New-York tribune., 1867-02-15
o,d e.sa that made mon stare because they had not
~ "''u ~. SIo,,a he took nnOn the mad

and easn that made mon stare, because they had nov
seen the steps he took upon the road.
AZ last he came TO his office for the last time
RiIlv" he said. we must say goodbye"
Both of them cried, speechlessly. o., ii,
" You shall Keep up Jne .llIih name, Dlly' IL q" W"
They shook hands upon it, with tears in their eyes
Il love the people here Billy and owe them nn a.,
that am If God spares my life to the end shall conn
back among you, aud spend the remnant OIL m1
DAYS" = e.,,.,, Io,,,bt
him home under her plumes, completed lite, ana
the prairie, like neigh 1or opened It's door 10 aho
him in ,,,t;,,on
CITY he was fIHrowcd and fretted with state cares
They talked awhile of the old office the clients ana
the town, and then the war rolled between thom
One sentence Mr. Herndon recollects of the Presl-
dent before his departure for Washington that Is
memorable as showing his purpose go I'LL.
but will make the South graveyard rather tnan
see Slavery gospel triumph. or successful secession
lose this Government to the cause of the people ana
representative institutlOns. -
To This MT Herndon added: "Mr Lincoln was
meTcess in the abstract. Battles never moved hlln
unless he trOde among their corpses he would hayo
carried on the war forever, as long aS the peOp9
intTusted him its management, rather than give up
Speaking thus, among the associations OF his WORK
ing life the years OF Abraham Lincoln 1 pee11n " VI
return i'm the vividness of their mOn0t0ny, bleak ana
unremunerated. hard and practical, full OF patieh
walk down road without turning, frightened Dy
dutfulneSs alone, pointed, but not cheered ny way
he was sanglline of himself, as because he rated nol
eIninence and honor too high or too difficult; NheI
ne found himself computing for the Senatorshp VIVA
the quickest. the least scrupulous ana tho
most flattered orator IN the Union, ne saw
nothing odd nor dramatic about it. His Presidential
opportunity surprised everybody but mmseli-nW
fiat he had selconcet but that he thought the Of
flee possible. He was none OF your Rlchellens med
tating aside the great uses to which froyldence au
put him. He never made bld ior the laVor :; Ql 10 To-
gyeness of history but ruled the nation IA IL III were
practicing law and practced law as II 1t were ruling
the nation This real greatness OF mind, ODnylOusec
meas of circumstances. ascending from practice ot
three thousand dollars to twenty-five th0ils-
and as if there contrast between thein CIV
ing Billy" permission to use the firm style as De
fore without conscious poetic tralt, yet ever
in absent moments looking very long away pOndeI-
ing the distance of rewards, promises, yndlCatons,
with longing that was poetry-these Gomlose .n soHu
of the character of one whose fame OILERS VASTLY
from his life and must do so by the anomaly OF Ine
man The strongest of his loves and faiths was Inc
People He had more reverence 10r theln III puh al m
for their highest public eXempIars Rellgl0usly lie
was "A Teverent man without creed bclleNlng III
benefIcent God-nO more No denomination mas
special claim to him; he not a regular church
goer: the few clcrgymen whom he liked recOul,
mended themselves OH personal grounds; ne refused
to argue on religious matters but inclined toward
Congregational independence. HIS mother ana SIS
ters were fond of camp-meetings, ana ratner hu-
morous letter held by Mr.. HerndOn says thai por-
tion of their family was regularly converted every
year. and baclislid in the Winter , w
know of 40 better illustration of the difference
between the real life and the renown 0i MI Lincoln
than YOU get by visiting MS grave holSt ldlllodu'
two miles long leads to it, in the cemetery oi OAK
Ridge Behind You is his real life, Springfield. "A
Western market town, set upon the monotononS
nrare half the year noisy with the chatter of poitl-
clans plcthorc with lawyers. for all of whom there
is less than enough 10 do and sayorlng nuc oi the
the frost and the frontier pretty prale city, but
capitalized so that what the State has not done lOr
the town and what the people expected II 70 40
make an unfinished deSutOryness. All AT once as
You approach the Singamon RIVER the scene
changes. Stalwart young oaks oil natural growth
become plentiful The landscape Is plOwed with
eafv ravinea Bold knobs start up. a creek goes
plaShing around the abrupt hills. shadow, mllulur,
and surprises succeed the level life of the city. And
among all these mysteTas itself the great mystery
of our age the vault of the President caps a hail.
temporary edifico of brick. and the great drive OF
one nf the handsOmcSt cemeteries IN the Union winds
with tlue winding brook beneath 1t:
A. 'twerc the cape Of a long ridge Of hills"
and all the white tOmbs martial about n; button
wood maple and ash trees cluster a ITS base: here -
to be his monument About $1,000 have been col
ectad for il mp Ia this time, and it lS supposed the
State will vote enough 10 make $5JOO IN all There
i. no swceter spot for tired life tO rest m. IL would
be blasphcmy 10 mar the dead mans grave with any
mere pTcttyncss of marble or smlTtncNs of bronze.
let the fiery untamcd Western genius be of tmid
chi,el here" Abraham Lincoln Is good cpitaph II
Mainly letered. And. after all. Will any monument
be like the man. for such one was ever sculptoTS
Lincoln An alcgury would be- unlike him. shaft
too formal a statue too inexpensive. II the Pacific
Railroad could bo called by his name that would be
better than either but this man will trouble any ar
fist in that he was ~ unlike any model.
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