Daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1859-1865, 1864-09-10
~! Lihcoln and bis Rducation!
some OF the SECRETS OF the PrssIdent'i
-f= Popularity -

Some
~ sH afs Popularity .LH -
The official and public documents and
speeches of President Lincoln are often
homeIy and even clumsy in style; they
have been criticised for their lack of Dig
nifty and elevation; but they are understood
by the whole people-and their logic,i not
cast in the moulds of the schools, runs in
the channels of popular thought. This is
one secret Of his strong hold on the people.
For, say what his enemies may about his
re. nomination by shoddy and party wire.
pullers, no president ever had stronger
hold on the confidence of the masses. His
personal integrity has much to do with
thisJdoubtless-for the accusation is yet to
be made that he has used his great power
to enrich himself or to give relative OF
friend the opportunity to plunder the treas
urY-bnt quite as great an element of his
popularity is his vital sympathy with the
people, of whom he feels himself to be one
and in whose style he thinks aud speaks
Rev. John P. Gulliver of Norwich, Conn.,,
writes in the Independent an account of an
the nomination of the latter for the presi.
deunoy. Mr. Guitiver complimsated himlo or
the.success of an. address he had just deiiv-
cred at tNorwich:-
.Ahi that reminds me- said he. 'of a
most extrao. binary circumstance which
occurred in New Haven the. other day.
They told me that the professor of rhetoric
in Yale colleges very learned man, isn't
heT 'Yes, air, and 6ne critic, too We'll
suppose so; he ought to be, at any rate
they told me that he came to hear me and
took notes of my speech. and gave lec-
ture on it to his class the next day; and
not satisfied with that, be followed meiup
to Meriden the next evening, and heard me
again for the same purpose. Now, if this
is SO, 1t is TO my mind very extraordinary,
have been sufficiently astonished &C my
success in the West. It has been most
unexpected. But L had no thought of any
marked success at the East, and least o
all that should draw out such commends.
tions from literary and learned men, Now,
he confined, Il should like very much to
know what it was ID my speech which you
thought so remarkable, aud what you sup.
pose interested my friend, the professor
so much the cIeatness OF your state
ments, Mr.. Lincoln; the unRnsWerable style
of your reasoniug. and especially yonl
Illustrations, which were romance and fur
and psthos aud logic all welded together
That story about the snakes, for example
which set the hands and feet of yonr demI
ooratio hearers in such vigorous motion
was at once queer and comieal and tragic
aud Representatives. 1t broke through al
,s the barriers of q mans preRioua opinions
and pfejudiees, at a crash, and blew NJ
the very citadaI of his false theories, before
= irro hTnwf III ]
IOan you remember any other Alnstra-
tions,' said he, .of this peculiarity Of my
style2h gave him others of the same sort
Occupying some half hour in the 'ctitique
when he said, Il am much obliged to yoI
for this. IshaVs been wishing for Ions
time to find some one who would make thil
analysis for me. Il throws light on q sub
iect which has been dark TO me. car
understand very readily how such a poWe
as YOU have Ascribed to me will acoopu
. for the effect which seems TO be produces
by my speeches, / hope You. have not beel
too fatteripg in your estimate. lCertainIy
il have had most wonderful success for
q man OF my limited education. % = .
sFr. That suggests, Mr.. Lincoln, an inqair.
ns which has several times been upon my lip
during this conversation. want yer.
much TO know how you got this unusua
p power of putting things 1t must hav
been a matter OF education. No man ha
itby nature alone. What has yonrH edu
cation beenf sfe
=. lWsIl, as to education the newspaper
are dcorrect-I never went to school NOR
than six months In my life. But, as 20
say,.this must be product of culture j
some form, have been putting the ques
tion Yon ask me, to myself while yop haF
u been talking. Il can say this, that amen
my earliest 'recolle i6nsi / remember, how
when mere child, used to get iEFitate
when any body talked TO me in a way
could not understand. I don't think I!eve
got apgry at anything else in my life. Bt
THAT always disturbed my temper, and ha
ever since. i can remember going to m
little bedroom attersheaFihg the neighbol
talk of an evening with my father, an
spebding no smalI part Of the night walt
ing up And down and trying tosmake OF
what was the exact meaning of, some
,d.their, 10 me, dark sayings. l could n,
sleep, though often. tried to- when g
ON such u hunt Hfter an idea, until hb
.liSGuRhtlit and #heaI Ithodg ght I bad got
mas not satisfied until Ihadl repeated
over aAd over, until Iihad put Il in lar
guaRe plain enough, as I tkOughtS fof az
boy 1 kusT sIo5 66mPf6h6nd. This was
"a ikindof passion with me- and u has Ftuc
= 10y me, for ! am never easy, hoW,, when