The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1885-03-28
PIATT ON LINCOLN.
The Story of an Act That Made Mary
land Free State.
Stamping Down in Egypt's Land-Lincoln
the Night After Election-Several New
Estimates of Eminent Characters
Many Interesting Bits of Detail.
Pila0elphia Sunday Press.

'0N>''N~'S
No greater truth ever found express
sion in poetic words than that which
Sir Henry Taylor puts in the speech
of Philip Van Arte, eide, when he says,
"the world knows not its greatest
men," History is, after all, the cry
stallization of popular beliefs. Popular
beliefs, in time, come to be supersl,-
tons, an! create gods and devils.
Thus Washington is dehe1 into an i'm
possible man, and Aaron Burr has
passed into like impossible human
monster. Through the same process
Abraham Lincoln, one of our truly
great, has almost gone from human
knowledge. l hear of him, read of
him in eulogies and biographies, and
fail to recognize the man encoun-
tered, for the first time, in the canvass
that called him from private life to be
president of the then disuniting United
States.
General Robert E. Schenck and l
had been selected to canvass Southern
| Illinois in behalf of tree soil and Abra-
ham Lincoln. That part of Illinois
was then known as Egypt, and in our
missionary labors we learned there that
the American eagle sometimes lays
rotten eggs. Our labors on the stump
were closed in the wigwam at Spring
field few nights previous to the cleo
ton. Mr.. Lincoln was present and
listened with intense interest to Gen
eral Schenck's able argument. l fol-
lowed in cheerful review of the situa-
ton that seemed to amuse the crowd,
and none more SO than our candidate
for the presidency. We were both in
vited to return to Springfield, at the
jubilee, should success make such re-
joicing proper. We did return, for
this homely son oftoil was elected, and
we found Springfield drunk with de-
| light. On the day of our arrival we
were invited to supper at the house
of the President elect. 1t was plain,
| comfortable frame structure, and the
supper was an old fashioned mess of
indigestion, composed mainly of cake,
pies and chickens, the last evidently
killed in the morning, to be eaten as
best they might that evening.
After the supper we sat tar into the
night, talking over the situation. Mr..
| Lincoln was the homelest man l ever
saw. His body seemed to me huge
skeleton in clothes. Tall as he was,
his hands and feet looked out of pro-
portion, 50 long and clumsy were they.
| Every movement was awkward in the
extreme. He sat with one leg thrown
over the other, and the pendant foot
swung almost to the floor. And all
the while two little boys, his sons, clam
bered over those legs, patted his
cheeks, pulled his nose and posed
their fingers in his eyes, without caus-
ing reprimand or even notice. He had
Il face that deGed artistic s. ill to soften
or idealize. The multiplicity of photo
graphs and engravinss makes it ia
miliar to the public. 1t was capable OF
few expressions, but those were ex-
tremely striking. When in repose, his
face was dull, heavy and repellent. 1t
frightened like lit lantern when ami
mated. His dull eyes would fairly
sparkle with fun, or express as kindly d
look as | ever saw when moved by
some matter of human interest.
LINCOLN'S VIEW OF THE SOUTH.