Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1888-03-02
A TRIBUTE TO NOBILITY.
Abraham Lincoln Beautifully
Pictured by an Flo
quent Speaker.
The Grandest Figure Of the Greatest
Civil War of the
World.


ert q. Ingersoll. responding to the toast
Abraham Lincoln," spoke as follows:
Abraham Llncoln was one of the few who
saw that slavery could not exist forever. He
was born in a cabin-!ald IN the lap of the
poor-born in a cabin in the wilderness Of
kentucky, yet he rose to such supreme and
splendid hight that fame never reached higher
than his brow when putting his laurels ON
the brow OF human being. He was man
who was true to himself, and for that reason
wac true to others. He was a strange ming
ling of mirth and tears, of the perfect and
grotesque, of Socrates and Rabelais, of Esop
and OF Marcus Aurelius, Of all that was
msrctn ANU wse s loSab %sFe AND ana dv hsnes
al consecrated to the use Of man,
while through all and over all was an over
whelmlng sense of chivalry and loyalty, and
above all the shadow of perfect mind.
vi nearly all the great characters of history
we know nothing OF their peculiarities. About
the oaks of these great men, and about the
roots OF these oaks, We know nothing of the
earth that clings to them Washington him
man who lived, who loved, who schemed, and
who succeeded, we know nothing. The glass
through which we look at him is of such high
magnifylng power that the features are indis-
smoothing out the lines in Lincoln's face so
that he may be known, not as he really was,
but, according to their poor standard, as he
should have been.
aDfHudul LuCOlu was not type; ne
stands alone-no ancestors, no followers, and
no successors. He had the advantage of liv-
ing in new country, the advantage of social
equality, of personal freedom, Of seeing in
the horizon of his life the perpetual star Of
every kind, and became familiar with the
best books. In new country you must pos
sess at least three qualities-honesty, cour-
age and generosity In cultivated society,
cultivation is often more important than soil;
and, while polished counterfeit sometimes
passes more readily than the blurred genu-
inc, it is necessary only to observe the un-
certain laws of society to be honest enough
to keep out of the penitentary. and generous
enough to subscribe in public when the sub
scription can be defined as a business invest
ment In new country character is essen
tial; in the old reputation is often sufficient
In the new they find what man is; in the
| old he generally passes for what he resen-
| bles. People separated by distance are much
nearer together than those divided by the
walls Of CASTE
sLincoln never finished his education, al
though he was always an inquirer and
seeker after knowledge. You have no idea
how many men are spoiled by what is called
education. For the most part colleges are
| where pebbles are polished and diamonds are
ford he might have been qulbbling attorney
| or poor parson. Lincoln was many-sided
man, as reliable as the direction of gravity.
His words were kind as mercy, and gave per-
| 16Ct lulaS0 VI Ills thought ne was never
afraid to ask, never too dignifed to admit that
| he did not know.
.Lincoln was natural in his life and thought,
master of the story telling art, liberal in
infect. He was a logician He did not say
what he thought others thought, but what he
| thought He was sincerely natural. If you
wish to DO sublime you must keep close to the
grass. Too much polish suggests insincerity.t
! If you wish to know what IS the difference
between an orator and an elocutionist read
Lincoln's wondrous words at Gettysburg and
then read the speech Of Edward Everett The
Grafton of Lincoln will never be forgotten; it
dust The speech Of Everett will never be
| read Lincoln was an immense personality,
firm but not obstinate-obstinacy is -egotism,.
| frmness is heroism He influenced others,
and they submitted to him. He was severe to
ers, and appeared to apologize for being,
kinder than his follows. He did mercifuI
things as stealthily as others committed
crimes He did and said the noblest deeds
and words with that nObleness that is the
grace of modesty. Everything for principle,
| nothing for money, everything for independ-
ence. Where no principle was involved cas-
lily swayed, willing to go somewhere if in the
but he would not go back, and he would not.
go away. He knew that fight was needed and
| full of chances; he knew that slavery had
defenders, but no defense, and that those
He was neither tyrant OF slave. Nothing dis
closes real character like the use of power,
and it was the quality of Lincoln that having
almost absolute power, he never abused 1t
except on the side of mercy. Wealth could
not purchase power, could not awe this divine,
this loving man, He knew no fear except the
fear Of doing wrong. He was the embodiment
Of selr-denial and courage. He spoke not to
| upbraid but to convince He raised his hands.
not to strike, but in benediction, and lived to
see pearls of tears on the cheeks of the wives
whose husbands he had saved from death.
civil war of the world"