The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1895-06-21

Screed To "A Friend Owens Opin-
ion After Her Marriage.
[From "The Life Of Lincoln" by William X.
Horndon and Jesse ". WeilS. Copyright. 1855.
by Jesse W. weik. Copyright, 1892, by ID. APP
pioton & Co.
During the warm, dry summer months
Lincoln kept up the love siege without
apparent diminution of zeal He was
as assiduous as ever, and in August was
anxious to force decision. On the 10th
he had a meeting with her which ter
minated much like drawn battle-at
least it seems to have afforded him but
little encouragement. for on his return
TO Springfield he Immediately INDUCED
in an epistolary effusion stranger than
any that preceded it:
FRIEND MARY-You will no doubt think ID
rather strange that should write you "a letter
on the same day on which we parted, and
can only account for IL by supposing that see
ing you lately makes me think of you more
than usual, while at our late meeting we had
but few expressions Of thoughts. You must
know that j cannot sec you OF think OF you
with entire Indifference and yet ii may be
real feelings towards you are III knew you
were not should not trouble you with this
letter. Perhaps any other man would know
enough without further information, but j
consider il my peculiar right TO plead igno-
rance and your bounden duty to allow the plea.
want in all cases TO do right, and most par
ticularly SO in all cases with women. want
at this particular time more than anything
else, to do right to you, and if knew it would
be doing right as / rather suspect 1T would,
to let you alone, would do it. And for the
purpose of making the matter as plain as pcs
sible now say that you can drop the subject,
dismiss your thoughts-if you ever had any
from me forever, and leave this letter unan-
swered without calling forth one accusing muir
muir from me. And Twill even go further and
say that if it will add anything TO your COM
fort or peace of mind to do SO il Is my sincere
wish that you should. Do not understand by
this that / wish to cut your acquaintance.
mean no such thing. What i do wish is that
our further acquaintance shall depend upon
yourself. If such further acquaintance would
contribute nothing to your happiness, / am
sure IL would not to mine. If you feel yourself
in any degree bound TO me, am now willing
to release you, provided you wish it, while, on
the other hand, l am willing and even anxious
to bind you faster if can be convinced that il
will in any considerable degree add TO your
happiness This indeed is the whole question
with me. Nothing would make me more mis-
erable nothing more happy, than to know you
were SO.
In what have said think cannot be mis-
understood. and to make myself understood is
the sole object Of this letter.
If il suits you best to not answer this-fare-
well-a long life and "a merry one attend you.
But if you conclude TO write back speak "a
plainly as j do. There can be neither harm
nor danger in saying to me any thing you think
Just in the manner You think II. My respects
to your sister. Your friend, LINCOLN.
A Ludicrous Letter.
For an account of the final outcome
of this affaire du ceur the reader is now
referred to the most ludicrous letter Mr..
Lincoln ever wrote. 1t has been said,
but with how much truth l do not
know, that during his term as president
the lady to whom it was written, Mrs.
o. II. Browning, wife of afellow men,
Der Of the legislature, before giving a
copy of it to biographer, wrote to Lin
coin asking his consent to the publica-
ton, but that he answered warning her
against it because it was too full Of
truth. The only biographer who ever
did insert it apologized for its appear
ance in his book, regarding it for many
reasons as an extremely painful duty.
eff it could be withheld" he laments,
land the act decently reconciled TO the
conscience of a biographer protesting to
be honest and candid it should never
see the light in these pages. Its gro
tesque humor, its coarse exaggerations
in describing the person of lady whom
the writer was willing to marry, its i'm
putation of toothless and weather beaten
old age to woman really young and
handsome, its utter lack of that delicacy
Of tone and sentiment which one natu-
rally expects a gentleman to adopt when
he thinks proper to discuss the merits
| Of his late mistress-all these and its
defective photography it would certain.
| ly be more agreeable TO suppress than &c
publish. But, if we begin by emitting
or mutilating document which sheds
so broad a light upon one part of his
life and one phase Of his character, why
may we not do the like as fast and as
often as the temptation arises? And
where shall the process cease?"
prefer not TO take such serious
view Of the letter or its publication. My
idea is that Mr.. Lincoln got into one OF
his irresisti Die moods of humor and fun
"a state OF feeling into which he fire.
quently worked himself TO avert the
overwhelming effects Of his .constitu
tional acknowledgement in the inspira.
ton of the moment penned this letter,
which many regard as an unfortunate
composition. The class who take such
gloomy view of the matter should
bear in mind that the letter was writ
ten by Mr.. Lincoln in the fervor of early
manhood, just as he was emerging from
a most embarrassing situation, and adj
dressed to friend who. he supposed
would keep it sacredly sealed from the
public eye As matter of fact, Mr.
Lincoln was not gifted with ready
perception of the propriety of things il
all cases. Nothing with him was n
tuitive. To have profound Judgment ant
just discrimination he required time t.
think, and # facts or events were forced
before him in too rapid succession RI,
machinery of his Judgment failed t.
work. A knowledge of this fact vii
account for the letter, and also serve t
| rob the offppSe IL any xyas committed