The Durham daily globe. (Durham, N.C.) 1889-1894, 1893-02-15

The sympathies of LINCOLN, his ties of
kindred, were with the South. His con
victions, his sense of justice, and his
ideals were with the North. LINCOLN
was a statesman. And there is this differ
ence between a politician and a states
man. A politician schemes and works
in every way to make the people do some
thing for him. A statesman wishes to
do something for the people. With him
place and power are means to an end,
and 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
position. | do not say. that the great
presidents nave been chosen by accident.
Probably it would be better to say that
they were the favorites of a happy chance.
By a happy chance LINCOLN was nomi-
mated and elected in spite of his fitness,
and the patient, gentle, just and loving
man was called upon to bear as great a
burden as man has ever borne.
LINCOLN had reached the generaliza-
ton of all argument upon the question of
slavery and freedom-a generalization
that never has been, and probably never
will be, excelled:
"'In giving freedom to the slave we
assure freedom to the free"
Strange mingling of mirth and tears,
OF the tragic and grotesque, of cap and
crown, SOCRATES and DEMoCRITUs, of
EsOP and MARCUS AURELIUs, of all
that is gentle and just, humorous and
honest, merCiful, wise laughable, lovable
and divine, and all consecrated to the
use Of man while through all and over
all were an overwhelming sense of obi
CATION, of chivalric loyalty to truth, and
upon all the shadow of the tragic end.
Nearly all the great historic charac.
tiers are impossible monsters, dispropor-
toned by flattery or by calumny de-
formed. We know nothing of their Pc
culiarities. About these oaks there
Clings none of the earth of humanity.
WAsHINGTON is now only a steel engrav-
ing. About the real man who lived and
loved and hated and schemed we know
but little. The glass through which we
look at him is of such high magnifying
power that the features are exceedingly
indistinct.
Hundreds of people are now engaged
in smoothing out the lines of LINCOLN's
face-forcing all features to the
mOld--so that he may be known not as
he really was, but according to their poor
standard, as he should have been.
"LINCOLN was not a type. He stands
alone, no ancestors, no fellows, and no
successors. He was a many sided man,
acquainted with smiles and tears, com.
pick in brain, single in heart, direct as
light and his words, candid as mirrors.
gave the perfect image % his thought.
He was never afraid to ask, never too
dignitied to admit that he did not know.
No man had keener wit or kinder humor.
ut may be that humor is the pilot of
reason. People without humor drift IN
consciously into absurdity. Humor sees
the other side, stands in the mind like a
spectator, u good-natured critic, and
gives its opinion before judgement is
reached. Humor goes with good nature,
and good nature is the climax of reason
In anger, reason abdicates and malice
extinguishes the torch. Such was the
humor of LINCOLN that he could tell
even unpleasant truths as charminglv as
most men can tell the things we wish
TO hear.
HE was an orator-clear, sincere,
natural. He did not prepond. He did
not say what he thought others thought,
but what he thought. If you wish to be
sublime you must be natural-you must
keep close 10 the grass. You must sit
by the freside of the heart, above the
clouds il is too cold. You must be sim