Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1893-03-30
ABSNUl lErY Pune

| ABSNN
1t is possible that before his death MIR
Lincoln became q Christian, but it is !
we'll fact that during thu
greater part OF his life he was, as Col
onel Ingersoll claims, no more believ
er in the Christian religion than wal
Voltaire or Paine.
ALI who are old enough to recollect
how he was assailed while alive vii
remember that the charges of ssatnc;s:n'
or .'infdelityn were among those most
frequently used by his political ene-
mics. There is nothing whatever .tC
show that he was an atheist. The evi-
dence is all against that charge, but it
supports the assertion that during the
greater part of his life, and, as far as
is known, during the whole of it, he
did not believe in the. Christian relig-
ion.
The fact is in his proclamations and
public utterances he made frequent ap-
peals to God and often assumed to be
representing the cause of God is cited
as proof of his belief in Christianity,
but it happens that since the beginning
of history all public men have found it
convenient to do the same thing. 1t
was habit with Julius Caesar, who,
nevertheless, was accused of atheism
by his enemies-even though he had
been pontifex fnaximus. the high priest
of the established religion Of Rome.
Such appeals cannot be accepted as a
safe indication of personal views and
feelings. This is especially true in the
case Of Mr.. Lincoln, who did not be-
lieve ia the use of apothecaries' scales.
Whenp pressed by the threat of defeat
in anything he had undertaken he was
apt to conclude that the end he had in
view would justify the quickest way OF
reaching it. It would be pernicious to
attempt to make him model for imi-
tation in all things. He was strong in
his strong traits and very weak in his
weak ones. His character ought to be
understood and only the good in it inn
itated. He was first, last and all the
time a ..practical politician"-just as
practical as Matthew, Stanely, Quay or
any other practical politician is now.
But, over and above this, he was q
man of earnest convictions-in no
sense an unprincip1ed man, though oc-
cassionally an unscrupulous one.
Although during the greater part OF
his life he was probably as far from
holding the theories of Christianity as
Colonel Ingersoll is now, it is possible
that his views changed in later life.
and that under the weight of his i'm
mense responsibility he passed from
Deism to Christianity. as it is certain
that he had progressed from Agnosti-
cism to Deism. The evidence. although
it may excuse the claim, is, however,
too slight to warrant the assumtiou.
One secret of the desire to make II
appear that Lincoln was Christian is
unwillingness to concede that infidelity
could have fitted him for the part he
took against the perpetuation OF slave
ry. But that unwillingness is born oi
too narrow view of the causes and
progress of events. The abolition oil
slavery in this country and in the world
is most certainly due to the spirit oi
Christianity, though most certainly the
methods of civil war by which the ab0l-
ition was brought about in America
were most un-Christian. Under the
very highest heather civilization slaves
who spilled the gravy in waiting on the
table were thrown into the fish ponds
to feed the eels. That was the spirit
| in which all heather civilization have
| treated the weak.
And though no reasonable person can
claim after reflection that our own civ
lilization is to any great extent, Chris
tian in it's politics, yet it has certainly
been Christianized to such an extent
| that there is a more or less patient
hearing given to those who deny that
| it is right. just, or expedient for one
man to hold another in subjection by
force as vassal or to own him az
property. Republic.
lR9vr eUHH - y ~ 49,