The Vermont transcript. [volume] (St. Albans, Vt.) 1864-1870, 1865-04-28

( destroyed an INSTITUTION tnuI WIS u
standing disgrace to our nation, liv-
ing menace to our form of government,
loud-mouthed witness to our nation
al hypocrisy, q dishonor to Christian
civilization.
The destruction of the rebellion and
the destruction of slavery are the two
great achievements on which the fame
of Mr. Lincoln will rest in history; but
no man will write the history of these
achievements Justly, who shall not re-
veal the nature of the power by which
they were wrought out. The history,
which shall fail to show the superiority
Of the wisdom of an honest, humble,
Christian heart over commanding and
cultured intellect, will be a graceless
libel on Mr. Lincoln's fame / do not
know where in the history of mankind
| can find so remarked an instance of
the power of genuine character and
the wisdom of truthful earnest heart,
as | see i'll the UNNECESSARILY great re-
suits of Mr. Lincoln's administration.
| should be false to you, false to the
occasion, false to the memory of him
we mourn and false to the God he wor-
shipped and obeyed, if should fail to
adjure You to remember that all our
national triumphs of law and humani-
ty over rebellion and barbarism have
been won through the wisdom and the
power of n simple, honest, Christian
heart Here is the grand lesson we
are to learn from the life of Mr.. Lin
coin. You, Christian men who have
voted and voted, and voted again, for
impure men, for selfish men, for drunk
ards, for unprincipled men, for UNI
christian men. because they were men
of talent, or genius, or accomplish
ments, or capacity for government, and
because you thought that good head
was more important than a good heart,
have learned lesson from the life
and achievements of Mr.. Lincoln which
You cannot forget without sin against
God and crime against your country.
We have begun to be a Christian ma
ton. We have recognized the con
. trolling power of Providence in oui
, affairs. We have witnessed in the
highest seat the power of Christian
/ wisdom and the might of humble
, praying man. Let us see that we re-
+ main a Christian nation that oui
: votes are given to no man who can
; not bring to his work the power which
, has made the name of Abraham Lin
coin one of the brightest which illus
tratcs the annals Of the nation.
It was the presentiment and proph
ecy of Mr.. Lincoln that his own life
and that of the rebellion would end to
= gether, but little did he imagine
: little did we imagine that the end O
each would be violent. But both par
ties in the closing scene were in the di
l rect exhibition of their characteristic
S qualities. Mr.. Lincoln went to The
t theatre not to please himself, but t.
$ crafty others. He went with weari
5 ness into the crowd, that the promise
f under which that crowd had assembled
3 might be fulfilled. The assassin whC
r approached his back, and inflicted up
4 on him his fatal wound, was in the dl
rect exhibition of the spirits of the re
n bellion. Men who can perjure them
c selves and betray government con
i fided by trusting and unsuspectins
n people to their hands, and hunt ant
: hang every man who does not sympa
:, thize with their treason, and stary
Il our helpless prisoners by thousands
: and massacre troops after they hav
e surrendered, and can glory i'll thes
= deeds, are not too good for the com
h mission of any dastardly crime whicI
it the Imagination can conceive. | ca
II understand their shock at the eno1
If nous crime. at will put the wa
e back to SUMTER" says one. ut
d worse than the surrender of Lees ar
It my says another. All There's th
a point. 1t saves the rebellion from th
d respect and sympathy of the worlC
g The deed is so utterly atrocious-i
o exhibits spirit SO fiendish and dies
e perate that none can defend it, an
e, all turn from it with horror and dis
y gust.
g, Oh, friends! Oh, countrymen
4 dare not speak the thoughts of ven
.e eeance that burn within me when
ii recall this shameless deed. | dal
V. not breathe those imprecations thu
rs rise to my lips when think of tn
l. wanton extinction of great and ber
he efcent life I can hardly pray fC
It, Justice, fully measured out to the ma