, 1864-01-16

Mrs. Sfoxyess Estimate of Abraham
Lincoln.

1AAss o&VssN
Mrs. Harriet Beecler Stowe writes, in the
Boston TFa.ehnan and Reflector, q biographf-
cal sketch Of President Lincoln and good
analysis OF the strong points Of his character.
We quote from the Inter:
The world has seen md wondered at the
greatest sign and marvel Of our day, to-wtt,
plain woTkIng man Of the people, with no
more culture, instruction or education than
any such working man may obtain for him
SIT called en- IL S9pqpfh sfhp ReSsng Rsaa9ag T he
destinies OF the whole world. The eyes Of
princes, MOBILES, atistocrnts, Of dukes, cn1ls,
Scholars, statesmen, warriors, all. turned on
the plain back1Yoodsman, with bis simple
tcrmined selfreliauce, his impsacticable and
incorrnptible honesty, as be sat amid the war
of conflicting elements with unpretcndlng
steat!iness, striving to guide the nationnl ship
through channel at whose peri1s the worlds
Oldest Statesmen stood aghast. The brilliant
1T the phenomenon. Fair ladies' saw that he
had horny hands and disdained white gloves.
Dapper liplomatists were shocked ut bis sys-
tcnl of etiquette, but old; statesmen, who
knew tho tc1rors Of that passage, We're Wiser
than conrt ladies and dandy diplomatists, aud
watched lin with Il fearful curiosity, simply
asking, "Will that awkward old backwoods-'
man really get tLat ship through? II he
does, II will be time for us to look about u.s."
Eootll TO say, our own politicians were some
whit shocked with his state papers Mt first.
Why not let us make them little more con-
venlional and tile them to classic patterns
stNo,"~ WINS his reply, /" I shall write. them
myself. Tic people will understand ,thein-''
.t but this or that form Of expression is not
elegant, not classical" nThc people will
understand it." has been his invariable reply.
And whatever may be said of lis Statc pa
pe1s as compared with tho classic standards,
1t has been fact that they have always been
wonderfully well understood BY the people,
and that since the time Of Washington, the
state papess of no President have more con-
trollcd the popular mind. And one reason
for this is, that they have been Informal and
undinlomatic. They hare more .rcsemblcd
q fathers talks to his children thnn state pa.
Of the soil, that appeal to the simple human
heart ard head which is greater power II
writing tlan the most aitfnl devices Of rlie-
toric. Lincoln might well say with the
apostle, "Eut though be rude in speech yet
Lot In knowledge, but we have been thor.
things" Ills rejection Of what 10 cal ed fine
writing was as deliberate as st. Pauls, and
fer tEc same reaEon-bccause he felt that he
was spcckiug on 4 subject which must be
raaGe clear to the lowest intellect,
though It should fail to captivatc the highest.
EDt VIC eay OF 1lQCOlns WrlllnE, tHaL LOT alt
true, manly purposes Of writing, there are
passages In his state papers that could not
be better put.-they are absolutely perfect
The, are brier, condensed, intense, aud With
POWER ofinsfght aud expression which make
ihcnl worthy to be inscribed in, letters Of
gold, Such urc some passages ofthe celebra.
I'D Springfield letter, especially that mastcrly
one where he compares tho eouduct Of the
patriotic and loyal blacks with that Of the
treacherors aud disloyal whites, No one can
read this letter without feeling the influence
of mind both strong and generous.
Lincoln is q strong man, but his strength Ia
Of peculiar kind; it Is not aggressive so
much Us passive, ind among passive things
| it is like the strength not so much of stone
buttress, Us Of u wire, cable. It Ia strength
| swayIng to every influence, yielding on this
side and on TINT to popular needs, Jet tena.
| ciouely and inhexibly bound TO carry its great
end; and probably by no other kind ol
strength could ouT national ship have been
| drawn safoly thus tar during the tosstngs and
te1npcsts which bcsct her way. Surrounded
| by all sorts OF conflicting clalns, by traitors
| by ba1f-hearted, ti1nid mon, BY Border statt
men md free State men, by radical Abolition
| lists and Conservatives, he has listened to al
weighed the words Of. nll, waited, observed
I yielded now here and now there, but: in tht
main kept one inflexiblc, honest purpose, ant
drawn the national ellip through.