The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1865-04-22

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Mr.. Mayor and Feiloac- Citizens:
The memorable days OF our republic are
multiplying with marvellous rapidity-and,
amongst The most Memorable OF them all, will
be the fourteenth OF April, eighteen hundred
and sixty-five, when the hand of violence fell
fatally on all that was mortal OF ABRAHAM
LIEcoLN. The dreadful tragedy = more
dreadful than any ever represented in the
mimicry OF the dramatic stage-has sent q
1hrill OF unmitigated horror through the land;
and Anguish, paralleled only by the sorest do
mestic grief, has filed the hearts and house
holds of our nation. The second Father OF
his country--8econd, only because he was not
the hret-has fallen; and, in common with
mai " millions of afflicted mOurners, we are
met to pay thalast tribute OF respect to the
memory of one whose death is felt by each OF
all these millions as personal bereavement
The stroke has fallen unexpectedly and sud
denly upon US, but suddenly and unexpected
ly only because it is not given to us to foresee
the events and Issues even OF single day
Divine benevolence and wisdom have thrown
over even the nearest future, a curtain SO i'm
penetrable; that human sagacity, however
trained and tutored By experience, can but
conjecture as to what lies behind it. TO God
himself nothing 10 unknown. He 'seeth the
end from the beginning, and from ancient
times the thing that is not yet doge." Nor
must we withhold the closing part of this in
spired declaratiop, in which he says "My
counsel shall stand, and will do all my pleas
ure" Without impairing in the least the free
agency OF man, without mitigating In the
least the guilt or Just desert OF human crime,
the Sovereign Ruler of The Universe is ever
working out to their designed issues his pur
poses OF judgment and OF mercy. ABRAHAM
LINCOLN was Immortal till his work was
done; = and, though his purposes were broken
of. even the thoughts OF his heart, by the
hand OF the assassin, those of the Ail4Wise and
the Almighty are undistnrbed and undiverted
even by a catastrophe like this. 1t was In
subserviency to His designs, that ABRAHAM
LINCOLN first saw the light, and was born
with qualities, physical and mental, which
when matured by exercise, observation, and
experience, fitted him for the high position he
ultimately reached, and for the solemn re-
sponsibities that ever invest the Chief Magis-
tracy OF this great republic. He who drew
the deverer OF Israel from the bulrushes OF
the Nile, and trained him for his destiny in
the Wilderness OF Mivian, took ABRAHAM
LINCOLN, in his seventh year, from his birth
place ia Kentucky, and, till his twentieth, kept
him In salutary secusion amidst the u eli
dense forests OF Indiana. Here, his naturally
strong and stalwart !rame gained daily vigoi
from the work to which penury impelled and
honest industry inclined him. Here, too, his
mental faculties were developed and disciplin
ed by the study of men rather than Of books,
although OF books he had the best In that
volume which, beyond all others, yields the
most nutritious intellectual aliment, and has,
in all ages, given instTumentally the greatest
moral heroes to the world. OF these the ri
oneer of Indiana was pre- eminently one, and
the keen acurnen, the unaffected earnestness,
the flial fidelity, the untiring industry, the
ever unslaked thirst of knowledge, the unim-
peached and unimpeachable truthfnlness oi
ABRAHAM LINCOLN. were, in no small de.
gree, the natural results of early conversance
with the lives and, acts and utterances of Pa
triarchs aud Prophets and Apostles. No Col
1ege claims him as its GtInfnts. His Alma
Mater was fixed by Providence amidst the,
woods and waters OF the then far-West. His
days were spent in hard and ill-remunergting
toil, and few indeed were the hours that could
be spared for what is called intellectual i'm
provememt. But what was wanting in classic
al learning, in philosophical research, in sci
entif1c acquisitions, was more than counter
balanced Dy the reflex action of his own mind,
by the close study OF his country's history,
and by the stern necessities OF life admitting
of no ideness, and by the dictates of a moral
dignity that would not stoop to dissipation
In another and higher sense than is usually
attached I o such an epithet, ABRAHAM LIN.
COLIN was learned man. When he moved
IRON Indiana to his adopted State OF Illinois,
he largely knew himself. He knew, by close
and careful study, the character of Washing
ton. He knew the constitutional history OF
his own country, snd-best of all-he knew
and revered those high and holy principles OF
right and justice which had come to MIN In
his forest home, with the seal and stamp OF
divine authority. These principles were in
corporated with his mental being--interwoven
and blended with his daily MISUNDERSTANDING
steadiness and direction to the noble ambition
that sought eagerly to honor and to serve his
country. tH ilaeafi
True greatness Is never unallied with mod
esty but modesiy in him was something else,
and something vastly better than that mawk-
ish, mopish shamfacedness, which affects
sense OF interiority that is not felt, and creeps
and cringes for compliments that are not de-
served. When summoned by the citizens Oh
Illinois to represent them in their legislature,
he accepted the Office as one to which he was
consciously equal, and the responsibilities OF
which, he assumed as entirely concident with
his ABILITY and inclination. He yielded, with
graceful dignity and just confidence In his ca
pacities OF counsel and OF action, to the
appointment Of his fellow citizens as mem
Der OF the Convention that nominated Zacha-
ry Taylor, as candidate for the Presidential
chair. When those citizens accorded him
the higher honor of acting as their represen-
1atlve IN congress, ne went as naturally and
gracefully to his work, as in his b0yhood he
did his mothers bidding, and in his early man.
hood followed his father to the forest He
took his Congressional seat as workman not
needing to be ashamed, He had no aspira-
lions towards mere ofational display. For
this he was not fitted, and he knew it, but, in
way notless If not more effective, by acting
on important committees, he served the in
terests o. his constituents, and of the country,
and justified to the full the confidence reposed
in him. he did not in mock modesty shrink
subsequently from contesting with an able
Senator, seat in the higher branch Of our
national legislature, although in the well
fought field Of friendly emulation, he failed, as
any man, with even more ability than he as
debater, would, in like circumstances, GER
tainly have DONE "The battle" In such cases,
dis not always to the strong"-asd even ILL.
nois was not yet prepared for the position he
then boldly assumed, and ever after resolutely
maintained, as the advocate of human rights
and the earnest friend Of the oppressed. But
that memorable and prolonged debate did
something towards facilitating the education
Of the people In the science Of right doing
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