American citizen. [volume] (Butler, Butler County, Pa.) 1863-1872, 1865-07-12

apparent consciousness of the important
part that he was enaeting or the great
power that he had been called upon to
WELD. The necessities of State ceremo'
NAL, the ordeal of public reception,
we're obviously the things that he most
dreaded and disliked. 1t was impossible
for one who knew him well, to look upon
him there, or in scene like that which
attended his last Inauguration at the
Capit6l surrounded as he was, by
the Ambassadors of all the crown
ell heads of ChristendOnl, glittering
in the gay tinsel and the heraldic insignia
of their several orders, with thousand
bright eyes directed from the galleries
upon that assuming mau-himself the
central figure of the groupe-without
feeling that he was under a constraint Of
posture, that did violence to his nature,
and was as painful as it was embarrassing
The expression of his countenance, on
such occasions, was one Of sadness and
abstraction from the scene around him.
except when SEINE familiar face was rec
ognized and greeted in the throng that
crowded to take him by the hand. 1t
was only in the retirement of his own
private audence-chambe that the whole
man shone out, and that he could be
said to be truly himself.
And there, with perfect abandon of
manner, surrendering himself without
constraint, to just such posture, however
grotesque or inelegant, as was most agree
able to himself, feeling that the eye of the
world was no longer on him, and forget
ting that he was the ruler of a mighty ma
ton, at time of unexampled anxiety and
peril, his eye and lip would light up with
an expression of sweetness that was inef-
fable, while he interested and amused his
auditor, by the ease and freedom of his
conversation, and the inexhaustible fund
of anecdote with which he enriched his
discourse, and so aptly aud so strikingly
illustrated the topics that he discussed
They err greatly however, who suppose
in him any undue lcSity of manner, or
assign to him the credit of having been a
labtual joker. If he told a story-and
it was perhaps of his early life and expe-
rience-it either pointed a moral. or win
ged Il thought to the mark at which it was
aimed-and left it there He was not
long in diviuing the true characters Of his
visitors, and if he INDUCED in pleasan-
tries, it was either to crafty their tastes,
or to parry the impertinences to which he
was so frequently subjected. Peculiar-
ties so striking as those of Abraham Lin
coin are always singled out for broad car
feature. A common face or character is
altogether untitled for the purpose. But
like many men who have acquired a rep
utation for sprightliness and humor, the
cost of his mind was deeply serious
! With the grave and earnest who came to
discourse with him on important matters
of State, he was always up to the height
of that great argument; and there are few
men living, with his imperfect training,
and so little acquaintance with books who
can express their thoughts with more
clearness, or force, or prOprety of speech
than himself lie talked as he wrote,
and the world knows with what original
ity, and precision and felicity Of phrase
without u model or master-he dealt
with the many perplexing questions that
were presented to him. His style was in
deed sui geherjs. Everything he wrote
has the marks of his paternity so strong
impressed upon it, that the authorship
cannot be possibly be mistaken. Nobody
could initiate i'm nobody but himself
could be his parallel" He had much Of
the genius of Swift, without any Of his
cyncism Without polish or elegance,
there was, however, an elevation Of tone
"a vein of deep faith, and Of high re-
ligious trust, pervading some of his State
papers and especially his last inaugural
address, that have placed the latter, in
the judgment of some of the best Euro
pean scholars, far above the range of crit
lciSm
But his crownng attribute-the one
that won for him so large a place in the
hearts OF the people-so much more OF
the true affection than has been ever IN
spired by the exploits of the successful
warror-was the large humanity that
dwelt in that gentle bosom which knew
no resentments. and was ever open to the
appeals of suffering No feeling Of re-
venge found Judgment there. No
stormy passion stirred the quiet depths,
or swept the even surface of his tranquil
temper. No wife or mother, who had
begged her way to Washington to ask the
pardon of an erring husband, or the dis
charge of wounded or dying son, was
ever refused an audiance, or ever retired
from that presence ithoutinvoking Heav-
ems choisest blessings on the head Of the
good President, who could refuse moth
ing to women's tears. The wives and
mothers of America have just paid back
the tribute of their overhowing hearts
10 the floods of sorrow with which they
have deluged his grave. if he had a
weakness it was here, but it was such a
weakness as angels might confess, and
history will not care to extenuate. That
his good nature was sometimes imposed
upon is not improbable. For times and
places such as his, a man of sterner mould
is sometimes absolutely necessary. 1t is
greatly to be doubted whether that gentle
heart could ever have have been persua-
ded to pronounce the deserved doom up
on the guiltiest of the traitors. The
CRUSHING appeal of the wife and mother