Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1883-02-07
NO.. II
INGERSOLL ON LINCOLN.

At the suggestion Of Colonel Ingersoll,
Captain Kidd, fer many years court crier
al Springfield, great genius in his way,
has taken the lecture field, his subject be-
ing Lincoln" He opened at Washing
ton to a large audience. drawn largely to
hear Ingersoll's introduction, which was
az follows:
We are to hear lecture about Abe
Lincoln, not Lincoln the President, Lin
coin the liberatOr, Lincoln the statesman,
but Lincoln the lawyer, Lincoln the man
-something of him as he was when he
fell heir to agony and to fame; something
about his mole of life, his habits, his
thoughts, his wishes, that is to say, his
daily life, because such pecuiiarties 10
h ir characIets are omitted by their BIZ
o.raphers. Nearly every great figure of
history is Z Kind o. MO strosity. We
know nothing about Washington. He is
d steel engraving. No dir of humanity
clings to his boots. We will hear about
Lincoln, who lived where men were free
and equal. and was acquainted with the
people, not much with books. Every
man il in some sort . book. He lived
the poem of the year in the fields, the
woods, the blessed country. Lincoln had
tie advantage OF sociability He was
thoughtful, and saw on the horizon OF his
u ure the perpetual star OF EOpe 10
hun every field was landscape; every
landscape poem; every flower lesson,
and every grove fairy land. Oaks and
eIms are far more poetical than streets
and houses. A country life is in itself
an education. 1t gives the man an idea
Df hcme. He hears the rain on the roofs,
the rustic of the breeze, the music OF ma
lures fullest control. You have no idea
how many men education spoils. Col
ges are institutions where brickbats are
,,n,onei and diamonds dinmed. If
Shakespeare had graduated at Oxford he
Noall have become pettifngging attOr-
ney or Il hypocrltcI person. Linccln's
education WAS derived from men and
things, and hence he had Il chance to de-
veluD. He had many sides. He not only
mad laughter. but he had tears, and never
lnat kind Of sOenIuity which is mask
u hide tue features. He was not afraid
% seek for knowledge where he had it
,.ot. Wnen man is too dignitiel he
ceases to |, arm. Lincoln WAS Il logican.
Logic Is capacity; 1t is the child OF good
ltart and IA goud head. He was always
honest with himself He was AN orator;
that Is he WAS natural II you wish to
he sublime you must keep close to the
grass You must sit close to the heart of
nunan eXpCr euce-dhOve the clouds 1t IS
TOO cold II yOv want to know the differ
-rence between an orator and u speaker
read the Grafton OF Lincoln at Gettys-
,urg. and then read the speech of Ever
EFT, at the same place. One came ir p'n
he heart, the other WAS born out OF the
voice. Lincolu's speech will be renem-
Dered forever Eyerelt's no man will
reaI Ii was like piucked flowers. If
you wan 10 to in out what d nlan Is to
the bottom give him power Any man
r.tn stand adverSity- only great man
.an stand prosperity. 1t Is the glory Ut
Abraham Lincoln that he never abused
cover .ly Oh The SHE of mercy. He
was perfectly honest man. Whtn ne
naL ,uwer he used 1t ia mercy He loved
10 see the tears of the vile whose hus~
Dand he had snafched from death,