The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1893-02-13
PEARLS OF PRAISE.
1ngersoll on the Life and Char
acter Of Abraham Lincoln.
ELOQUENT TRIBUTES TO MoDEsTY.
Lincoln Never Erred Except on the Side
oi Mercy. and Was "ths Grandest Fig.
urs Of the Fiercesi Civil War. ,hs Gen.
tiest Memory of Our worid."

LHcolb never Erred Except on the Side
oil Mercy. and Was "ths Grandea Fig.
urs Of the Fiercsn Civil War, 1hs Gen.
tiest Memory of Our worid."
NEW YORK Feb t3-Colonet Robert G.
lneersoli delivered a lecture at thu Broad.
way theater last night on abraham Lin
coin . He opened bis remarks by saying:
t,ghty'tour years ago today two babes
were borh-one in the woods OF Kentucky.
amid the hsrdships and poverty OF pio.
neers, one in England surrounded by
wealth and culture One was educated in
the university of nature. the other at OK.
ford
One associated his name with ths en-
franchisement Of labor with the emanci.
patton of millions. with the salvation of
the republic He Is known TO us as Abra.
nam Lincoln The other broke the chains
OF superstition u and filled the world with
intellectual light. and he is known as
Charles Darwin, Because OF these two
men the nineteenth century Is illustrious
"A lew men and women make the ma
tion glorious Shakespeare n ade England
Immortal. Voltaire civilized and human
lied France. Goethe, Schiller and Hum.
boldt lifted Germany into the light, An
gelo Raphael, Gallo and Bruno crowned
with fadeless laurel the Italian brow, aud
now the most precious treasure of tha
great republic is the memory Of Abrata am
Lincoln "
After briefly Summarizing tho events
leading up to the civil war Colonel lnRer.
soil went on to say:
The sympathies of Lincoln, his ties of
kindred Were with the south. His con,
vietioI.s. his sense OF justice and his ideals
were With The north, Lincoln was states,
man, And there is this differences between
politician and statesman politician
schemes aud works in every way to max.
the people do something for him A
statesman wishes to do something for tL,
people With him place and power are
means to an end ard the end is the good
OF his country
at Is not a common thing to elect a
really great man to fill the highest official
posltion do not say that the great pfesi.
dents have been chosen by accident Ptcb
ably it would be better to say that they
We're the favorites of happy chance BY
happy chance Lincoln was nominated
and elected in spite of his fitness, and the
patient. gentle, just and loving man was
Called upon to bear as great u burden as
man has ever borne.
The Emancipation Proclamation.
AFTER the proclamation Of emancipation
was signed Lincoln held it, waiting for
some great victory before giving it to the
world so that it might appear to be the
child of strength This was on the Ed of
July. le62 On the 22d Of August of the
same year, after Lincoln wrote his cele-
brated letter to Horace Greeley in which
he stated that his object was to save the
union; that he would save it with slavery
l,a a, & =.
stroy slavery in order to save the union, he
would; In other words he would do what
was necessary to save the union
This letter disheartened to great de
gree thousands and millions of the friends
of freedom. They felt that Mr.. Lincoln
had not attained the moral height upon
which they supposed he stood. And yet,
when this letter was written, the emanci.
pation proclamation was in his hands, and
had been for thirty days, waiting only an
opportunity TO give it TO tho world"
Colonel lngersoll's lecture was long, and
ehonnded in bright and eloquent sayings
Speaking of Llncoln's character, he said:
Lincoln Stands Alone.
Lincoln was not a type. He stands
alone He was many sided man, ac.
qhainted with smiles and tears lie was
never afraid to ask-nay, never too digni.
fed to admit that he did not know No
man had keener wit or kinder humor.
He was not solemn Solemnity is a mask
worn by ignorance and hypocrisy, 1t is
the preface, prologue and index to the
cunning or the stupid
He was an orator-clear, sincere, natu-
raj He did not pretend, He did not say
what Others thought but what he thought.
II you wish % be sublime you must be nat
s.t,.l L
You must sit by the fireside of the heart,
Above the clouds it is too cold You must
be simple in your speech; too much polish
supports insincerity y
Referring to Lincoln's gentleuess Colo
uel lngersoll said
Men submitted to him as they submit
to tllre-unGonseiously. He was severe
with himself. and tor that reason lenient
with others lie appeared to apologize for
being kiader thnn his fellows He did
mereitul things as stealthily as others
committed crimes, Almost ashamed of
tenderness, he said and did the noblest
words and deeds with that charming con
fusion, that awkwardhess that is tue per.
feet grace OF modesty
Lincoln had the unconscious natural
ness of natures self Through manners,
clothes, titles, rags and race, he saw the
reai-thaL NniGh lS beyond accident,
policy, compromise and war he saw the
end, He was patient as destiny. whose IN
dccipherable hieorgolyphics were so deeply
engravenon his sad and tragic fate
'lf you wish to know what a man
really Is give him power This is the
supreme test 1t is tho glory of Lincoln
that, having almost absolute power. lie
never abused 1t except on the aide II
mercy.
Wealth could not purchase, power
could not awe. this divine, this loving
man He knew no fear except the fear af
doing wrong He spoke not to ntiame,
not to uphraid but to convince He raised
his hands not to strike but 10 Lenedio.
tion.
lie longed to pardon lie loved to see
the pearls oil Joy oil the cheeks of u wife
whose husband he had rescued fioln
death
Lincoln was the grandest figure of the
netcest civil war. He is tue geuteg, mem.
ory Of oui world"
The President Of the Western Union
succumbs After Weeks Illness
LOUISVILLE Feb Is. : Noryin Green,