The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1866-03-15
A Pen-Picture OF Abraham
Lincoln,

field, Illinois, who was for twenty years
the law partner Of Abraham Lincoln,
recently gave lecture on the life and
character of his illustrious companion
rrefacing it with the following remark
able personal description -
Abrrham Lincoln was about six feet
four inches high, and when he left the
city was fifty-one years old, having good
health and no gray hairs, or but few in
his head. He was thin, wiry, sinowy,
rawboncd, thin through the breast, to
the back, aud narrow across the shoul-
dcrs; standing, he leaned forward was
what may be called stoopshouldercd, in
elining TO the consumptivc by build --
His usual weight was about one hur-
dred and sixty pounds. Ills organiza-
iion rather his structure aud function
worked slowly Ills blood had to run
long distance from his heart 90 the
extremi,ics of his frame, and his nerve
had TO travel through dry ground long
distance before bis muscles were obe.
dent 70 his will His structure was
loose and leathcry; his body was shrunk
and shrivelcd, having dark skin, dark
hair, looking wocstruck The whole
man, body and mind, worked slowly,
crcakingly, as if it needed oiling --
Physically, he was a very powerful mau
lifting with case from fonr 10 six hun
drcd pounds.
His mind was like his body, i. wor.
ked slowly but strongly. When hc
walked be moved cautiously but firmly
his long arms, and hands on them like a
giants hands, swung down by his side.
lie walked with oven tread, the inner
sides Of his feet were parallel He put
the whole foot Fat dowu on the ground
at once, not lsnling on the heel ho Ike.
wisc liiled his foot al OF once not rising
from the tocs, and hence had no spring
! 10 his walk. He had the economy Of
fall aud liit Of foot, though he had no
spring or apparent case of motion 10 his
tread lie walked undu'atory, up and
down. catching and pockcting tire, wear
mess and pain al up and down his per.
son, preventing them from l0catiug.--
The first opinion Of a stranger, or q man
who did not observe closely, was that
his walk implied shrewdness, cunning,
a tricky man; but his walk was the walk
of caution and hrmnc@ In sitting
down on q common chair bic was no tai
Ter than ordinary men. His legs aud
arms were abnormalIy, unnaturally long
and in undue proportion Ia the balance
II bis body II wRs only vhen he stood
up that he doomed ndovc other men.
Mr. Lipcolu's head was long and tall
from the base of the brain and from the
cyebrows-tbc rcrecpiiyc faculties ---
lis head ran backward, bis forehead
rising Ms i raa back at a low angle, like
Clays aud unlike Wrbstcr's, almost
perpendicular. The size Of the hat,
measured on the hattcr's block was sew.
On aud hslf, his head being from ear
to ear six aud half inches aud from
the front 10 the back Of brain eight Ia.
chcs Thus measured II was not below
the medium size. His forehead was
narrow but high his hair was dark, al
most black aud lay floating where his
fingers or the wind luft it, piled mp at
random His check bones were high,
sharp and prominent Ills eyebrow.
heavy aud jutting out his jaws were
long, upcurvcd aud heavy; his nose was
large, long and blunt, having the tip
glowing IN rod aud little away toward
the right eye his chin Was long, harp,
and up-curycd his eyebrows cropped GU,
like huge rock on the brow Of a hill
his face was long, salIow, cadaveruus
shrunk, shriyeled, wriukled aud dry,
having here aud there a hair on the
surface, his checks were lcathcry his
cars were large and ran out almost at
right angles from his head, caused by
heavy hats, and partly by nature his
lower lip was thick, hanging aud under
curved while his chin reached for the
lip up,curycd his neck was neat and
trim, his head being wcll-balauced on
il, there was the love mole on the right
check aud Adam, s apple on the throat.
Thus stood, walked, acted, aud looked
Abraham Lincoln lie was not prct-
ty man, by any means nor was he au
ugly one He was homely man. care
less Of his looks, plain looking and plain
acting. He had no pomp, display, or
dignity--socalled He appeared simple
in his carriage and beariag He was
sad looking man; his melancholy drip
ped from him as he walked. Hisappa-
rent gloom impressed his friends and
created a sympathy for him, one means
of his success. lie was gloomy, alb
stacted, aad joyous, rather humorous,
by turns. do not think he knew what
real Joy was for more than twcnty.thrce
years. Mr.. Lincoln sometimes walked
our streets eheerily, good humoredly,
perhaps joyously, and then it was on
meeting a friend, he cried, Glow d'y,
olasping one Of his friends hands in
both of his, giving good, hearty soul
welcome. Sometimes he might be seen
vending his way to his Office, to the
courtroom, or the railroad depot, with
his baggage, looking like a rail in broad
cloth. of winters morning he might
be seen stalking and sitting 1t toward
the market-house, basket on arm, his
old gray shawl wrapped around his neck,
his little Willie or Tad running along at
his heels, asking thousand little quick
questions, which his father heard not
not even knowing that little Willie or
Tad was there, so abstracted was the
father. When he thus met a friend he
said that something put him in mind of
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