Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1883-10-21
"REMINISCENCES.
Detailing the Cosmopolitan Traits OF
Lincoln in Public and Phi
Vate Life.
His Manner of Story Telling---SVhat
He Thought of GreeIey--His
Literary Tastes and Re-
IigiOus Belief.

''Gath's" New York Letter in The Enquirer.
was introduced at Saratoga toa gentle
man by the name Of Milton Hay, who was
said to have been Abraham Lincoms very
near friend, and to abound in "reminiscences
of him. Mr.. Hay was a singular man, origi-
nally fine looking, 1 suppose, and stin of a
pleasing, generous face, though his skin had
the dark tam color SO often found in the bot
toms of the Mississippi valley, especially
among persons of Kentucky descent, as
understood he was. An opportunity oc-
CURED while returning to this city from
Saratoga to have some talk with Mr.. Hay.
Said I, "You knew Mr.. Lincoln very wells"
eyes, before he was made president Of the
United States knew him almost as well as
anybody. We were of the same general stock.
liked him, and was glad to be in his COM
pany."
"Can you give me an idea" said I, "of Mr..
Lincolns voice-tlrat voice which none can
hear again, and which but few lad the privi-
lege of hearingw.
81 do not know enough about music" said
Mr.. Hay, Ito describe that voice exactly. ]
hardly know whether it was a tenor voice OF
not. 1t was pitched little high. Itwas nos
entirely pleasant to hear, particularly after
he had proceeded some time in his speech. 1t
was reaching voice with pathos in it, but it
was high pitched"
"What was the color Of Mr.. Lincoln's eyes;
were they brownF'
"Well, now, Iehould say" said Mr. Hay,
''that he had a kind of grayish-blue eye, but
do you know I never looked at that matter
closely. Twas under tho influence OF his eyes
and did not analyze them. think, however,
that he had light eye"
WAS he a man who laughed out loudm
'Yes, he was as hearty Laughter as ever
you heard. When he would get OFF his stories
he would laugh when he came to the point,
and his laugh was as infectious as the story
had been sharp. Now" said Mr.. Hay, sit
has been denied recently by some distin-
guished men that Lincoln told stories off
color. There is no use of gliding tho lily or
painting the rose. Lincoln did tell many a
story which I have heard that was what
might be called smutty. He did not tell
them for the sake OF the smut or the coarse
ness but to Illustrate his point, and no stories
that ever heard were SO cogent to that end.
L recoliect," said Mr. Hay, that after he
had been nominated for president delega-
ton Of Methodist ministers concluded to pay
style. He got the gauge of them very
quickly, and he could not resist the inclina-
ton TO try the brethren With a good yarn,
and my recollection Of it was that it was a
little bit fragrant"
'Did he invent any of those stories, Mr..
Hay|
mo, don't think he did. He picked them
up among the homely common people with
whom be had lived so long, in the woods, at
the country store, on the fiat boat, in the leg
islature and around the Courthouse. He had
an extraordinary memory of stories. He
also had gratitude to the man who could tell
him good new story. l recollect on one oc-
casion that some one who had told him first
rate story went into the rebellion, and Lin
coin, telling the yarn that the man told him,
said TO US: IF l ever catch that fellow fight
ing the Union 1 think will let him OFF good
part OF his share of any punishment he may
get on account of that story He took Of
Tense at Horace Greeley when he came to
lecture in our town for saying in the lecture
that he thought humor was very small part
of ability. Lincoln somewhat admired
Greeley, but he concluded, after hearing
that statement, that Greeley did not know as
much about human nature as he had SIP.
posed. He expressed his dissatisfaction with
that particular view of Greeley after the
lecture. ''When Lincoln told these Stories"
said Mr.. Hay, che would almost always rise
from his seat and give the ancedote or the
best part of it standing, and then, when he
came to the point, he would perhaps fan his
hands and bend with laughter"
'When you say be- was a cosmopolitan do
you mean hathe was not sectional mang'
yes, / mean that Lincoln recognized his
fellow-citizens in every corner of this coun-
try. He had been to New Orleans He had
been to New York. He could get along any
where. He was not 4 local patriot. He was
a general patriot"
SIS it true that he was a man of certain
sadness or melancholy"
eyes, I think it is. He had disposition at
times to take a forlorn view of himself and
of human nature and of mans situation in
space. These fits did not annoy his friends,
but seemed to be 4 kind Of inward depres-
sion."
'Is it true, as Mr.. Herndon says, that Lin
coin was for part OF his life rather an unbe-
lever or a skepticw
Eyes, guess that is true" said Mr.. Hay,
"almost all serious men pass through a con-
dition of belief to skepticism, or vice versa.
Unbelief is merely the passion to believe
something else. [ think that Lincoln had
| formed views different from those he had
been brought up in, and perhaps different
from those he died in, because l do not see
how he could have made some of the speeches
he made as his presidency proceeded, unless
he had been believing man, and in that case
he must have changed. Perhaps the great re
| sponsibilitieS thrown upon him made him
grope his way toward a supreme responsible
ity."
'iWhat author did Lincoln most read?'
"Burns was his favorite author for many
| years. l have never seen that mentioned any
where. Lincoln did not read many books,
but those he fancied took strong possession Of
him. He could quote Burns by the hour.
| have been with him in that little Office and
heard him recite with the greatest admiration
and zest Burns ballads and quaint things.
That was one of the sources of his wisdom
and his wit. As years passed on he did not
| quote Burns so much. He had then taken up
| Shakespeare and became deeply interested in
| him, and yet fancy" said Mr.. Hay, s'thata
great deal of Abraham Lincoln is hottomed
| on Robert Burns and William Shakespeare.
| Sometimes think can SEQ the traces of both