Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1865-05-11


land that Abraham Lincoln, the best of
Presidents, had pershed by the hands of an |
assassin. Aud then all that feeling which
had been gathering for four years in forms
OF excitement, grief, honor and joy, turned
into one wall Of woe-a sadness inexpressi-
BILE, anguish unutterable. But il is not the
time, merely, which caused this mourning
the mode OF his death must be taken into
account. Had he died on bed of illness
with kind friends around him; had the
sweat OF death been wiped from his brow by
gentle hands while he was yet conscious;
could he have had the power to speak words
OF affection to his stricken widow, words of
counsel to us like those which we heard in
his parting for Washington, in his lnaugu-
raj, which shall now be immortal; how 1t
would have softened or assuaged something
OF the grief! There might at least have
been preparation for the event But no
moment of warning was given to him or to
u.s. lie was stricken down when his hopes
Tor the end Of the Rebellion were bright and
the prospects Of joyous life were before
him. There was a Cabinet meeting that
day, said to have been the most cheerful
and happy of any held since the beginning
OF the Rebellion. After this meeting he
talked with his friends, and spoke of the
four Years of tempest, Of the storm being
over, and of the four years Of pleasure and
JOY. now awaiting him. as the weight of care
and anguish would be taken from his mind,
and he could have happy days with his
family again. In the midst of those antic
ipations, he left his house never to return
alive. The evening was Good Friday, the
saddest day in the whole calendar for the
Christian Uburch-henceforth in this coun
try to be made sadder, if possible, by the
memory of our nations loss. And SO filed
| with grief was every Christians heart that
even all the joyous thought of Easter Sun
day failed to remove the crushing sorrow
under which the true worshipper bowed ia
the House of God. But the great cause of
this mourning is to be found in the man
himself Mr.. Lincoln was no ordinary man
and | believe the conviction has been grow
ing on the nations mind, as it certainly has
been on my own, especially in the last years
of his administration. BY the hand OF God,
he was especially singled out to guide our
Government in these troublous times, and it
seems to me that the hand of God may be
traced in maRy OF the events connected with
his history. First, then, recognize this in
the physical education which he received,
and which prepared him for enduring her.
, cuean labors in tho trials of his boyhood
| and the labors of his manhood. Ged was
giving him an iron form. Next to this was
his Identification with the heart of the great
people Misunderstanding their feelings be-
cause he was one of them and connected
with them in their movements and life. -
His education was simpe few months
spent in the schoolhouse gave him the ele-
ments of education. He read few books
but mastered all he road. "Bunyan's Pro-
gress' and the Life Of Washington" we're
his fayorites. In these We recognize the
works which gave tho bias character, and
which partly nodded his style. His early
life, with its varied struggles, joined him
indissolubly to the weeping MASSES and no
elevation in society diminished his respect
for the sons of toll He knew what it was
to fell tall trees of the forest, and to stem
the current of the hard Mississippi His
home was in the growing West, the heart
Of the Republic, and, invigorated by the
wind which swept over its groves he learn
cd the lesson of sell reliance which sustain
ed him in seasons of adversely. His genius
was soon recognized as true genius always
will be. He was placid in the legislature
Of State.
Already acquainted with the principles Of
law, he devoted his thoughts to matters OF
public interest aud began to be looked on
as the coming statesman. As early as $40
he presented resolutions in the Legislature
asking for emancipation in the District of
Columbia although, with rare exceptions,
the whole popular mind of his State was
opposed to the measure.
From that hour he was a steady and uni
form friend Of humanity and was preparing
for the conflict Of later years. If you ask
on what mental characteristic his greatness
rested, answer on quick and ready per.
ception Of facts and a memory unusually
tenacious and retentive, and on logical
turn of mind which followed sterngly and
every link in the chain Of thought on any
subject which he was called on to investi-
gate.
think there have been minds more de-
cided in their character, more comprehen-
sive in their scope but doubt if there has
been mind which could follow steplby step
with logical power to the points which he
desired to illustrate. He gained the power
by close study Of geometry and by do
termination to persevero in the truth. 1t
is said of him that in childhood, when he
had any difficulty in listening to cenversa-
! ton to ascertain what people meant, If he
retired to rest he could not sleep till he
| tried to understand the precise points in
tended, and when understood to convey it
in clear manner to those who had listened
with him,
Who that has read his message fails ia
perceive the directness and the simplicity Of
his style, and this very trait which was
scotfed at and derided by his opposers is
now recognized as one Of the strong points
OF that mighty mind which has so power.
fully influenced the destiny of this nation,
and which shall for ages to come influence
the destiny of humanity 1t is not, how
ever, chiefly by his mental faculties that he
gained such control over mankind. His
moral power gave him prominence. The
convictions of men that Abraham Lincoln
was an honest man led them to yield to his
guidance.
As has been said of Golden, whom he
greatly respected, he made all men feel and
own the sense of himself and recognize in
him, individually, self relying power
They saw in him a man whom they believed
would do that which was right, regardless
of all consequences 1t was this moral
feeling which gave him the greatest hold
on the people, and made his utterances al
most oraoular. When the nation was an
gered by the per6dy of foreign Powers, in
allowing privateers to be fitted out, bo ut
tered the significant expression, "One war