The Lancaster gazette. [volume] (Lancaster, Ohio) 1863-1886, 1864-09-15
tFrom the independently
A TALK WITH ABRAHAM
LINCOLN.
BY REV. JOHN p, ouLlIvER.

bI hEN. JOHN L, W LLlN In.
At time when thousands of hon
est, earnest men are in painful doubt
concerning the fitness ofour President
to resume his Office for another term,
every incident which can throw light
on his character has a peculiar inter
est for the public. 1t has been well
said, that we never know man thor
oughly till we have seen him at his
ease. Certain it is, that there arc mo-
ments when we seem able to see into a
man and through him. / thought !
once had such an opportunity with
Mr.. Lincoln.
1t was just after his controversy
with Mr.. Douglas, and some months
before the meeting of the Chicago Con
vention of 1860, that Mr. Lincoln came
to Norwich to make political speech
1t was in substance the famous speech
delivered in New York, commencing
with the noble words, There IS but
one political question before the peo-
pie of this country, which is this, Is
Slarery right, or is it urong2" And
ending with the yet nobcr words
"Gentlcmen, it has been said of the
worlds history, hitherto, that might
males right,' it is for US and for our
times to reverse the maxim, and to
show that right makes right"
The next morning | met him at the
railroad station, where he was conver,
sing with our Mayor, every few min.
utes looking up the track, and inquir-
ing, half impatiently and half quizzi-
cally, "Wherc's that wagon of yours
Why don't that wagon come along?"
On being introduced to me, he fixed
his eye upon me, and said, ~ have
seen you before, STRIP 81 think not,
replied; "you must mistake me for
some other person" mo don't;
saw you at the Town Hall last eve.
ming"
rs it possible, Mr., Lincoln, that
! you could observe individuals so close
ly in such a crowd?"
"Oh yes" he replied, laughing
"That is my way. don't forget faces
Were You not there?"
II was, sir; and l was well paid foi
going" adding somewhat in the vein
of pleasantly he had started, 81 con
slider it one of the most extraordinary
speeches ever heard"
As we entered the cars, he beckon.
ed me to take n seat with him, and
said in q most agreeably frank way
"Were you sincere in what you said
about my speech just now ?"
81 meant every word Of it, Mr.. Lin.
coin; why, an old Dyed in-thewoo
Democrat who sat near me, applaudec
you repeatedly; and, when rallied up
on conversion to sound principles, an
swcred, i don't believe a word he
says, but 1 cant help clapping him
he is so PAT That | call the triumph
of oratory, ,
"whcn you convince man against his will
Though he is oI the same opinion stlll.'
Indeed, sir, | learned more Of the ar
ofpublic speaking last evening than
could from whole course Of lectures
on Rhetoric"
"Ah that reminds me, said he 90
most extraordinary circumstance
which occurred in New Haven the
: other day. They told me that The
Professor of Rhetoric in Yale College
u very learned man isn't he ?" eyes
sir, and q fine critic, too. "-"WeIl,
suppose so ; he ought to be at any rate
they told me that he came to heal
me and took notes OF my speech, anc
gave lecture on it TO his class thC
next day; and, not satisfied with that
he followed me up to Mcriden the mex
evening, and heard me again for The
same purpose. Now, if this is so, it il
to my mind very extraordinary.
have been sufficiently astonishcd al
my success in the West. 1t has beer
most unexpected. But l had no
+ thought of any marked success at thu
East, and least of all that l shoulc
E draw out such concentrations from
literary and learned men. "Now," h'
continued, IL should like very mucl
f to know what it was in my speecf
which you thoughtso remarkable, ant
what you suppose interested my friend
the professor, so much"
"The clearness of the your state
! ments, MIR. Lincoln; the unanswera
!; BILE style ofyour reasoning, and espec
tally your illustrations, which wcr,
romance and pathos, and fun, and log
ic, all welded together. That story
about the snakes, for example, whicl
set the hands and feet of your Demo
cratic hearers in such vigorous motion
was at once queer and comical ant
tragic and argumentative. 1t brok,
through all the barriers Of a man.
previous opinions and prejudices, at
crash, and blew up the very citadel o
his false theories, before he could know
what had hurt him"
"Can you remember any other il
lustrations," said he, "of this peculiar
; ity of my style3"