Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1882-03-08

AT Minister'S Conference held In
the Baptist Publication Building, 1920
Chestnut Street, Phila., Monday Jan.
23d, ult.. n. w. Miner, D. D., of Tren-
ton, n. j., read a paper on Personal
"reminiscences of Abraham Lincoln" +"
as follows:
Abraham Lincoln was for many
years near neighbor and warm per-
sonal friend. What | have to say
about that great and good man will
not be at secondhand, but will be from
my own knowledge. And since this
lecture was written, Mrs. Lincoln has
given it her endorsement
1t was in 1855, just after moving to
Springfield, that l first saw Mr.. Lin
coin. 1t was in public meeting in
the State House. A friend said to me-:
DO you see that tall ugly looking
man in the corner? That is Abraham
Lincoln, who came within one vote of
being elected United States Senator.
| was much struck with his honest
face and noble bearing; but the thought
that he would become the most remark
able man of the age, never occurred to
me. In April of the same year, l hired
house just across the street from him.
| was drawn toward him, and took
special pains to cultivate his acquaint-
ance. We found him a delightful
neighbor At times, people used to
come long distances to attend meetings.
When my house was full, he would
come, or send, to tell me to send part
of my guests to his house. l had also
the use of his horse, which was a great
help in my missionary work His son
(now the Honorable Secretary of War;
used to harness it for me Mr.. Lincoln
was very fond of children. He loved
his own children and his neighbors'
children. Often l have seen the chill
dren come out to meet him and cling
to his hands. He was great Com
moner. He loved the laboring men,
and they almost adored him. He had
known poverty and toll. He once said
to me: Mr.. Miner, l have seen a great
deal of the back side of this world |
remember once when l was riding with
him in Washington, if he met Gen
eral or Senator, he would just bow
to them as he passed, and say to me :
That was Senator, or General, So-and-
so , but if we saw private soldier, he
would partly rise from his seat, and sa-
lutte him with great heartiness. To-
ward the close of the war, poor Ger
man woman, a widow, came to ask me
to write to Mr.. Lincoln to have her
only remaining son discharged from the
army. Her other sons had fallen for
the country. 1t was just when Mr..
Lincoln had gone to Richmond. |
wrote him. Two days after his death,
l received letter in his own hand,
which was to be presented to the Gen.
eral in command, directing him to dis
charge the son. 1t was an act of great
condescention for him in that hour of
triumph to give time and attention to
the request of German widow woman.
Mr. Lincoln was temperance man.
His father and his mother, worthy
members of the Baptist church, had
taught him to fear God and not to
drink. He never used intoxicating
liquor or tobacco Gen. Mason Bray
man, who was a member of my church,
said that he had never known him to
taste intoxicating liquor. When he
gave entertainments to the members of
the Legislature, he would provide lib
orally, but no liquor. When he was
notified that the Committee of the Re-
publican Convention which nominated
him for President were coming to in
form him officially of the fact, and be
was urged to provide it, he said: You
are my old friends and neighbors; you
have worked hard to secure me this
nomination / would do anything for
you that is right But this | cannot
do, even if it should cost me the cleo
tion.' He was an anti-slavery man and
a temperance man, because it would be
wrong for him TO be anything else
lie was very successful lawyer.
The jury relied on him; when he made
statement, they knew that it was So
He told me that he would never take
case unless he believed that there
was something in in He frequently
advised people not to go to law, but to
leave their difficulties to arbitration. A
farmer once said to me: DO you
know why it is that /, who. have been
Democrat all my life, am going to
vote for Mr.. Lincoln? l will tell you.
1 once had got into difficulty with a
neighbor about the line between our
farms | went to Mr.. Lincoln to Sc
cure him. Mr. L. said: Now, if you
go on with this, it will cost both of
you your farms, and will entail an en-
nifty that will last for generations, and,
perhaps, lead to murder The other
man has just been here to- engage me.
Now, l want you two to sit down
in my office while am gone to dinner,
and talk it over aud try to settle it.
And to secure you from any inter-
ruption, | will lock the door, He did
so, and he did not return all the after
noon We two men, finding ourselves
shut rp together, began to laugh. This
put us in good humor, and, by the
time Mr.. L. returned, the matter was
settled
A word as to the relations between
Mr.. Lincoln and Judge Douglas
When Mr. Lincoln reached Washing
ton for the Inauguration, Judge Doug
las met him at the station and said:
MIR. President you are my President;
| have come to welcome you and to
offer you all my services
On the day of the Inauguration.
Judge Douglas requested that he
might ride in the carriage with Mr..
Lincoln, so that, if there was any dan
ger, he might share it. When Fort
Sumter was fired on, Mr. Lincoln is
sued his Proclamation calling for 49,
600 men. Judge Douglas read it, and
said to the President: That is very
III r.