The Portland daily press., 1883-02-15


with him for about twenty-five years; and
think knew him we'll Mr.. Lincoln never
took the advice of any man or set of men,
generally speaking. He never asked the
opinion or advice of any man. He was self
RELIANT self-poised, self-helping ard self
assertive, but not dogmatic by any means.
He chung like gravity to his own OPT lions.
He was the most continuous and severest
thinker in America. He read but little. and
that foran end. Politics were his Heaven,
and his Hades metaphysics. His tendenc7
in philosophy was materiaistic; he was an
eyolutionist: and yet, as the letter now pra
scented 10 YOU shows, he believed in God.
Maker. Immortality and Heaven am not
now advocating any particular opinion on
any subject, nor denying. one. | am simply
stating facts, letting each man and woman
draw his or her own conclusions. give no
decided opinion about the letter, except
know it is genuine, and now yours, which (
hope you will keep to the end of your time,
| and then it may descend to the family as an
| heirloom, great treasure indeed.
Nav | saw again that Mr.. Lincoln was a
| shrewd man. long-headed man, a wise
man, full of policies? Mr. Lincoln knew
| that Senator Douglas was il his way in the
| North, and so be, at Freeport, determined
to kill him POLITICALLY ] He put aquestion
| and that, too, against his friends advice
| and importunities-to Senator Douglas.
| which he knew the Senator must answer
/ one way or the other, and he further knew
/ that to answer the question either way was
| death to Douglas--death in the North if he
answered one way, and dealh in the South
| if another. 1t was cold, wel-calculated
/ death anyway. Douglas answered, and of
! that answer he died. Again, after Douglass
| death, ip the North was only Seward to OPP
| pose him, and Lincoln determined to kill or
outstrip him. Hence his ''house divided
against ITSELF speech here in. 1858, and his
| speeches his "irrepressible conflict
| speeches, in Ohio. Lincoln ridlculed when
he could Stewards 'higher law idea. scared
some of the Republicans with it, and got the
confidence somewhat of the extreme Repub-
licans; and in his great Cooper Institute
| speech in New York in 1860 he drove the
nail in Stewards political coffin. All this
was planned and ccldly calculated by Lin
| coin. know this 10 be true.
What! this a simple. minded manP this a
politically snnocent-dear'' man? this mere
thing without ideas and policies? Away
with all such opinions Look how he trea :
ed his Cabinet in the issuance of his great
Proclamation of Emancipation. He con-
suited them simply about little and unim.
portant matters, and so said to them before
he read it. He decreed TO issue it. He sim
ply wanted his cabinet to hear it read, and
that is all. This proclamation was issued as
by doom. and what he did was not for the
love of slave or liberty, but to save the I'm
ion, 1t was to preserve his 'soa b registered
in heaven" He kept his oath, saved the
Union, and with quick dash Of the militia
ry pen he freed four millions of people.
In philosophy Mr.. Lincoln was realist as
opposed to an idealist, was sensationalist
as opposed to an intuitionaist, materialist
as opposed to spirtualist, and yet remem-
Der what he says in his letter. said to you
in private letter that Mr. Lincoln was at
all times and places and under all circum-
stances deeply and thoroughly religious
man, sincerely, firmly, broadly and grandly
so. do not say he was Christian. | do
not say that he was not. l give no opinion
the one way or the other. l simply state
facts and let each person judge for himself.
/ say in short in terms of contradiction
if you please, that Mr.. Lincoln was perfect
and an imperfect man, a strong man and a
weak one; but take him all in |, he was
one of the best, wisest, greatest and nobesf
of men in all the ages.
Most respectfully yours,
VIM. III. HERNDoN,
MR.. LINcoLN's LETTER TO HIS sTEP-BRoTH