, 1863-01-24
Mr.. Lincoln as a Poet---A Chapter in His
tory


president LINCOLN NOT PoET-A fugitive
piece of poetry entitled "Oh, why should the
spirit of mortal be proud p has been going the
rounds of the papers, attributed to Abraham
Lincoln, Esq, of Illinois, now President of U. S.
a correspondent informs us that the same poem
may be found in Grswold'S Sacred Poets of En-
gland and America, where it is attributed to
William Knox Scotchman born 17S9,died 1925.
As DIR. Griswold was tolerably good authority,
and we have none better than current rumor in
favor of Mr.. Lincoln, it is probable that the
Scotchman was guilty ofit The Presidents rep
utaton will not suffer by the loss.-.Neto York
Journal Of Commerce.
! If the Scotchman referred to wrote the particu-
lar article in question, it of course follows that Mr.
Lincoln did not at all events we doubt whether
Mr.. Lincoln will lay claim to it. Indeed from
circumstances which we propose to relate we
doubt whether Mr. Lincoln was not effectually
cured some years ago, of all ambition to be con-
sidered the writer of verses.
Somewhere less than thirty years ago, Mr..
Lincoln and General Shields were very brave and
gallant cavaliers, and lions in the social cir
Gle of our State Capital. Springfield was at that
time the fashionable metropolis of the State The
Legislature then met annually and the Winters
generally found congregaed at the State Capital
the beauty, the wealth and the fashion of the
State. All the rich farmers in the State, and at
that time nearly all of that class resided South of
Springfield, made visit to the Capital, taking
with them their grown up sens and daughters. H.
inois has sent forth to other States many of the
men who in those days took an active part in her
public affairs, and most of them bore away wives
whose love and whose hands were won during the
good old times when Springfield was made brill
liant by the gay throngs that assembled there every
Winter. In those days were Douglas, Bissel,
Richardson, Trumbul Browning, McClernard,
Wbiteside, Carlin, Shields, the Campbells, Baker
Hardin, McDougall, Col. Taylor, Lincoln, Scates,
and hosts of other men who have since become
historical, who were even then brilliant in the So
cia circle.
Mr.. Lincoln was of course gallant gentleman
in those days; his fatboat experience had then
been unheard of; or, if known was never mention
ed. Gen. Shields was also one of the beaux of
the time, he and Mr. Lincoln became visitors at
the same house, in which were domciled bevy
of lovely ladies, of whom we cannot speak more
particularly, as they now both occupy social posi-
tions of the highest grade,an through the official
positions of their husbands, may rank with the
very highest The two gentleman we've accus-
omed to visit the house. often meeting there, and
often in the absence of each other. The ladies in
addition to being lovely and iacinatng were re-
markable for the brilliancy of their wit, and for
their accomplishments They possessed, also, all
that rrepressible buoyancy Of spirits and charm
ing innocence. Many were the comments upon
the peculiarities Of their visitors, and notwith-
standing the high respect aud esteem in which
they both held Mr.. Lincoln and Mr.. Shields, they
could not restrain playful jests upon each others
supposed admirers. On day when the object of
Mr.. Lncoln's visit had been mercilessly rallied
upon tie grace and elegance of her supposed lover
she determined upon having her revenge by
practical experiment. Accordingly when the flu
ture hero of Cerro Gordo called that evening, he
was requested to take a seat, and did take one
that was standing in delightful proximity to that
occupied by his fair entertainer. But hardly had
he sat down when with bound he stood upon
his feet again. Something sharp had rendered
the seat uncomfortable. The evening passed off
pleasantly and the wooing doubtless progressed
most happily, until few days after when Mr..
Lincoln was seen now in the halls of the LeGisla-
ture, now in the Supreme Court Library, now up
on the Statehouse steps, at the street corner,
at the hotels and everywhere entertaining delight
ed crowds by reading some dozen verses, having
for their object the little incident of the sitting
down and getting up in haste. The reading of
these verses produced as the newspaper reporters
say, roars of laughter The verses were not
only capital poetry, but, like in the case of Fera-
mOrz the poetry lost nothing ofits effect by being
long before this matter reached the ears of
Shields, and what had been joke up to that
time was a joke no longer. We pass over what
followed, and come to the results. Shields chal-
lenged Mr.. Lincoln. There was those who be-
lieved the verses had been indited by farer hands
than Lncolh's, but he had read them to thousands
as his own, and it was impossible for him to back
out by throwing the responsibility upon another,
and that other a lady. So he accepted the chal-
lenge. Gen. Whitesde, at that time Treasurer
of State, was the second of Shields, and DIR. Mer.
riman and Mr.. Butler, present State Treasurer,