Delaware Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1843-1874, 1866-02-12
A REMARKABLE DESCRIPTION OF ABRA.
HAM LINCOLN,


Illinois, who was for the last twenty years th,
law partner of Abraham Lincoln, recent,
gave lecture on the life and character of biz
companion, prefacing II with the following re-
msrkable personal description:
abraham Lincoln was about six feet four
inches high, and whom he left the city was 81
years old, having good health no gray hairs
or but few, In his head. He was thin, wiry,
sinewy, raw boned, thin through the breast TO
the back, narrow across the shoulders; stand
Ing, he lesned forward-was what may be cal
led stoop shouldered, inclining to the oonsun D.
tive by build. His usual weight was about
iso pounds. His anization--rather his
| structure and function-worked slowly. His
tiood had to run o long distance from his heart
70 the extremities of his frame, and his nerve
force had to travel through dry ground long
distance before his muscles were obedient to
his will. His structure was loose and leath-
cry; his body was shrunk and shriveled, hay
ing DARK hair, dark skin, looking woe struck
The whole man, body and mind, worked slow
y, creakingiy, as he needed eilng. Physically,
he was q very powerful man, lifting with sase
four hundred to siI hundred pounds.
ibis mind was like his body-it worked
slowly, but strongly. When he walked he
moved cautiously but firmly, his long arms,
snd hands on them like giant's hands, swung
down BY his side. he walked with even tread;
the inner sides of his feet were parallel. He
put the whole foot fat on the ground ct once,
he likewise lifted his feet all at once, not rap-
Ing from the toes, and hence had no spring 10
MS walk. He had the economy Of fall and
lit OF foot, though he had no spring or appat-
ent ease OF motion 10 his tread. He walked
undulatory, up and down, catching and pock-
eting tire, weariness and pain all al and down
nis person, preventing them from locating :
rne nrst opinion offs. stranger, or one who did
not observe closely, was that his walk implied |
shrewdness. cuaniug-a tri cky man but his |
walk was the walk of caution and frmness - |
in sitting down in an ordinary chair he was |
no taller than ordinary men. His legs and |
arms were abnormally, unnaturally long, and
10 UNDUE proportion to the rest of his body |
IL was only when he stood that he loomed
above other men,
Mr.. Lincolns head was long and tall from
the base OF the brain and from the eyebrows
the perc.ptive faculties. His head ran back |
wards, MS forehead rising as it ran back at low
angle, like Clay's and unlike Websters almost
perpendicular. The size Of tn g hat measured
en- the hatter's block, was n, his head being
from ear TO ear 84 inches, and from the front |
70 the back Of the brain, 8 inches. Thus mea--
sured IL was not below the medium siz4. Hid |
forehead was marrow but high; his hair was
aark, almost black, and lay floating where his |
nngers or wind left it, piled at random. Hib
sneek bones were very high, sharp and prom |
inent; his eyebrows heavy and juttipg OUT |
MS jaws were long, up curved and heavy; hiB |
nose was large, long and blunt, having the |
UP glowing in red, and little awry toward
the right eye; his chin was long. sharp, and
up curved; his eyeUrwos cropped out like d |
huge rock on the brow Of hill; his face was
long, cadaverous, shrunk, sbriveled wrinkled,
and dry, having here and there hair on the
surface; his cheeks were Ieathsry; his ears
nd ran ali At oh
from his head, caused by heavy hats, and part
~ by naturei his lower lip was thick, hanging
and under curved, while his chin reached for
the lip up cnrvsd; hs neck was neat and trim
mis- head being well balanced eH ii; there was
the lower mole on the right cheek. and
Aosm's apple on the throat.
Thus stood, walked, and acted and .looked
Abraham Lincoln. He was not a pretty man
py any means,nor was he an ugly one. He was
homsly man, careless of his looks, plain
acting and plain speaking He had no pomp,
aispiay or dignity, so called. He appeared
simple In bis carriage and bearing. he was
SAD looking man; his menancholy drippsd from
him as he walked. His apparent gloom i'm
pressed his friends and created sympathy for
him-one means of his great success. He was
gloomy, abstracted, and joyous, humorous by
'nrns. do not think he knew what resl Joy
vas foS more than twenty three years. Mr..
lincoln sometimes walked our street oheerily,
'ood hamoredly, perhaps joyously, and then 1t
vas, on meetinga friend, he cried. How d'y,'
lasPing one of his friends hand in both of
is, giving good, hearty, sound welcome.
Sometimes he might be seen vending his
ray from his office to the depot, with his bag
age, looking like rail in broadcloth. On ,
'inter's morning he might be seen stalking
nd sitting 1t to the M arket house, basket on /
rm. his old gray shawl wrapped around his i
eek, his little Willie or Tad at his heels, ask
az thousand little quick gu estions, which !
lie father heard not-not then even knowing !
hat Willie or Tad was there, so abstracted
'as the father. When he thus met friend, r
Q said thst something put him in mind of !
tory which he heard ia Indiana, and tell it :
Q would, and there was no alternative but to I
sten.
Thus, l say, stood, and walked, and looked
ais singular man. He was old but when
nat grey eye and face, and every feature,
ere lit up by the inward soul in fires OF
'uotion, then it was that all th ese apparently
gly features sprsng into organs of beauty, or
INK themselves into a sea OF ins piratlon that
'mstimes flooded the face"