Idaho news. (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1887-1891, 1889-11-23
LiNcoLN,s PRIVATE LlFr.
His Quick Sense of the Humorous
and Love of a Good Story.

are almost without exception his un-
finching partisans. We cannot hear
and see too much Of him; all we ask
II. "Is it true?" We crave more and
more OF the naked verify about our
unique hero; good. bad, or Indifferent
we care not SO long as it bears the
dogs ears and thumb marks OF anthem
ITCHY.
Particularly is this true among the
old volunteers. Whatever their minor
preferences Mcclellan, Grant Sher-
man, Sheridan, Thomas Lincoln was
their first love. They thought they
had much to complain of 10 the con-
duct Of 'the government" They
knew that shows were poor and slow
a-coming. They thought that troops
that ought to have been helping on
the fighting line were kept back about
Washington by cowardly fear for the
personal safety OF "the government"
They thought that promotion was un-
justly withheld; or still more unjustly
bestowed on General Dick Blu steed''
and other political hacks who didn't
know coehorn from a suffers mule.
Hardest OF all, they thought '.the gov
ernnent' left our boys to die ia rebel
prisons for the cruel reason that every
exchange gave to the rebel army a
sound soldier and brought TO ours only
dying invalid.
BUTT was always somebody else than
the president to blame. Stanton was
disliked. Hallec,1 despised, and con
grass laughed at; but no one accused
Abraham Lincoln OF having any part
in the doings.
All these loving adherents will hail
Herndon's Lincoln with nnmixed,
unbounded JOY. The further behind it
leaves the canons Of taste and literary
propriety the nearer it comes to their
point OF view These stories. AS we
all know, were partof Lincoln's nature.
In his hands they were trenchant
weapons OF offense and defense: in the
hands of others they were implements
for opening a way TO his interest, his
/ sympathy, his aid, ana his adhesion to
the views presented to him Some
time in 1882 a young aide-de-camp.
! fresh from the first peninsular cam
4 paign, called at the Office OF Private
Secretaries Hay and Nicolay in the
white house. They were longtime
friends, all young, and, naturally,
/ Laughter soon filled the office 10 over
flowing. In the midst OF the noise a
/ side door opened. and away up near
/ the top Of the opening appeared the
| grave. kind. SAD face we all knew so
we'll well. boys. / heard ye laugh
1 ing pretty loul. aud | thought I'd like
to come in and laugh too. Sowe hal
4 to go oTer the stories, whatever they
were, and give The great burdeael
4 soUl q moment's tightening Of its load.
| This incident exhibits Mr.. Lincoln s
1 avidiiy for the 'leetle stories. An
other win illustrate the quick effect
iveness they sometimes had with him.
| DR. Bellows, presi dent OF the glorious
sanitary commission, told the writer
that early in mis- experience ne found
a dreadful impairment 70 all good
service in the character OF the man at
! the head of the army medical staff.
He went to to Lincoln to beg for a
/ change. "But, doctor" said he
President .if remove him then you
have so-and-so. Would tha, be any
| Improvement? And after him comes
such another. and So on" "Mr.
President said the worthy and witty
/ divine. .'that reminds me OF circu m.
stance OF my childhood. My father.
when he opened barrel of apples,
would always say: Now, boys, eat
the specked ones first and the coase-
queuce was that we never got anything
but spccked apples.
Say no more, doctor Pick out
your good apple and ven let all the
specked ones go TO the pigs"
Herndou tells some OF tho stories.
Others he alludes to with an express
sion of regret that he must omit them.
All that he says tends to make the
lover of Lincoln love him the more, III
for no other reason than the thought
that from so much that is unworthy
his great soul evolved so much that is
grand. worthy, imperishable
As the biography proceeds 1t natun-
ally runs clearer and clearer of the
grossness of the earlier parts. We
leave the drinking, lighting scenes;
the buifoonery. the lampooniug dog
gerel; and come with relief TO tho
more human and cizilizcd experience;
the study OF law, the entry into
politics, the gradual taking on of polish
by substance firm and close grained
enough to relieve it from every hard
rub.
lsnokoless Powder Great Success,