New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1884-09-02
NEW PUBLICATIONS.
SronpARD's LINCOLN

.pp.u,N IIyCoLN the True story OF Great dle:
By WILLIAM o. sroppkkn, one 9 ,h Ua RaSeon syo pp.
scerei aries during the war OF inc hepoho" 0'f'
nos Fords Howard 4 Hubert
This new biography is announced as tine feoP'oS
life of Lincoln" and both in the ACCOMPLISHMENTS
M the publishers and in Mr. Stoddards own teh''
marked emphasis is Lard upon the endeaVor 70 make
the narrative acceptable to the great popular
majority With this end IN view
The author has undertaken 10 eA
hibit the personal character OF his subject wlthou'
the history of his public career. An outline shctcn
of Mr.. Lncolns Presidency was unavoidaoie' Uu'
Mr. stoddard has made 1t as slight as he could
merely mentioning some OF the salient ni'ii'"S
events lchieGy those with which the Army oil inc
potomac was connected. and hardly touching upon
the Nautical DEVELOPMENTS of that great perlou'
Tins he seems TO believe that he has secuIeu S'"''
and onportunitv TO consider at full Iehgth '"o
growth and the clements Of Mr. Lincoln scndi'.'Vi'
and the gradual strengthening and expanuihgo vi ''
oualities which made him the leader OF an heIoio
enoch part of this task Mr.. Stoddard has uo"o
we'll His account OF Mr. Lincolns youth N Ne'S
striking and he gives minute anu ih'eIoS."s %
Ito of tbe slow and careful steps by when ne
fitted himself for political life. lie orings ou' u,'
tinctlv Mr. Lincon's sagacity and patience IN the
critical periods of great enterprises; ne eNI'"'uS
admirably his intimate acquaintance with the pop
Mar sentimeut and disposition, and shows wha'
.bre,vd use was made Of this knowledge; ana he
sets m a strong light the Presidents PATRIOTISM
unselfshness. tenderness, and religious spirit
We cannot say that all TINS Is uono
with good taste. The first TWO VI
three chapters, in which tho narrative j.
thrown into the form of dialect story aoouhulne
In imaginary conversations between young A"o
aud his iltcrate relatives are iiagrant onehceS
AGAINST literary propreiy. II was open to MI.
4 Itpff mr. a
10 combine the two in what looks like trav'Fly
upon biography The picture moreover oil the
soualid life I'M Liucolu's early homes ~ In qn's-
tiouable stvle of art-chroInO word painting per
hans il might he callcd-and moro than once the
longing for effect has led the author astiay. fol
example. ON page ~ there is PAM ln'lIha
,lop that perhaps Lincoln's father stole the horses
by which the inmly were transported from
Kentucky TO Indiana. No doubt Tom Lincoln "a'
n good specimen Of tho shltlcs' mean vhlt'i pu' I"
cav thnt pcthnpa lac was hotse-thci notcsiinohy
with respect to that wcakncas hcing forthcoming,
a. abusing tho privileges Of tho hoRiaphot several
of tho references a. the Presidents Wic nio oll','
,ional There In a domestic privacy into when
evan thA writer's oi hooha have no bus
iness 10 ntfudo Bnt MI htoddard'u great
eat mistake was his plan IL IN lil-
possihle to separate the personal lie OF man III
Ijneoln's position from his public lite II II o"uld
have been done ia the case of any other president
Al could not have been done IN the case OF Abraham
Lincoln whose personal character was SO prolouhd-
IN modified by historical events, aud eAeftod III
turn so strong an influence upon the course DINA
tionnl affairs he ideal life of Lincoln would
show how his nature expanded and rpened under
the stimulus of an extraordinary time; how the
pohtical revolution which aroused the passions
and darkened the understandings OF eXpe-
rienced and distinguished statesmen. only
called forth the highest powers OF his
mind and the noblcst impulses of his heart; how
he rose with the tide of circumstance, ana as ne
was brought face face with greater trials became
every dav a greater man. until the world felt IN
stnctively that he truly the leader OF the
purest and most heroic aspirations OF the American
people aud that IN some Indeiinablc way the nobl-
ifv of his individual character had become I'm
pressed upon one of the grandest pages IN American
history But to show all ths,the bographer must
exhibit the man and his work together, each act
Ing and reactlng upon the other. MI. Lincoln, IN
fact after he became a figure IN politics. had no
perSopal life distngishablc from his public me; II
Is hardly going too far TO say that as 1iSucuI ne
had no individuality which can DC stuuicu "P@lt
fVon, the story of his administration.