year 
travelled  with  him  over  the  circuit,  put  up  with  him  at  the 
same  hotels,  and  often  occupied  the  same  room  with  him. 
"This  simple  life,"  says  Judge  Davis,  "Mr.  Lincoln  loved, 
preferring  it  to  the  practice  of  the  law  in  the  city.  In  all 
the  elements  that  constitute  the  great  lawyer,  he  had  few 
equals.  He  seized  the  strong  points  of  a  cause,  and 
presented  them  with  clearness  and  great  compactness.
EVERY-DAY    LIFE    OF    LINCOLN     145 
He  read  law-books  but  little,  except  when  the  cause  in 
hand  made  it  necessary;  yet  he  was  unusually  self-reliant, 
depending  on  his  own  resources,  and  rarely  consulting  his 
brother  lawyers  either  on  the  management  of  his  case  or 
the  legal  questions  involved.  He  was  the  fairest  and 
most  accommodating  of  practitioners,  granting  all  favors 
which  he  could  do  consistently  with  his  duty  to  his  client, 
and  rarely  availing  himself  of  an  unwary  oversight  of  his 
adversary.  He  hated  wrong  and  oppression  everywhere, 
and  many  a  man,  whose  fraudulent  conduct  was  under 
going  review  in  a  court  of  justice,  has  withered  under  his 
terrific  indignation  and  rebuke." 
Mr.  Speed  says:  "As  a  lawyer,  after  his  first  year  he 
was  acknowledged  to  be  among  the  best  in  the  State. 
His  analytical  powers  were  marvellous.  He  always 
resolved  every  question  into  its  primary  elements,  and 
gave  up  every  point  on  his  own  side  that  did  not  seem  to  be 
invulnerable.  One  would  think,  to  hear  him  present  his 
case  in  the  court,  he  was  giving  his  case  away.  He  would 
concede  point  after  point  to  his  adversary.  '  But  he  always 
reserved  a  point  upon  which  he  claimed  a  decision  in  his 
favor,  and  his  concessions  magnified  the  strength  of  his 
claim.  He  rarely  failed  in  gaining  his  cases  in  court." 
The  special  characteristics  of  Lincoln's  practice  at 
the  bar  are  thus  ably  summed  up:  "He  did  not  make  a 
specialty  of  criminal  cases,  but  was  engaged  frequently  in 
them.  He  could  not  be  called  a  great  lawyer,  measured 
by  the  extent  of  his  acquirement  of  legal  knowledge;  he 
was  not  an  encyclopaedia  of  cases;  but  in  the  clear  percep 
tion  of  legal  principles,  with  natural  capacity  to  apply 
them,  he  had  great  ability.  He  was  not  a  case  lawyer, 
but  a  lawyer  who  dealt  in  the  deep  philosophy  of  the  law. 
He  always  knew  the  cases  which  might  be  quoted  as 
absolute  authority,  but  beyond  that  he  contented  himself 
in  the  application  and  discussion  of  general  principles. 
In  the  trial  of  a  case  he  moved  cautiously.  He  never
146     EVERY-DAY    LIFE    OF    LINCOLN 
examined  or  cross-examined  a  witness  to  the  detriment  of 
his  side.  If  the  witness  told  the  truth,  he  was  safe  from 
his  attacks;  but  woe  betide  the  unlucky  and  dishonest 
individual  who  suppressed  the  truth  or  colored  it  against 
Mr.  Lincoln's  side.  His  speeches  to  the  jury  were  very 
effective  specimens  of  forensic  oratory.  He  talked  the 
vocabulary  of  the  people,  and  the  jury  understood  every 
point  he  made  and  every  thought  he  uttered.  I  never 
saw  him  when  I  thought  he  was  trying  to  make  an  effort 
for  the  sake  of  mere  display;  but  his  imagination  was 
simple  and  pure  in  the  richest  gems  of  true  eloquence. 
He  constructed  short  sentences  of  small  words,  and  never 
wearied  the  minds  of  the  jury  by  mazes  of  elaboration."
CHAPTER  IX 
Lincoln  and  Slavery  —  The  Issue  Becoming  More  Sharply  Defined  — 
Resistance  to  the  Spread  of  Slavery  —  Views  Expressed  by  Lincoln 
in  1850  —  His  Mind  Made  Up  —  Lincoln  as  a  Party  Leader  — 
The  Kansas  Struggle  —  Crossing  Swords  with  Douglas  —  A 
Notable  Speech  by  Lincoln  —  Advice  to  Kansas  Belligerents  — 
Honor  in  Politics  —  Anecdote  of  Lincoln  and  Yates — Contest 
for  the  U.  S.  Senate  in  1855  —  Lincoln's  Defeat  —  Sketched  by 
Members  of  the  Legislature. 
AT  the  death  of  Henry  Clay,  in  June,  1852,  Lincoln 
was  invited  to  deliver  a  eulogy  on  Clay's  life  and 
character  before  the  citizens  of  Springfield.  He  complied 
with  the  request  on  the  16th  of  July.  The  same  season 
he  made  a  speech  before  the  Scott  Club  of  Springfield,  in 
reply  to  the  addresses  with  which  Douglas  had  opened 
his  extended  campaign  of  that  summer,  at  Richmond, 
Virginia.  Except  on  these  two  occasions,  Lincoln  took 
but  little  part  in  politics  until  the  passage  of  the  Nebraska 
Bill  by  Congress  in  1854.  The  enactment  of  this  measure 
impelled  him  to  take  a  firmer  stand  upon  the  question  of 
slavery  than  he  had  yet  assumed.  He  had  been  opposed 
to  the  institution  on  grounds  of  sentiment  since  his 
boyhood;  now  he  determined  to  fight  it  from  principle. 
Mr.  Herndon  states  that  Lincoln  really  became  an  anti- 
slavery  man  in  1831,  during  his  visit  to  New  Orleans, 
where  he  was  deeply  affected  by  the  horrors  of  the  traffic 
in  human  beings.  On  one  occasion  he  saw  a  slave,  a 
beautiful  mulatto  girl,  sold  at  auction.  She  was  felt 
over,  pinched,  and  trotted  around  to  show  bidders  she 
was  sound.  Lincoln  walked  away  from  the  scene  with  a 
feeling  of  deep  abhorrence.  He  said  to  John  Hanks,  "// 
I  ever  get  a  chance  to  hit  that  institution,  John,  Til  hit  it
148     EVERY-DAY   LIFE    OF    LINCOLN 
hard!'9  Again,  in  the  summer  of  1841,  he  Was  painfully 
impressed  by  a  scene  witnessed  during  his  journey  home 
from  Kentucky,  described  in  a  letter  written  at  the  time 
to  the  sister  of  his  friend  Speed,  in  which  he  says:  "A 
fine  example  was  presented  on  board  the  boat  for  con 
templating  the  effect  of  conditions  upon  human  happi 
ness.  A  man  had  purchased  twelve  negroes  in  different 
parts  of  Kentucky,  and  was  taking  them  to  a  farm  in  the 
South.  They  were  chained  six  and  six  together;  a  small 
iron  clevis  was  around  the  left  wrist  of  each,  and  this  was 
fastened  to  the  main  chain  by  a  shorter  one,  at  a  con 
venient  distance  from  the  others,  so  that  the  negroes 
were  strung  together  like  so  many  fish  upon  a  trot-line. 
In  this  condition  they  were  being  separated  forever  from 
the  scenes  of  their  childhood,  their  friends,  their  fathers 
and  mothers,  brothers  and  sisters,  and  many  of  them 
from  their  wives  and  children,  and  going  into  perpetual 
slavery." 
Judge  Gillespie  records  a  conversation  which  he  had 
with  Lincoln  in  1850  on  the  slavery  question,  remarking 
by  way  of  introduction  that  the  subject  of  slavery  was  the 
only  one  on  which  he  (Lincoln)  was  apt  to  become  excited. 
"  I  recollect  meeting  him  once  at  Shelby ville,"  says  Judge 
Gillespie,  "when  he  remarked  that  something  must  be 
done  or  slavery  would  overrun  the  whole  country.  He 
said  there  were  about  six  hundred  thousand  non-slave- 
holding  whites  in  Kentucky  to  about  thirty-three  thou 
sand  slaveholders;  that  in  the  convention  then  recently 
held  it  was  expected  that  the  delegates  would  represent 
these  classes  about  in  proportion  to  their  respective  num 
bers;  but  when  the  convention  assembled,  there  was  not 
a  single  representative  of  the  non-slaveholding  class; 
everyone  was  in  the  interest  of  the  slaveholders;  'and,' 
said  he,  'the  thing  is  spreading  like  wildfire  over  the 
country.  In  a  few  years  we  will  be  ready  to  accept  the 
institution  in  Illinois,  and  the  whole  country  will  adopt
EVERY-DAY    LIFE    OF    LINCOLN     149 
it.'  I  asked  him  to  what  he  attributed  the  change  that 
was  going  on  in  public  opinion.  He  said  he  had  recently 
put  that  question  to  a  Kentuckian,  who  answered  by 
saying,  'You  might  have  any  amount  of  land,  money  in 
your  pocket,  or  bank-stock,  and  while  travelling  around 
nobody  would  be  any  wiser;  but  if  you  had  a  darkey 
trudging  at  your  heels,  everybody  would  see  him  and 
know  that  you  owned  a  slave.  It  is  the  most  ostentatious 
way  of  displaying  property  in  the  world;  if  a  young  man 
goes  courting,  the  only  inquiry  is  as  to  how  many  negroes 
he  owns.'  The  love  for  slave  property  was  swallowing 
up  every  other  mercenary  possession.  Its  ownership 
not  only  betokened  the  possession  of  wealth,  but  indi 
cated  the  gentleman  of  leisure  who  scorned  labor.  These 
things  Mr.  Lincoln  regarded  as  highly  pernicious  to  the 
thoughtless  and  giddy  young  men  who  were  too  much 
inclined  to  look  upon  work  as  vulgar  and  ungentlemanly. 
He  was  much  excited,  and  said  with  great  earnestness 
that  this  spirit  ought  to  be  met,  and  if  possible  checked; 
that  slavery  was  a  great  and  crying  injustice,  an  enormous 
national  crime,  and  we  could  not  expect  to  escape  punish 
ment  for  it.  I  asked  him  how  he  would  proceed  in  his 
efforts  to  check  the  spread  of  slavery.  He  confessed  he 
did  not  see  his  way  clearly;  but  I  think  he  made  up  his 
mind  that  from  that  time  he  would  oppose  slavery  actively. 
I  know  that  Lincoln  always  contended  that  no  man  had 
any  right,  other  than  what  mere  brute  force  gave  him, 
to  hold  a  slave.  He  used  to  say  it  was  singular  that  the 
courts  would  hold  that  a  man  never  lost  his  right  to 
property  that  had  been  stolen  from  him,  but  that  he 
instantly  lost  his  right  to  himself  if  he  was  stolen.  Lincoln 
always  contended  that  the  cheapest  way  of  getting  rid 
of  slavery  was  for  the  nation  to  buy  the  slaves  and  set 
them  free." 
While    in    Congress,    Lincoln    had    declared    himself 
plainly  as  opposed  to  slavery;  and  in  public  speeches  not
150     EVERY-DAY    LIFE    OF    LINCOLN 
less  than  private  conversations  he  had  not  hesitated  to 
express  his  convictions  on  the  subject.  In  1850  he  said 
to  Major  Stuart:  "The  time  will  soon  come  when  we 
must  all  be  Democrats  or  Abolitionists.  When  that  time 
comes,  my  mind  is  made  up.  The  slavery  question  cannot 
be  compromised."  The  hour  had  now  struck  in  which 
Lincoln  was  to  espouse  with  his  whole  heart  and  soul  that 
cause  for  which  finally  he  was  to  lay  down  his  life.  In 
the  language  of  Mr.  Arnold,  "He  had  bided  his  time. 
He  had  waited  until  the  harvest  was  ripe.  With  uner 
ring  sagacity  he  realized  that  the  triumph  of  freedom  was 
at  hand.  He  entered  upon  the  conflict  with  the  deepest 
conviction  that  the  perpetuity  of  the  Republic  required 
the  extinction  of  slavery.  So,  adopting  as  his  motto, 
'A  house  divided  against  itself  cannot  stand,'  he  girded 
himself  for  the  contest.  The  years  from  1854  to  1860 
were  on  his  part  years  of  constant,  active,  and  unwearied 
effort.  His  position  in  the  State  of  Illinois  was  central 
and  commanding.  He  was  now  to  become  the  recognized 
leader  of  the  anti-slavery  party  in  the  Northwest,  and  in 
all  the  Valley  of  the  Mississippi.  Lincoln  was  a  practical 
statesman,  never  attempting  the  impossible,  but  seeking 
to  do  the  best  thing  practicable  under  existing  circum 
stances.  He  knew  that  prohibition  in  the  territories 
would  result  in  no  more  slave  states  and  no  slave  territory. 
And  now,  when  the  repeal  of  the  Missouri  Compromise 
shattered  all  parties  into  fragments,  he  came  forward  to 
build  up  the  Free  Soil  party  and  threw  into  the  conflict 
all  his  strength  and  vigor.  The  conviction  of  his  duty 
was  deep  and  sincere.  Hence  he  pleaded  the  cause  of 
liberty  with  an  energy,  ability,  and  power  which  rapidly 
gained  for  him  a  national  reputation.  Conscious  of  the 
greatness  of  his  cause,  inspired  by  a  genuine  love  of 
liberty,  animated  and  made  strong  by  the  moral  sublim 
ity  of  the  conflict,  he  solemnly  announced  his  determina 
tion  to  speak  for  freedom  and  against  slavery  until  —  in
EVERY-DAY    LIFE    OF    LINCOLN     151 
his  own  words  —  wherever  the  Federal  Government  has 
power,  'the  sun  shall  shine,  the  rain  shall  fall,  and  the 
wind  shall  blow  upon  no  man  who  goes  forth  to  unre 
quited  toil.'" 
The  absorbing  political  topic  in  1855  was  the  contest 
in  Kansas,  which  proved  the  battle-ground  for  the  strug 
gle  over  the  introduction  of  slavery  into  the  territories 
north  of  the  line  established  by  the  "Missouri  Compro 
mise."  Lincoln's  views  on  the  subject  are  defined  in  a 
notable  letter  to  his  friend  Joshua  Speed,  a  resident  of 
Kentucky.  The  following  passages  show,  in  Lincoln's 
own  words,  where  he  stood  on  the  slavery  question  at 
this  memorable  epoch: 
SPRINGFIELD,  AUGUST  24,  1855. 
DEAR  SPEED  :  —  You  know  what  a  poor  correspondent 
I  am.  Ever  since  I  received  your  very  agreeable  letter 
of  the  twenty-second  of  May,  I  have  been  intending  to 
write  you  in  answer  to  it.  You  suggest  that  in  political 
action  now,  you  and  I  would  differ.  You  know  I  dislike 
slavery,  and  you  fully  admit  the  abstract  wrong  of  it. 
So  far,  there  is  no  cause  of  difference.  But  you  say  that 
sooner  than  yield  your  legal  right  to  the  slave,  especially 
at  the  bidding  of  those  who  are  not  themselves  interested, 
you  would  see  the  Union  dissolved.  I  am  not  aware 
that  any  one  is  bidding  you  yield  that  right  —  very  cer 
tainly  I  am  not.  I  leave  the  matter  entirely  to  yourself. 
I  also  acknowledge  your  rights  and  my  obligations  under 
the  Constitution,  in  regard  to  your  slaves.  I  confess  I 
hate  to  see  the  poor  creatures  hunted  down,  and  caught, 
and  carried  back  to  their  stripes  and  unrequited  toil; 
but  I  bite  my  lip  and  keep  quiet.  In  1841  you  and  I  had 
together  a  tedious  low-water  trip  on  a  steamboat  from 
Louisville  to  St.  Louis.  You  may  remember,  as  I  well 
do,  that  from  Louisville  to  the  mouth  of  the  Ohio,  there 
were  on  board  ten  or  a  dozen  slaves,  shackled  together 
with  irons.  That  sight  was  a  continual  torment  to  me; 
and  I  see  something  like  it  every  time  I  touch  the  Ohio,  or 
any  other  slave  border.  It  is  not  fair  for  you  to  assume  that 
I  have  no  interest  in  a  thing  which  has,  and  continually 
exercises,  the  power  of  making  me  miserable.  You  ought
152     EVERY-DAY    LIFE    OF    LINCOLN 
rather  to  appreciate  how  much  the  great  body  of  the 
people  of  the  North  do  crucify  their  feelings  in  order  to 
maintain  their  loyalty  to  the  Constitution  and  the  Union. 
I  do  oppose  the  extension  of  slavery,  because  my  judg 
ment  and  feelings  so  prompt  me;  and  I  am  under  no 
obligations  to  the  contrary.  If  for  this  you  and  I  must 
differ,  differ  we  must.  You  say,  if  you  were  President 
you  would  send  an  army  and  hang  the  leaders  of  the 
Missouri  outrages  upon  the  Kansas  elections;  still,  if 
Kansas  fairly  votes  herself  a  slave  State,  she  must  be 
admitted,  or  the  Union  must  be  dissolved.  But  how  if 
she  votes  herself  a  slave  State  unfairly  —  that  is,  by  the 
very  means  for  which  you  would  hang  men?  Must  she 
still  be  admitted,  or  the  Union  dissolved?  That  will  be 
the  phase  of  the  question  when  it  first  becomes  a  practical 
one.  In  your  assumption  that  there  may  be  a  fair  de 
cision  of  the  slavery  question  in  Kansas,  I  plainly  see  you 
and  I  would  differ  about  the  Nebraska  law.  I  look  upon 
that  enactment  not  as  a  law  but  a  violence  from  the 
beginning.  It  was  conceived  in  violence,  passed  in  vio 
lence,  is  maintained  in  violence,  and  is  being  executed  in 
violence.  I  say  it  was  conceived  in  violence,  because 
the  destruction  of  the  Missouri  Compromise  under  the 
Constitution  was  nothing  less  than  violence.  It  was 
passed  in  violence,  because  it  could  not  have  passed  at  all 
but  for  the  votes  of  many  members  in  violent  disregard  of 
the  known  will  of  their  constituents.  It  is  maintained 
in  violence,  because  the  elections  since  clearly  demand 
its  repeal;  and  the  demand  is  openly  disregarded.  That 
Kansas  will  form  a  slave  constitution,  and  with  it  will 
ask  to  be  admitted  into  the  Union,  I  take  to  be  already  a 
settled  question,  and  so  settled  by  the  very  means  you  so 
pointedly  condemn.  By  every  principle  of  law  ever  held 
by  any  court,  North  or  South,  every  negro  taken  to 
Kansas  is  free;  yet  in  utter  disregard  of  this  —  in  the 
spirit  of  violence  merely  —  that  beautiful  Legislature 
gravely  passes  a  law  to  hang  any  man  who  shall  venture 
to  inform  a  negro  of  his  legal  rights.  This  is  the  sub 
stance  and  real  object  of  the  law.  If,  like  Haman,  they 
should  hang  upon  the  gallows  of  their  own  building,  I 
shall  not  be  among  the  mourners  for  their  fate.  In  my 
humble  sphere  I  shall  advocate  the  restoration  of  the 
Missouri  Compromise  so  long  as  Kansas  remains  a  Terri-
EVERY-DAY    LIFE    OF    LINCOLN     153 
tory;  and,  when,  by  all  these  foul  means,  it  seeks  to  come 
into  the  Union  as  a  slave  State,  I  shall  oppose  it.  ... 
You  inquire  where  I  now  stand.  That  is  a  disputed 
point.  I  think  I  am  a  Whig;  but  others  say  there  are  no 
Whigs,  and  that  I  am  an  Abolitionist.  When  I  was  in 
Washington  I  voted  for  the  Wilmot  Proviso  as  good  as 
forty  times,  and  I  never  heard  of  any  attempt  to  unwhig 
me  for  that.  I  now  do  no  more  than  oppose  the  exten 
sion  of  slavery.  I  am  not  a  Know-Nothing  —  that  is 
certain.  How  could  I  be?  How  can  anyone  who  abhors 
the  oppression  of  the  negroes  be  in  favor  of  degrading 
classes  of  white  people?  Our  progress  in  degeneracy 
appears  to  me  to  be  pretty  rapid.  As  a  nation  we  began 
by  declaring  that  'all  men  are  created  equal.'  We  now 
practically  read  it  'all  men  are  created  equal,  except 
negroes.'  When  the  Know-No  things  get  control,  it  will 
read, '  all  men  are  created  equals,  except  negroes  and  for 
eigners  and  Catholics.'  When  it  comes  to  that,  I  should 
prefer  emigrating  to  some  other  country  where  they 
make  no  pretense  of  loving  liberty  —  to  Russia  for  in 
stance,  where  despotism  can  be  taken  pure,  and  without 
the  base  alloy  of  hypocrisy. 
Your  friend  forever, 
A.  LINCOLN. 
Lincoln  was  soon  accorded  an  opportunity  to  cross 
swords  again  with  his  former  political  antagonist,  Douglas, 
who  had  lately  come  from  his  place  in  the  Senate  Cham 
ber  at  Washington,  where  he  had  carried  the  obnoxious 
Nebraska  Bill  against  the  utmost  efforts  of  Chase,  Seward, 
Sumner,  and  others,  to  defeat  it.  As  Mr.  Arnold  narrates 
the  incident,  —  "When,  late  in  September,  1854,  Douglas 
returned  to  Illinois  he  was  received  with  a  storm  of 
indignation  which  would  have  crushed  a  man  of  less 
power  and  will.  A  bold  and  courageous  leader,  conscious 
of  his  personal  power  over  his  party,  he  bravely  met  the 
storm  and  sought  to  allay  it.  In  October,  1854,  the 
State  Fair  being  then  in  session  at  Springfield,  with  a 
great  crowd  of  people  in  attendance  from  all  parts  of  the 
State,  Douglas  went  there  and  made  an  elaborate  and
154     EVERY-DAY    LIFE    OF    LINCOLN 
able  speech  in  defense  of  the  repeal  of  the  Missouri  Com 
promise.  Lincoln  was  called  upon  by  the  opponents  of 
this  repeal  to  reply,  and  he  did  so  with  a  power  which  he 
never  surpassed  and  had  never  before  equalled.  All 
other  issues  which  had  divided  the  people  were  as  chaff, 
and  were  scattered  to  the  winds  by  the  intense  agitation 
which  arose  on  the  question  of  extending  slavery,  not 
merely  into  free  territory,  but  into  territory  which  had 
been  declared  free  by  solemn  compact.  Lincoln's  speech 
occupied  more  than  three  hours  in  delivery,  and  dur 
ing  all  that  time  he  held  the  vast  crowd  in  the  deepest 
attention." 
Mr.  Herndon  said  of  this  event:  "This  anti-Nebraska 
speech  of  Mr.  Lincoln  was  the  profoundest  that  he  made 
in  his  whole  life.  He  felt  burning  upon  his  soul  the 
truths  which  he  uttered,  and  all  present  felt  that  he  was 
true  to  his  own  soul.  His  feelings  once  or  twice  came 
near  stifling  utterance.  He  quivered  with  emotion.  He 
attacked  the  Nebraska  Bill  with  such  warmth  and  energy 
that  all  felt  that  a  man  of  strength  was  its  enemy,  and 
that  he  intended  to  blast  it,  if  he  could,  by  strong  and 
manly  efforts.  He  was  most  successful,  and  the  house 
approved  his  triumph  by  loud  and  continued  huzzas, 
while  women  waved  their  white  handkerchiefs  in  token  of 
heartfelt  assent.  Douglas  felt  the  sting,  and  he  frequently 
interrupted  Mr.  Lincoln;  his  friends  felt  that  he  was 
crushed  by  the  powerful  argument  of  his  opponent.  The 
Nebraska  Bill  was  shivered,  and,  like  a  tree  of  the  forest, 
was  torn  and  rent  asunder  by  hot  bolts  of  truth.  At 
the  conclusion  of  this  speech,  every  man,  woman,  and 
child  felt  that  it  was  unanswerable."  In  speaking  of  the 
same  occasion,  Mr.  Lamon  says:  "Many  fine  speeches 
were  made  upon  the  one  absorbing  topic;  but  it  is  no 
shame  to  any  one  of  these  orators  that  their  really  im 
pressive  speeches  were  but  slightly  appreciated  or  long 
remembered  beside  Mr.  Lincoln's  splendid  and  enduring
EVERY-DAY    LIFE    OF    LINCOLN     155 
performance,  —  enduring  in  the  memory  of  his  auditors, 
although  preserved  upon  no  written  or  printed  page." 
A  few  days  after  this  encounter,  Douglas  spoke  in 
Peoria,  and  was  followed  by  Lincoln  with  the  same 
crushing  arguments  that  had  served  him  at  the  State 
Fair,  and  with  the  same  triumphant  effect.  His  Peoria 
speech  was  written  out  by  him  and  published  after  its 
delivery.  A  few  specimens  will  show  its  style  and  argu 
mentative  power. 
Argue  as  you  will,  and  as  long  as  you  will,  this  is  the 
naked  front  and  aspect  of  the  measure;  and  in  this  aspect 
it  could  not  but  produce  agitation.  Slavery  is  founded 
in  the  selfishness  of  man's  nature;  opposition  to  it,  in  his 
love  of  justice.  These  principles  are  an  eternal  antag 
onism;  and  when  brought  into  collision  so  fiercely  as 
slavery  extension  brings  them,  shocks,  throes,  and  con 
vulsions  must  ceaselessly  follow.  Repeal  the  Missouri 
Compromise;  repeal  all  compromises;  repeal  the  Decla 
ration  of  Independence;  repeal  all  past  history,  —  you 
still  cannot  repeal  human  nature.  It  still  will  be  the 
abundance  of  man's  heart,  that  slavery  extension  is  wrong; 
and  out  of  the  abundance  of  his  heart,  his  mouth  will 
continue  to  speak.  .  .  .  When  Mr.  Pettit,  in  connection 
with  his  support  of  the  Nebraska  Bill,  called  the  Declara 
tion  of  Independence  *a  self-evident  lie,'  he  only  did 
what  consistency  and  candor  require  all  other  Nebraska 
men  to  do.  Of  the  forty-odd  Nebraska  Senators  who  sat 
present  and  heard  him,  no  one  rebuked  him.  ...  If 
this  had  been  said  among  Marion's  men,  Southerners 
though  they  were,  what  would  have  become  of  the  man 
who  said  it?  If  this  had  been  said  to  the  men  who  cap 
tured  Andre,  the  man  who  said  it  would  probably  have 
been  hung  sooner  than  Andre  was.  If  it  had  been  said 
in  old  Independence  Hall  seventy-eight  years  ago,  the 
very  doorkeeper  would  have  throttled  the  man,  and 
thrust  him  into  the  street.  .  .  .  Thus  we  see  the  plain, 
unmistakable  spirit  of  that  early  age  towards  slavery 
was  hostility  to  the  principle,  and  toleration  only  by 
necessity.  But  now  it  is  to  be  transformed  into  a  *  sacred 
right.'  Nebraska  brings  it  forth,  places  it  on  the  high
156     EVERY-DAY    LIFE    OF    LINCOLN 
road  to  extension  and  perpetuity,  and  with  a  pat  on  its 
back  says  to  it:  'Go,  and  God  speed  you.'  Henceforth 
it  is  to  be  the  chief  jewel  of  the  nation,  the  very  figure 
head  of  the  ship  of  state.  Little  by  little,  but  steadily  as 
man's  march  to  the  grave,  we  have  been  giving  the  old 
for  the  new  faith.  Nearly  eighty  years  ago  we  began  by 
declaring  that  all  men  are  created  equal;  but  now  from 
that  beginning  we  have  run  down  to  that  other  declaration, 
'that  for  some  men  to  enslave  others  is  a  sacred  right  of 
self-government.'  ...  In  our  greedy  chase  to  make 
profit  of  the  negro,  let  us  beware  lest  we  cancel  and  tear 
to  pieces  even  the  white  man's  charter  of  freedom.  .  .  . 
If  all  earthly  power  were  given  me,  I  should  not  know 
what  to  do  as  to  the  existing  institution.  My  first  im 
pulse  would  be  to  free  all  the  slaves,  and  send  them  to 
Liberia  —  to  their  own  native  land.  But,  if  they  were 
all  landed  there  in  a  day,  they  would  all  perish  in  the  next 
ten  days;  and  there  are  not  surplus  shipping  and  surplus 
money  enough  to  carry  them  there  in  many  times  ten 
days.  What  then?  Free  them  all,  and  keep  them  among 
us  as  underlings?  Is  it  quite  certain  that  this  betters 
their  condition?  I  think  I  would  not  hold  one  in  slavery 
at  any  rate;  yet  the  point  is  not  clear  enough  for  me  to 
denounce  people  upon.  What  next?  Free  them,  and 
make  them  politically  and  socially  our  equals?  My  own 
feelings  will  not  admit  of  this;  and,  if  mine  would,  we 
well  know  that  those  of  the  great  mass  of  white  people 
will  not.  A  universal  feeling,  whether  well  or  ill  founded, 
cannot  be  safely  disregarded.  We  cannot  then  make 
them  equals.  It  does  seem  to  me  that  systems  of  gradual 
emancipation  might  be  adopted;  but,  for  their  tardiness 
in  this,  I  will  not  undertake  to  judge  our  brethren  of  the 
South. 
Our  Republican  robe  is  soiled  —  trailed  in  the  dust. 
Let  us  repurify  it.  Let  us  turn  and  wash  it  white,  in  the 
spirit,  if  not  the  blood,  of  the  Revolution.  Let  us  turn 
slavery  from  its  claims  of  'moral  right,'  back  upon  its 
existing  legal  rights  and  its  arguments  of  'necessity.' 
Let  us  return  it  to  the  position  our  fathers  gave  it,  and 
there  let  it  rest  hi  peace.  Let  us  re-adopt  the  Declaration 
of  Independence,  and  with  it  the  practices  and  policy 
which  harmonize  with  it.  Let  North  and  South  —  let 
all  Americans  —  let  all  lovers  of  liberty  everywhere  —
EVERY-DAY    LIFE    OF    LINCOLN     157 
join  in  the  great  and  good  work.  If  we  do  this,  we  shall 
not  only  have  saved  the  Union,  but  we  shall  have  so  saved 
it  as  to  make  and  to  keep  it  forever  worthy  of  the  saving. 
We  shall  have  so  saved  it  that  the  succeeding  millions  of 
free  and  happy  people,  the  world  over,  shall  rise  up  and 
call  us  blessed  to  the  latest  generations. 
It  was  in  one  of  these  speeches  that  Lincoln's  power  of 
repartee  was  admirably  illustrated  by  a  most  laughable 
retort  made  by  him  to  Douglas.  Mr.  Ralph  E.  Hoyt, 
who  was  present,  says:  "In  the  course  of  his  speech,  Mr. 
Douglas  had  said,  'The  Whigs  are  all  dead.'  For  some 
time  before  speaking,  Lincoln  sat  on  the  platform  with 
only  his  homely  face  visible  to  the  audience  above  the 
high  desk  before  him.  On  being  introduced,  he  arose 
from  his  chair  and  proceeded  to  straighten  himself  up. 
For  a  few  seconds  I  wondered  when  and  where  his  head 
would  cease  its  ascent;  but  at  last  it  did  stop,  and  'Honest 
Old  Abe'  stood  before  us.  He  commenced,  'Fellow- 
citizens:  My  friend,  Mr.  Douglas,  made  the  startling 
announcement  to-day  that  the  Whigs  are  all  dead.  If 
this  be  so,  fellow-citizens,  you  will  now  experience  the 
novelty  of  hearing  a  speech  from  a  dead  man;  and  I 
suppose  you  might  properly  say,  in  the  language  of  the 
old  hymn: 
"Hark!  from  the  tombs  a  doleful  sound!"  ' 
This  set  the  audience  fairly  wild  with  delight,  and  at  once 
brought  them  into  full  confidence  with  the  speaker." 
Hating  slavery  though  he  did,  Lincoln  was  steadily 
opposed  to  all  forms  of  unlawful  or  violent  opposition  to  it. 
At  about  the  time  of  which  we  are  speaking  a  party  of 
Abolitionists  in  Illinois  had  become  so  excited  over  the 
Kansas  struggle  that  they  were  determined  to  go  to  the 
aid  of  the  Free-State  men  in  that  territory.  As  soon  as 
Lincoln  learned  of  this  project,  he  opposed  it  strongly. 
When  they  spoke  to  him  of  "Liberty,  Justice,  and  God's
158     EVERY-DAY    LIFE    OF    LINCOLN 
higher  law,"  he  replied  in  this  temperate  and  judicious 
strain : 
Friends,  you  are  in  the  minority  —  in  a  sad  minority; 
and  you  can't  hope  to  succeed,  reasoning  from  all  human 
experience.  You  would  rebel  against  the  Government, 
and  redden  your  hands  in  the  blood  of  your  countrymen. 
If  you  have  the  majority,  as  some  of  you  say  you  have, 
you  can  succeed  with  the  ballot,  throwing  away  the 
bullet.  You  can  peaceably,  then,  redeem  the  Govern 
ment  and  preserve  the  liberties  of  mankind,  through  your 
votes  and  voice  and  moral  influence.  Let  there  be  peace. 
In  a  democracy,  where  the  majority  rule  by  the  ballot 
through  the  forms  of  law,  these  physical  rebellions  and 
bloody  resistances  are  radically  wrong,  unconstitutional, 
and  are  treason.  Better  bear  the  ills  you  have  than  fly 
to  those  you  know  not  of.  Our  own  Declaration  of 
Independence  says  that  governments  long  established 
should  not  be  resisted  for  trivial  causes.  Revolutionize 
through  the  ballot-box,  and  restore  the  Government  once 
more  to  the  affection  and  hearts  of  men,  by  making  it 
express,  as  it  was  intended  to  do,  the  highest  spirit  of 
justice  and  liberty.  Your  attempt,  if  there  be  such,  to 
resist  the  laws  of  Kansas  by  force,  will  be  criminal  and 
wicked;  and  all  your  feeble  attempts  will  be  follies,  and 
end  in  bringing  sorrow  on  your  heads,  and  ruin  the  cause 
you  would  freely  die  to  preserve. 
No  doubt  was  felt  of  Lincoln's  sympathies;  indeed,  he 
is  known  to  have  contributed  money  to  the  Free-State 
cause.  But  it  is  noticeable  that  in  this  exciting  episode 
he  showed  the  same  coolness,  wisdom,  moderation,  love 
of  law  and  order  that  so  strongly  characterized  his  con 
duct  in  the  stormier  period  of  the  Civil  War,  and  without 
which  it  is  doubtful  if  he  would  have  been  able  to  save  the 
nation. 
Some  interesting  recollections  of  the  events  of  this 
stirring  period,  and  of  Lincoln's  part  in  them,  are  given 
by  Mr.  Paul  Selby,  for  a  long  time  editor  of  the  "State 
Journal"  at  Springfield,  and  one  of  Lincoln's  old-time 
friends  and  political  associates.  "While  Abraham  Lin-