Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1865-06-09
The Character Of Abraham Lincoln.
osAIIoS BY REv. r. 5. SroRRs, ID.
AZ the Brookiyh Academy Of MIae.
Jure LIST 1861,

n enthusiasm the last marked by dSmOnhtra-
ions OF honor such as no land has ever
witnessed.
The city through which he passed before
N sheltering privacy now crowds trcnu-
nus, in fearful affection, around his bier.
1Le gr at metropolis, whose mob then hated
him, the leaders OF whose fashion turned
from him with contempt. and whose author
tiee sought to insult him, now pours from
eSery street and lane to witness the sad
Of his mourners. It's whole busI-
ness j. suspended: its houses are hung from !
base TO roof with funeral pOmp it, pave
lnents are thrOnged silent, patient, unmOvlng 1
crowds: Its windows CLEAN with pallid laces, |
as through the hushed, cxpectant avenues,
winds, hour by hour, while bells are t0lling |
and minute-guns with measured boom are
the instants. that vast, amounted,
UNI arall,led procession. Not capitals only,
hut States themselves become he mOurner-
rsr tments IL well as peoples bring their
tribute to ms memory. The halls of nation
al Assemblies are draped in sad commemora-
tion Of IN, worth and OF his death and
o ,ates are su-l ended, and dip.om' cy waite,
while cmperors and queens clasp hands
with us before his bier.
tory. aud it Is Of this contrast, a. well az Of
the other, that We TO-DAY are to give explain
alton. the phenomenon Is astonishing. /,
d mands at our hands an adequate solution,
aud that solution Is not difficult 10 ind.
4 siRguIarly critical and eminent position,
aa0.iariy mprored immense and almost
unparalleled responsibilities, Hi0de0iy dsSifm-
,d. a.,d ic,th rare capacity and a r0rer patience
and ,aagHaHmHty, tHLtHsd here i the
KEY 10 tins strangcst sequence
The orator here introduced an elaborate
and -kilful statement Of the influence OF
uatioualities. and the tendency 90 their de
yeloumcut m modern times. as illustrating
tie PECULIAR position OF Nr. Lincoln
Ai,cr aludlug 70 the fact that ia every
d,lineation OF Mr. Lincoln character the
moral element first suggested itself. DR.
| StUrrs said
/ Aud Vet It Is impossible 20 sVeak o. It a.
W. would, besau-e It II impossible o. com
mise IN words that subtle essential spirit ul
character which was paramount IN him ,
and bccaus,-when wc analvz-. AZ We say.
such character. ami di-tr,hute it, Jingle
though complex beauty into the TRAITS ti"i
made IL MT t. ike imcurug q q diamond
1, exhibit IL. iti- like uubraiIins tie
strand of hight % stow tie sunttam :
mot .Ilendor. - tor. however, az any
T., 1n ala can express What must. hy virtue Of
It's spiritual nature. ,iutc the grasp anc
.urta-, the cumIu-- ut verbal propositions
II may be said that a dsSp. i1Se-fSh synPa
fhV rrih men, a profound r0ErittoH ~ m
raI1iiv and authority Of certain great prIHd
pies Of equality and hi-rfV. and an a1idiHi
personal faith IN fis 1rrruiag pror'd.H's d
GOD, were the prime pal and permanent con
shutting forces in the character which h
showed.
lis sympathy with men was shown n
only in his sIugular.y warm personal attach
m,uts 10 his family and hi, friends. 10 al
who for any considerable time were conf
dentially associated with him 1t was chow
a- well in that kindness 90 the poor, the sor
1owful. the impcrllci, with instances q
I which the journals Of the country Tor iou
years rast have btcn running over.
d After four Year. Of inc,--aut. bloody, de-
perate struggle be entered Richmond, VII
Characteristic uu1stouiauon. not at the hea
% mar,halltd armIc-. with banners advance
and trumpcts sounding, but a. prNa'
. Gentleman, on foot. with an officer 1u On
} eide. holding the hand Of hi- by on IT.
ojhcr An aged negro met him ou tie sire,
md said, with the t,ar- streaming down 81
III, 81, he bowed low his uncovered hcaC
% q. God bress YOU. Ma--a Lincoln go The Pr
=. 81 irut Iaus, D.. rsi-,d his hat on the Instan
nd, wIth a hearty '' THINK YOU, slr.
acarowi,dgcd with bow Tho sreiing. Ia
, -uuc,iy,ly be recognized tie poorest Is D.
, U,,r. and the black man a- hIs brother. Al
lIu-e
And Vet through this native sympathy wit
: m, % 3 q gained large part oi biz immen'
q towor over Boo, country and his times. Fro
IL m part came, no doubt. the sublime ten
terltrucs- OF hi, -piut lie lived IN tim
when "a man without this must now Al
b. then have flannel into passion 40 thcarro-ai
81. icrocity that tainted and smpte him. b
mo- man remembers an hour DO his life vh,
PASSION made hi- accents tremble. lie hat
70 slavery with a lifelong adherence. al
wrc-tled with it for four fierce YEAR IN dead
crapIc and many men, not hating II mo
" nor feeling 10 - much. had come. not unna
.e umlly. u transfer 70 persons their wra
r against the system, and hal been embittcr
, hy their iust indignation. lie kept the utt
sweetness Of his spirit a. II he had been
L. cud bv the firesidc His blood was n
% be ted in the dc-p.rate struggle. ami ev
a c,u,cicncc offended could not make him q
rim nous.
'r lie gained another power through d
E sympathy with men. Not only hy It did
, come To- b. ,ndearcd. so us TO President p
ccdins him had been, 70 the universal hea
III nt the natiun-t0 IT, women AMI children
s. well M IL, mcn-uot only did IT, rare 81
, force ,uruas- our boundaries. anl make F.,
humile abroad has nds. hut De ctmc
'' virtue oi II IN great mtusurr. 90 tv o., Et
40 rc-cutatiye Nun ut thv People. II h-oug
nj him into spontaneous cort,-p ndcnce vi
tie average thong he and .,u,i Z ct the cou
try. lie did not depend on witnesses q
lt cuunseilors. H., &c knew IN hImseli ' wi
Il the ..plain people" wanted, whom he hon'
4 Cd ana believed, % Whose ranks hr expect
soon TO return. and who, as he said, ",
u willing and able 20 cave the Guvernmtl
ne II the Government would DO it, part inditi
# entity we'll Through a process 'mpcrceI
bic To himself, no doubt, m irs methods a
T. modes, but natural 10 his Sympathetic cons
Ir tuition. ne came 10 dwell IN such ac,ord "
: the public-not with any one party or a
one set of leaders and thinkers, but with
~ collective spirit of the naticn-that when
HINht. u ltll lAr tliNh ttN ~ NtAAAAAfN tiiANl
ny him, and his ultimate decisiIn, on any qu
ton announced and sealed the public ia,
ment The Independence OF his policy
il, origin here. lie was always ready to h,
and consider any opinion. The most c,
sentative, the most Violently radical. W,
V. equally At home with hin. Yet the eloqu,
OF ingenious advOcatts OF a theory often iou
he to their surprise, that they had less inauer
al over his cUunsels than over those OF N
IA whom they thought his supericrs. The tn
Is, the entire public was his teacher.
I'd nature drew, through secret ducts. the y
rs dom OF the nation into itself, and the root.
he his matured opinions were AS wide as
ig. country. His policy was plastic, too, a
ay legitimately progressive. as well as lndeper
he ent {. because it represented in success
stages. the popular mind; And where a
TN man with a fixed and inhexible personal q
of DRY, which be must carry out, would h,
he found it inevitably too narrow and rigid
in encompass the crisis, and would have seer
ed hopel. -sly shattered IN the progress OF even
IT. hls policy was modified and expanded "
tune, hccause he kept abreast with the D