New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1896-02-13
RP1H1 LINCOLN.

Five States Of the Union observed the prth-
day of Abraham Lincoln Yesterday as Il legal
holiday-each for the first time. The event WAS
noto,vortht as the fOrmal-and, in a sense, po-
litical--initiation of the apotheoss. alreau! WEI
begun in the mind and heart of the people OF 'le
greatest figure since Washington IN the hs'oi!
Of the Republic. These two. one ut the D'Slh
ming. The other at the end. tower above all others
on the sky line Of the Republics first century.
Between them there is none Of the same STAT
IRE. The fame Of Washington is compie'e' 'n"'
of Lincoln still grows upon the !mlSlnllioh' "n"
hroadens in the perspective. Not yet mas Inc
world fully realized his greatness. The rcai'Y OF
greatness dawns slowly upon human conscious
moss Few men impress their own age Win
sonsa If their superioriy The survival of lower
instincts forbids general recognition Of the quail
tics that lift any one man above his fellows
\otbino Is more true than the refrain when
Eurnidcs IS constantly repeating in his tragedies
that no man can be accounted either great
successful or happy until he is dead. We wait
until our heroes have passed beyond cur view
and out of the friction and conclusion mat come
from what the Apostle calls the striving for
rasteries. before we begin TO construct their
characters for history and try to interpret fairly
the impress lltN El,N4' upon ''''' ''N'
even then. when we have completed our apotheo-
sis fixed our heroes in history and established
them in the Pantheon. must confess tha'
after all our minute dissection ana carcih
ANALYSIS. we have projected our own IDEAS IN
der the heroic outlines. and have not set up the
aetna, man who was commonplace to his con
temporares and utterly human to his time hu'
rho unfoding outlines Of character. the sab
l.,,f1l h.r., 10 Ion
are none the less robust, distinct and unmis-
taxable
Lincoln was great, as was washington pe-
fore him. and Grant, his contemporary, through
certain qualities that found opportunity In CON
ditions and environment. 1t Is easy to see now
any break or failure in these would have lett him
II not utterly obscure at least far below the
emjnence he occupies to-day. What were those
Qualities? Say they were homely common-sense.
knowledge Of human nature, wise forecast, the
instinct Of Justice the conception OF righteous
ness cathoicity Of view. generosity or nature
ouicl apprehension Of existing conditions ana
a broad survey and comprehension or the'-'
presaces: and say too, that he he'd with all these
the shrewdness Of the practical politician, with
his readiness of resource and that apparent neXl-
bilitv of purpose which seems 10 bend but never
vields-do all these account for him. interpret
him. explain him to the gaping multitudes who
Yesterday stood and to-day and for al time Will
stand. wondering why this uncouth figure holds
so high n place in history: Not at all. Other
men have had in greater or less degree all these
qualities and have enjoyed the opportunities for
their manifestation What, then. the quail
ity. that dominated all these; that assembled
them ALL and keyed them all together in the
combination that made them Of the very highest
service TO his country and humanity and as
annarentlv their meres incident. made him the
greatest Of his generation. the most revered and
reverenced Of all the men of his time!
What was It but that godlike virtue Of pa
ticnce; that divine quality OF endurance which
sits enthroned above all passion and all frailty
and waits for Times rpening and Gods PrOvl-
dence? Not waiting listlcssy as for Fate. but
waiting watchfully. and with soul intent for OPP
portunity. and with readiness to greet oppor-
unity with action; action, every process Of which
had been carefully wrought out in the solitude
Of q great soul, amid the perpleXtics Of con-
hctng opinions and the turmoil Of war SO
Lincoln wthstood Importantly, endured abuse
and braved obloquy until the whole world
now sees the time was ripe for the Proclamation
of Emancipation which ut one stroke established
over all the world the Brotherhood Of Man.
That was the browning act OF his life And he
reached it through the simple exercise OF pa
tience Is there no lesson In this?