Randolph County journal. [volume] (Winchester, Indiana) 1864-1865, 1864-08-26

passage, were wiser than court ladie.
and dandy diplomatists, and watched
him with fearful curiosity, simply
asking, "U7U that awkward back
woodsman really get that shll
through? If be does, it will be tim,
for us to look about us"
Lincoln is q strong man, but hi,
strength is of a peculiar kind; it i,
not aggressive so much a5 passive
and among passive things it is like
the strength not so'much of stone
buttress rs of n wire cable. 1t is
strength swaying to every influence,
yielding on this side and on that to
popular needs, yet tenaciously and
inflexibly bound to carry It's great
end; and probably by no other kind
of strength could our national ship
have been drawn safely thus far
during the tossings and tempcsts
which beset her way.
Surrounded by all sorts Of conflict
mg claims. by traitors, by half
hearted, timid men, by border State
men and free State men, by radical
abolitionists and conservatives, he
has listened to all, weighed the words
of all, waited. observed, yielded,
now here and now there, but in the
main kept inhexible. honest purpose,
and drawn the national ship through.
In times of our trouble Abraham
Lincoln has had his turn Of being
the best abused man of our nation.
Like Moses leading his Israel through
the Wilderness, he has seen the day
when every man seemed ready to
stone him, and yet, with simple, wiry,
steady perseverance, he has held on,
of honest intentions, and
looking to God for help. All the
nations have felt, in the increasing
solennity Of his Proclamations and
papers, how deep an education was
being wrought in his mind by this
simple faith in God. the Ruler of the
nations, and this humble Willingness
to learn the awful lessons OF His
providence. No man in this agony
has suffered more and deeper, albeit
with dry, weary, patient pain,
that seemed to some Ike inscnsibil;-
IS. "Whichevcr way it ends,n he
sail TO tAe writer, y have the I'm
preston that I shan last long after
it is over AIter tie dreadful re-
pulse at Fredericksburg he is report
Ell TO have said, "if there is a man
out of hell suffers more than I do, l
pity him" In those dark days his
heavy eyes and worn and weary air
told how reverses wore upon him,
md yet there was q never falling
fund of patience at the bottom, that
rose to the surface in
some droll, quaint saying or story,
that forced a laugh even from himself |
There have been times with many,
Of impetuous impatience, when orr
national ship seemed TO lie water
logged, and we have called aloud for
q deliverer of another fashion-a
brilliant General. dashing, fearless
statesman. Il man who could dare
and do. who would stake all on die,
and win or lose by a brilliant comp
ie main. IT may comfort our minds
that, since He who guleth in the ar
mics of nations sets 40 such man at
work, perhaps he saw in the man
whom he did send some particular
fitness and aptitude therefor
Slow and careful in combining to
resolutions, willing to talk to any
person who had anything to show on
any side Of disputed subject. long
in weighing and pondering, attached
to constitutional limits and time hon
ored landmarks, Lincoln certainly
was the safest leader q nation could
have at time when the haJeos corpus
must be suspended, and all the con-
and minor rights of citi-
zens to he thrown into the hands Of
their military leader.
Among the many accusations which
in hours Of ill-lnck have been thrown
Out upon Lincoln, it Is remarkable
that he has never been called self
seeking or selfish. When we were
troubled, and sat in darkness, and
looked doubtfully towards the Pres
idential chair, it was never that we
doubted the good will of our pilot
only the clearness of his eye sight.
But Almighty God has granted to
him that clearness of vision which
he gives to the true-hearted, and en-
abled him to set his honest foot in
that promised land Of freedom which