New Ulm weekly review. [volume] (New Ulm, Minn.) 1878-1892, 1892-02-17
WHOLE NUMBER 736

clouds. The considerations are Your
friends. You hear the rain on the roof
aud listen to the rhythmic sighipg of the
winds. You are thrilled By the resur-
rection called spring, touched and sad
dened by autumn-.he grace and poetry
Of death. Every field is a picture, a
landscape; every landscape poem;
every flower a tender thought, and 5
every forest a fairy-land. Ia the coun-
try you preserve your Identity your
personality. There you are an aggre-
CATION of atoms; but in the city YOU are
only an atom of an aggregation.
Lincoln never finished his education.
70 the night of his death he was pupil,
learner, an inquirer, seeker after
knowledge. You have no idea how
many men are spoiled by what is called
education. For the most part, colleges
are places where pebbles are polished
and diamonds are dimmed. If Shakes
peare had graduated atOxford he might
have been quibbling attorney.
Lincoln was many-sided man. ac-
quainted with smiles and tears, COM
plex in brain, single in heart, direct as
light; and his words, candid as mirrors,
gave the perfect image of his thought.
He was never afraid to ask-never too
dignifed to admit that he did not know.
No man had keener wit and kinder hu-
NOR.
1t may be that humor is the pilot of
reason. People without humor drift
unconsciouslY into absurdity. Humor
sees the other side-stands in the mind
like spectator, good-naturcd critic,
and gives its opinion before Judgment
is reached. Humor goes With good ma
ture and good nature is the climate of
reason. In anger reason indicates and
malice extinguishes the torch, Such
was the humor of Lincoln that he could
tell even unpleasant truths as charm
ingly as most can tell the things we
wish to hear,
He was not solemn. Solemnity is a
mask worn by ignorance and hypoe-
risy-it is the preface, prologue and H.
dex to the cunning or the stupid. He
was natural in his life and thought
master in the storYteller's art. in illus.
tration apt, in application perfect, lib
eral in speech, shocking Pharisees and
prudes, using any word that wit could
disinfect.
He appeared to apologize for being
kinder than his fellows. He did merci-
full things as stealthily as others COM
mitted crimes, Almost ashamed of
tenderness he said and did the noblest
words and deeds with that charming
confusion, that awkwardness, that is
the perfect grace of modesty. A great
! man STOPPING, not wishing to make his
| fellows feel that they were small or
mean.
| He wore no official robes either on
his pody or his soul. He never pretend
ed to be more or less or other or differ
ent from what he really was. He had
the unconscious naturalness of natures
self. ,,
He was patient as destiny, whose un-
cipherableable hierologiyphics were so
deeply craven on his sad and tragic
face. Nothing. discloses his real char
acler like the use of power. 1t is easy
for The weak to be gentle. Most peo-
pie can bear adversely. But If you wish
to know what a man is, give him power.
This is the supreme test. 1t is the glo-
ry of Lincoln that, having almost alb
solute power, he never abused it 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. Hating slavery, pitying
the master - seeking to conquer, not
persons, but prejddices - he was the
mbodiment of the self-denial, the cour-
age, the hope and the nobility of a ma
ton. He spoke, not to inflame, not to
upbraid, but to convince. He raised
his hands, not to strike, but in benedic-
ton.
Ho longed to pardon.
He loved to see the pearls of JOY ON
the cheeks of wife whose husband he
had rescued from death.
He was the grandest figure of the
fercest civil war. He is the gentlest
memory of our world.
We have anew state official, and his
duty is to look after the interests of dis
charged convicts-see that they have
employment and chance to lead honest
lives. Col Clark Chambers of Ovation