The Washington critic., 1886-07-10
"REMINISCENCES OF LINCOLN.

"REMINIsCENCEs OF ABRAHAM LINCOLN, by Dis
edited by Allen Thorndike Rice. Editor OF
the North american ReUieD New York:
North American Publishing Company. Phil
adelphia: Bradley & Company, G6 North
Fourth street.
In the preparation of this work the editor
and compiler has not only made valuable
contribution to the historical literature of
the country, but performed a service In be-
half Of one Of the most illustrious men of
the century, for which he will be gratefully
remembered by future generations. The
character of the work is thus indicated by
Mr.. Rice in his admirable 'Introducton -
at was mainly with the view of accumula-
ting mass of trustworthy evidence concern
ing the personal traits and private utteran.
ces of Abraham Lincoln that | conceived
the plan, and approached the task of unit
ing In one or more volumes the opinions of
the most distinguished characters, still sur
viving, OF the great war which produced
them. The result has been gratifying be-
yond expectation, furnlshing-I think 1t is
not too much to say-a remarkable book
about n remarkable man. - The con.
tributors took an earnest and generally u
conspicuous part, each In his own field, in
the great American struggle for nationality
and freedom. / have not sought to clint
nate statements with which | disagree, nor
to prevent the occasional conflict OF testi-
mony which results from the inherent falli-
bility Of human evidence that sometimes
troubles, however slightly, even the high
est sources of authority. Each writer re-
ports what he himself believes, or saw, or
heard, and stands sponsor for his own con
tribution TO these interesting memoirs.n
The urgency of such a compilation is ap-
parent, "for,n continues Mr.. Rice, "the
time is fast coming when we shall seek in
vain for survivors of the dark days that
To- sbinnnJ tba of A Alralorp I irpn In :,
The names of the distinguished men,"
from whom these contributions have been
gathered, need but to be mentioned to show
that there cannot be page of this singu-
larly entertaining volume without its
peculiar interest and value. They very
properly lead Off with Ulysses s. Grant.
Then follow In their order: Elihu b. Wash
burne, who was in Congress during the
whole term that Mr.. Lincoln was President;
George w. Julian, Reuben L. Fenton, John
Z. Usher, President Lincoln's Secretary of
the Interior; George s. Boutwell,, Benla-
min i. Butler, Charles G. Colin, the famous
war correspondent; Frederick Douglass,
Judge Lawrence Weldon of the Court of
Claims, Benz Perley Poore, Titan j. Coifey,
late Assistant Attorney General; Henry
Ward Beecher, William ID. Kelley, Cassius
M. Clay, Robert &. Ingersoll, A. H. Mark
land of the military mail service during the
war; Schuyler Colfax, Daniel W. Voorhees,,
Charles A. Dana, John A. Kasson, James
b. Fry, Hugh McCulloch, Chauncey NJ. De-
pew, David Il. Locke Petroleum V. Nasby);
Leonard SWEET, Walt Whitman, Don Piatt,
Il. w. Andrews, James G. yelling of the
National Iateiligocer, now president of the
Columbian University; John Conness, ex-
Senator from California; ex-Congressman
John B. Alley, and Thomas Hicks, the
artist, who painted portrait of Mr..
Lincoln in 1860. 1t win readily be con
ceiyed that what men like those remember
of Ithe great war President must be worth
reproducing, and eminently worth reading.
The book itself is handsome volume,
neat and substantial in mechanical eXecu-
tion, of admirable letter-press and In
various tasteful styles of binding, far above
the average run of subscription books in all
respects 1t contains 739 pages, thirty
three separate articles, and numerous por-
traits and other illustra tions.