Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1872-06-23
LAmON's LIFE OF LINCOLN


public with q pOnderOus volume Of fiv,
hundred and fifty pages, entitled 'HTh'
Life Of Abraham Lincoln, from his brit
to his Inauguration as President Thil
book win be very generally read, &C
knOwledged to be a valuable contribu.
ton to our knowledge Ofan eminent maj
and at the same time cordially condemn.
ed by q large portion Of intelligent PEG
pie, who are fortunate or unfortunate
enough to possess a keen sense Of the
prophecies. Truth is a good thing, bu-
It is possible to get too much Of il, anC
there are some circumstances where
Ignorance is bliss" and it is the su.
premest folly to be wise. Mr.. LamOD.
however, evidently does not comprehend
this fact, and has acted on the principle
thatnothing should be suppressed which
could throw an atom Of light or shade
on the subject which he discusses, A
warm personal friend of Mr.. Lincoln,
bound to MIN By ties of gratitude IS well
as Of politics, and anxious apparently 70
make az dne q specimen Of the demi-
gOC IS the material viii permit, he has
yet given US as ruthless and unsavOTy
post norton examination as can be
found in the whole range Of biOgraphi-
cal literature. Were il possible for the
illustriOus dead to escape from the pom
derous tomb Of Oak Ridge, and revisit
for a brief season the scene Of his tolls,
trials, and triumphs, we think the first
business transacted during the interval
of resurrection would be q sound kicking
administered to the enterprising gentle
man who has written his life.
The prOvCcatiOn for The kicking COM
names in tho aarffaaA ~a1uaC - Fha hnnEr
and, with a few insignificant exceptions,
continues throughout the whole work.
We are told, what might lust as well
have remained untold, that 'there exists
no evidence Of the marriage Of Thomas
Lincoln and Nancy Hanks (the parents
Of the President1 but that Of mutual
acknowledgment and cohabitatfon; -
that while Thomas LincOn's second
marriage is properly recorded and veri-
fled by the minister's license, no frag-
ment OF a documentary proof a be dis
covered TO establish the validity Of the
hrst. Furthermore, it is stated that MI.
Lincoln seldom or never alluded to his
mother; seemed to have an instructive
dread Of reviving her memory in any
way, and allowed her grave to remain
in the condition it now is-cOvered with
weeds and briars, and consigned to utter
and cOntemptuOus neglect. Yet he tend
erly loved his step-mOther, paid her the
respect, and was always ready
to make her the theme Of enthusiastic
praise. In short, Nj. Lannon's MARIA
tive does much 70 confirm, and nothing
TO remove the reports which have been
in circulation in Kentucky and else
where for many years past. Judicious
silence would have been highly apprO-
pirate in such a delicate matter as this.
But when love affairs are brought I'M
der discussion, our biOgrapher becomes
o garrulOls and indiscreet.
There is no doubt that the first and only
real love which Mr.. Lincoln ever cher
ished was for Ann Rutledge, a modest,
attractive girl of West Salem, whose
strange, sad story was originally eircu-
lated in William H. HerndOn's some
what notorious lecture. When poor Ann,
tired Of waiting for Mr.. McNamar. her
first love, and hardly willing to marry
her second, Lincoln, solved the embar-
difficulty by going beneath the
daisies, this second lover actually took
Of his senses, and had to be carried
away to a cabin in the woods in order to
lis mental equilibrium. Yet
a year after, an event which
plunged him into profound grief that
was never wholly Obliterated, he paid
bis addresses to Miss Owens, and appar-
emily was exceedingly anxious to marry
her. The lady rejected him promptly,
and he then writes a letter TO Mrs. o. H.
of Quincy, Illinois, carica-
his inamOrata in the most out
manner, and expressing his
views Of the intended alliance in terms
employed by gentlemen. Not
.ong after Miss Owens had dispensed
with his services, Mr.. Lincoln again
under Cupid's yoke and laid his
battered heart at the feet of Miss
Mary Todd. LamOn to the contrary
Notwithstanding his affection for the
person who wasdestined to be his future
wife appears genuine-at least, at the
)egfnning-and he unquestiOnably felt,
IS his friends did, that he was making a
match. But, while the engage
nent was pending, Miss Matilda Ed
wards, a daughter Of Hon. Cyrus Ed
wards of Alton, IlinOis-nOt a sister Of
Ninian Edwards, as LamOn asit-came
. Springfield and spread havoc among
ne susceptible cavaliers of the capital.
A. Douglas and Joshua A.
speed both cOurted her and were refus-
and Lincoln became so desperately
.namOred that his friend Speed was
to take him to Kentucky, where
le got rid of another attack Of insanity
lmOst as desperate as the Rutlege lu-
He never told his love to Miss
edwards, and she afterward married
be late n. D.-nOt Schuyler-Strong, a
well known in st. Lcais. When
returned from his sanitary ex-
edition, he was undecided whether to
spouse Miss Todd or allow thai lady to
hose a more cOngeniai 7artner; but
fter breaking and msnding the en-
agement once or twice, he went one
fternoOn in November, 1912, to a Mr..
Iatheny Of Springfield and remarked
him-"Jim, l shall have to marry
nat girlIu-and "marTy that grip he
the same evening. Both husband
nd wife repented Of the iIlstarred nup-
ais at their leisure.
The biography deals as freely with
IT. Lineoln's religious views as with his
matory exploits, andfurnishes sufficient
,stimOny to put him far beyond the
ale Of what is commonly called ''orthO-
Oxy." In his early manhood he read
'Olney's "Ruins," and Paine's 'Age of
.easOn," absorbed their arguments and
as accustomedto retail them out when
yer 3 select audience could be gathered.
Ie wrote a book in defence of infidelity,
.hich fortunately did not find its way
ito print, and when political ambition
'ok hold Of him he was shrewd enough
dropa subject so damaging to his pop
But he never changed his prin-
Piles, though they may have been
modified. HerndOn says en-
haticaly: "He was an infidel, an athe-
t. He did not believe that Jesus was
cd, nor the son Of God; he was a fatal
t and denied the freedom Of the will.
Te told me a thousand times that he
ID not believe the Bible was the reve-
ton of God, as the Christian world
The points that Mr.. Lincoln
led to demonstrate in his work were:
inst, that the Bible was not Gods reve-
ton; and second, that Jesus was not
Ie SOL Of God. Pages Of similar state
ents are given, and thanks to LamOn,
theological status Of the late Presi-
mt is thoroughly settled.
The political character of Mr.. Lincoln
also presented in a new dress, and
ust astOnish those who have hereto
re believed him the embodiment of
mOdesty, and unselfshness.
onest he was, probably, as far as q
politician can be; but a
ore ambitious, more cunning, more
oroughly selfish political leader never
cured in this eountry-if we are to trust
5 ~biographer. An anti-slavery man
conviction, he did not dare avow
8 principles until popular opinion be-
N to set in that direction, and then
emit forward cautiously and a~nxiously,
airing all the while lest he should lose
5 chances of advancement. Not apar-
lie ofthe martyr was there in his CON-
he loved Rome much, but Ce-
+ infinitely more. "He did nothing"
Us Lamon, sOut Of mere gratitude,
d forgot the devotion Of his warmest
.rtisans as sOOn as the occasion for
cir services had passed. What they
d for him was quietly appropriated as
reward Of superior merit, calling for
49, T. IL II 49,, ---N-l