, 1865-04-28
GER NIAREFRED PRESIDENT,
address by Hon. G. B Lawrence, on
the Death OF President Liucoln,
Delivered at The Congrega-
tional Church, Ottawa.

lSfNE1Al ltQk4tEQRulEuEE u LUG NDlCBEu 4EatNuCsJ
OTTAWA. april 70. 1865.
Herewith send you the eulosy on Abrahan
Lincoln, delivered yesterday to crowded an
dlence at the Flint Congregational Church In thi:
city. The accompanying notes, which i have
been requested to send to the Ta1uuzE along
with the report, will explain themselves.
Tourr, &C.,
THE SECRETARY Or THE CoNa1F1EE.
OTTAWA, April 10Th, 1865.
DEAR s1R: In compliance with the expressed
deafre Of the audience, you nre hereby respect
fully requested to furnish for publication copy o
your excellent addteas, which was listened to W1t1
60 much sarieiaction to-day at the First Consrcga
z. 8. LELAND,
E: E: ": Hssses.n, Committee.
!: Z. g.. 6: A5assi h11s14..
e OTTAWA, April 19. 1865.
Messrs. Leland. Nash. and Others, committees:
GENTLEMEN: The address delivered by me to
day Was hastily prepared as to be hardly worthy
OF publication, but such IS 1t is 1t Is at your ser
vice. Very respectfully, your oodt. servt,
ADDRESS.
A patton MOUTHS. The brosd surface Of a cont
nett, from the remotcst cApe3 OF Maine to the
sunny shores Of the Pacific seass is today covered
American life for the moment stled, a. at tbti
hUpr We gather over I'LL the land in the temples o
religion, 10 sings the Fopgs Of lamentation ovel
has been taken from Is. And We gather, moi
mcr1y to weep. hui also to be reminded that
however insci iutsble to our mortal vision may
tic bands of alBeins "whose w,ys are not t our ii
Wa5e," and who doeth all thingswell.
SO Nide.eptead4 earnest and spontaneous t1i.
hute OF affection as millions Of men and women are
Ut this moment offering the memory Of Mr.. Lin
coin, wss never before offered to mortal man, On
the death or Ktnee the mere pnEeantry Of grief
the pomP and show and outward circumstance oi
never before has 70 great q nation, uo.
rom ,he impulse oi lis: earnest love,
dor into which Il has been plunged. spsak but
the simple truth in saying that never before was
ahuman being 50 sincerely loved as was Abraham
ID his ee ap ~sssiasfon Ssss S1
was 80 almost superhnmau in its grandeur that he
was, In come degree, removed from the attos-
nhs1o SMksing ~, sympathy to that 9f TeveEenee aud
as. during the last four years, be has.khoWn him
self to be- nevertheless his genial impulses, his
wsr1n affections, his heart quick to respond 10 any
dsy ef melting CHARITY. the litter ab! eaee of aas @
Species Of parade in hts daily life, his childlke
simplicity OF chpracter, fnsra,ned rs to be In
huneicst lie frank guielesfness of lis p public iii;
nttera1cte. and the e1uberant. hut most kindly
humor Of his private, conreIss sdon-these traitf
hare Ton for him place IN the national heart
tuch ae VIC accord 10 those who ait with Us at on1
own f1reeiaee.
That those Of us who harc long known him
should have had for him sentiment Of profound
affection. was almost unavoidable. But It is won
derful-the universally with which be hna i'm
pressed kindred feeling upon the millions who
ha.e never eecn him. But sucn is certainly the
tact ard when the awful event Of Thai Terrible might
fell like pail upon the country, not only woman
with her quick sympathies, but men hardened tn
the world gave themselves pp to the bitterness Of
1hr.r OWL homes. The truth IL, the seneatioua and
experiences Of n li.e.:ime have been crowded into
the last four years: The apprehension Of men, az
ihies have been qu1cksned BY great W and thicE, @
coming events, correctness joyous and sometimes
<ad. and Abraham Lincoln, being the central ag-
and all hearts being in unison with LIS, the people
haye come to know him, as life time Of Ollie In
ordinary periods would not have made him known
Bnt to The sharp Eenee Of personal loss il addEd
rearcment. I am gl6d to see the nation, withou,
distinction Of party disposed, In this grcat emer
Gency, to extend to Andrew johnson generous
unjust to permit solitary Instance Of indecorum,
grave as It certainly was, to permanently cloud
the setvtre he has heretofore rendered fhc caa.e
@ ., hes1ty 1 and The untor. nis part career shows
ntes. snd. for the eake Of our COMMON country,
we snuu!u closc up our ranks ntonnd him as the
leader whom the law gtyes US. Thus, only. can
future. But while we all feel ibis, we are all, at
the fsre tmc, Impressed with the profound con.
Ficdon that there MAS no man but Abraham LIN
coin, IN the entire country, TO whom the imnedt-
ate welfare Of the ppbiic could be conaded with
IN unfalteslpg trust. As to HIM, even the dcrce
bitterness Of party had suhsided, and none are
bis loes as an unspeakable calamity to the
country. The people had come to rest
upon him, with simple and chfid.tks faith. :As
happens in al political cont1oye.sles hs had been
weapon, but they had f,llen h.rm1ese al Iii feet
By the simple msjes'y o. his unassailab!e lnteg-
purpose which shr people could nryeE be made to
party spirit. So strong had become the pubic
.hst evsn wher hts policy seemed
would show Its wisdom, AID that, for reasons Of
which prudence required the concealuent, he had
done what The eme7cenc, most demanded. l cau
which the event has not yltditated Its action
y tile, by ote party, be might be considered as
laggard, and by the other. a headstrons, the r.
others. knew how The policy d the Governmeni
nsasnre shonis &c adopted, Az" 1nd If % great
GPeis e po S %Rsss
to ach:eve great result, and IN pdefatsndlng,
thoropchly, the fpirtt Of =: people as to know
and IN l-eitg sb!c to gradually 80 mould the tenn
per Of the nation. as to M Ee ii. adoption SUI
cess; then certainly Abraham Lincoln s.ands in
the historians Of coming. ages will r5questiona-
hy accord him md When We look at tho dif1.ul-
ties he has tyerc. me, the gfgaItlc reocll1on Ae
hss eurdued. the utterly new problems he has had
10 er3pp]r Wlth-prob'emi not only new, but diff
tuit rey end all a1lpre.conCcEtion-an when we CON.
EaIe his career with his previous experience, and
reminder tow long and difficult the training
an accomplished statesman we are almost dumb
bee tGtd dnr1ng this war, "God has raleed and
f-nous political writer's Of Cur language Mr..
Lneo!n had never greatly studIed-he was
not. ! think, profoundly lead IN history
WIDE; tut naturally powerful vas his intellect,
I*culty 20 strong, and lis analysis 20 searte,r e
and subtle. that his mind, AZ an Instrument foF
ard'e EworJ, AZ it Glove the iron, with the keen
ness Of saladtns c1meter, as 1t ssndered the del.
icate tietue Of the veil. In the massive power Of
whom he has been compared, and who. maigned
for Lear two centuries, has DoW tAk:n undsputed
rank tmong the foremost of English Statesmen
Se bt n IL ne a mind 'nd
But great Is were Mr. Lncofn's intellectual
powers, it Has after all, his moral qualities thai
made him snccet sfnl leader In this period Of reT
olution- in my Judgment, he has never resorted
10 1neas1Ees WHICH were not required BY that eu-
.p1eme law, the eafetJ OF the Republic. At the
eame time, eren we. who belonged to bis polit
cal party, muet admit that some Of these measures
were 60 foreign to our hab:te ~ nauon. and 50
far trenched upon hatextreme, and almoat NOR
bid Jealousy OF power, Which is an instinct With
euesnt e sabns to % tRs *1e We had naTs not t
that, in MT. Lincoln's handt, our laws and hter,
tics we're safe. Even In periods Of the highest
people thsi be would play the role of . Napoleon,
vas siuap}S tclk1ng to the win6R. The profound
instinct Of the popul:r heart stamped the prophe'
es almost al povts S e na ahSS Sad
ccntercd in one man, they bei1ved II necessary,
and felt themeelves secure, because that nun was
p9esoSo 9
o. history were quoted IN VAN; and here 1sprob
abIy, to cay, Iot 4n intelligent aud homes. man Of
woman. tn all these Northern States, who helicvea
that Mf. Lncoln would have hesttatea, for one
instant in retiring from Office at the end OF bis
constitutional term, or that he ever Cherished,
Tor moment the entity phantasy Of unlawful
poNer. It vas this 1nialte ring confidence thai
our gratitude to the Deity Tor raising US up a
leader Who could 1nspfre It.
AEopg the intellectual qualities Of Nj. Lincoln,
sngacli5 ID to the future In the darkest hours OF
the struggle, when, to human ken, the cause
eeemt lot. hage been told, by those who were
If heart OF hope. hi1 faith IN our dnsl triumph
wss unaiEmed, and. but fog the strength which
that faith gave the Government, among the pco-
pie, they would never have 30 responded to the
repeated dernsnaB for money and ior men. Bat
ns an tnstsnce of this sagaclty, permit me to H.
du'Se In slight personal "Reminiscences. l Was
il Springfield, attending 1be courts soon after the
K*nsds-Nehratka bill was passed. The Republic
can party was not get born. One evening MI. Lin
coin askedtdve or liz lawyers to meet him At his
Wc vent lie was ty lar the ulost earnest Of the
number, and was the chief talker an1 well re-
member, and have often s1nre thought, how much
OF the gift Of prophecy be then tho Sed. sup
pose Mny fay, without offensc to any persons Of
ti,1et political opinions who may be here pres
eut; and who 30 notify, in this hour Of public ca
IxD1ffF haEe lnfd 6A1da all 4,c1ftfeal