The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1865-04-17
Tho Great Crime-Abraham Lincoln's
Place I'm HistOry.

q Tho Great Crime-Abraham Lincoln's
Place I'm History.
q Abraham Lincoln, in the full fruitiOn of his
y glorious work, has been struck from the
I roll Of living men by the pistol shot of
{ an assassin. That is the unwelcome news
which has, for the last two days, filled
= every loyal heart with sadness, horror and
3 a burning thirst for retribution. That is the
n news which has swept away from the public
4 mind every sentiment of leniency or concilia-
4 ton towards the conquered brigands of the
q South, and in whose lurid light, as by the phos-
\ phorescent flames recently enkindled in the
1 crowded hotels of this city by men with rebel
commissions in their pockets, we are again ter
ribly reminded of the absolute barbarity and
utter devilishness of the foemen we have now
tightly clutched in our victorious grasp. The
kindliest and purest nature, the bravest and
J most honest will, the temper Of highest gent
atty, and the spirit Of largest practical benef-
cence in our public life, has fallen victim to
the insane ferocity of q bad and mad vagabond,
Z who had been educated up to this height Of
: crime by the teachings of our "oopperhead"
oracles, and by the ambition Of fulfilling those
instructions which he received "from Rich
mond." OF him, however, and the bitter fruits
to the South and to all Southern sympathizers
which must follow his act as inevitably as the
; thunder storm follows the lightning fash, we
= do not care In this moment of benumbing
regret and overwhelming excitement to allow
ourselves to speak. The deliberations Of
justice must be held in some calmer hour !;
while, for the present, we can but throw cut
some few hurried reflections on the character Of
the giant who has been lost to our Israel, and
the glorious place in history bis name is
destined 10 occupy.
Whatever judgment may have been formed
by those who were opposed to him as to the
calibre of our deceased Chief Magistrate, or
the place he is destined to occupy in
history, all men Of undisturbed observation
must have recognized in Mr.. Lincoln q
quaintness, originality, courage, honesty, mag
nanlmity and popular force Of character such
as have never heretofore, in the annals Of the
human family, had the advantage Of 80 eminent
Q stage for their display. He was essentially a
mixed product Of the agricultural, forensic and
frontier life Of this continent-as indigenous to
our soil as the cranberry crop, and as American
In Bis fibre as the granite foundations Of the
Appalachian range. He may not have been,
and perhaps was not our most perfect product
In any one branch Of mental or moral educa-
ton; but, taking him for all In all, the very
noblest impulses, peculiarites and aspirations
Of our whole people-what may be called our
! continental idiosyncrases-w more collec-
lively and wildly reproduced in bis genial and
yet answering nature than in that Of any
other public man of whom our chronicles bear
record.
II the influence Of the triumph Of popular
institutions in our recent struggle prove SO
great over the future destiny Of all European
nations as we expect II must, Mr.. Lincoln will
stand In the worlds history, and receive its
Judgment, as the type man of neY dynasty Of
nation-rulers for this country alone, but
for the whole civilized portion Of the human
family He will take his place in sphere far
higher than that accorded to any mere
conqueror and, indeed, without speaking
profanely, we may well say that, since the
foundation Of the Christian era, no more re-
markable or pregnant passages Of the worlds
history have been unfolded than these Of which
Mr.. Lincoln on this continent has been the cen
trail figure and controlling influence. II IL by
this measurement be wfll be judged, and by
this standard will his place be assigned 70 him.
Under his rule Our selEgoverning experiment
has become, within the past four years, q
demonstration OF universal significance that
the best and strongest rule for every intelligent
people is government 10 be created by the
popular will, and choosing for itself the repre-.
sentative instrument who 10 TO carry out Ii
purposes Four years ago II appeared an even
chance whether Europe, for the next century al
least, should gravitate towards democracy OF
Cesarism. Louis Napoleon was weak enough
To hope the latter. and has destroyed himself by
the folly Of giving his hope expression. The
triumph Of the democratic principle over the
aristocratic 10 our recent contest IL an a.
suranoe that time has revolved this old eartt