, 1866-02-14
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MR. RANCROFT.S O1AT4O]

N X. aANCROFTsS ORAT1ONs f.
MIR. George Bancsoft's orat1on In comme,no-
zation Of Abraham Lincoln. IL especially In
terestlng ~ the verdict OF the greatest living
authority on American history on the merits
Of one Of the most striking indIvidualitlee OF
this or any other century. =
Mr. Bxncroft,s address, however. Aasoush
charaeterist1r In the hlcaA.st sense Of the pol
3shed, schol--ay ana elegant literary genius Of
l.z distinguished author, is, after ali, the pro.
duction OF historian Of the present day, and
cannot be considered ~ that ot history itself
which 'of course requires a greater lapse oi
ages for the conscientious and Impartial elabo.
milton OF Its final Judgment. While we
. fully concur In every word that fell
80 elo9uently from our great hlstorian's
lips In praise of MIR. Lincoln. we
ore yet disposed to believe that a. time rolls
On aud dissipates the mIsts Of the past, our
late Presidents glory will jet shine with
greater sp1endor than eyen In Mr.. Bancroft's
beautiful and admirable dellneation. We
think Lncoln's fame should mot bc traced
from tho time OF his relieving the cpuu-
try hom the treason Of Buchanan, but
rather from that Of his giving q death
blow to The sham-democracy OF Douglas1
In all the annals Of political wnrfare there Is
hardly any episode fraueht with either greater
Interest or more momentous Issues thaa that
In which Abraham Lincoln smote down on
the plains Of illinois, the Little Giant who tad
: Goliatll's strength without Saul's faith. and
It haa been rather too mach the fashion, par-
1icutarly N Europe, of representing Mr. Lin
coin as Jumping in one bound from the hut OF
thc .atl splitter to The Presidency, aud In IT,
n"rlns altogether the eminent services which
be rendered to the cause Of freedom aud pro
errss long before his elevation 10 that iich
Office Nor do We think that sufficient stress
is laid upon the Washington atmosphere, sur
chargcd as 1t was with the exhalations of trca-
son and slavery. TO Which Mr.. Lincoln was
sudden|y transferred to enforce the duties of
loyalty and the claims OF liberty. Indeed
only thos. personally falul}arizcd both with
the Washington Of Buchanan aud that of Lin
coin, can form an adequate conception Of the
Ehnt difficulties TINT bcsct the new Prosi
dcnt's path.
When tho time shall have come for the
fuller revelation Of au these circumstances.
and Of the thousand complications arising
from the rise and fall Of IN army OF generals,
and from the conflicting ideas In the heart OF
The eadministratio and among the masses of
the people, postcsity will, In onr opinion. he
yet called upon TO do even fuller Justice than
any 80 lar done TO the man who stecrcd
clear through all these breakers, with mind,
that never lost its clear and nenetrat,n1
vision. with 4 heart that never cessed to
tbrob with the purest love for his rscc md
with good will cren for his enemies. and with
a soul that never wea.ied In it's holy dcpcn-
dcnce upon Providence. Thonrb the com-
parison with Lord Palmcrston obviously oc-
CURED TO The contemnorary mind of Nj. Dan-
croft md is not without It's ontithetIcal iascY-
nations for literary man. wetyet resret TINT
the hume Of such m unha1loycd tvne of ernc-
diency and worldlfncss shonld br ncnt,onad