The Red Cloud chief., 1897-02-26

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VMl ,fMll0ONX0N THE evening Of
MWN hIIkUI N N1xM-Nof March 8 the
SlMhAVNNN kWyW president and Mrs.
NGG2WN WNNNW IA W0 Lincoln gave a pub
mi WIN lie reception at the
w. ~ lp white house. which
%M0o@GS I attended. The
MuW president stood in the usual
NIUM reception room, known as
/U\N the blue room with several
cabinet officers near him.
and shook hands cordially with
everybody. as the vast procession
Of men and women passed In front
Of him. He was in evening dress
and wore a turned-down collar a size
too large. The necktie was rather
broad and ~awkwardly tied. He was
more of a Hercules than an Adonis.
His height Of six feet four inches en-
abled him to look over the heads OF
most of his visitors. His form was un-
calmly and the movements of his long,
angular arms and legs bordered at
times upon the grotesque. His eyes
were gray and disproportionately small.
His face wore a general expression Of
sadness, the deep lines indicating the
n OF responsibility which weighed
upon him, but at times his features
lighted up with a broad smile and there
was a merry twinkle in his eyes as he
greeted an old acquaintance and ex-
changed a few words with him in a
tone Of familiarity. He had sprung
from the common people to become one
OF the most Of men.
Mrs. Lincoln occupied a position
on his right. For a time she stood on
a line with him and took part In the
reception. but afterward stepped back
and c%onversed with some Of the
wives Of the cabinet officers and other
personal acquaintance who were in
the room.
At about 9:30 o'clock a sudden com
motion neal the entrance to the room
attracted general attention and upon
looking in that direction l was sur
prised to see Gen. Grant walking along
modestly with the rest Of the crowd
toward Mr.. Lincoln. He had arrived
from the west that evening and had
come to the white house to pay his re-
spects to the president. He had been
L., Nra,hssN~ lnN a~a. hfn.n ,rIAs,
he visited 1t for a day soon after he
had left West Point. Although these
two historical caracters had never met
before, Mr.. Lincoln recognized the
general from the pictures he had seen
Of him. With a face radiant with de-
light he advanced rapidly two or three
steps toward his distinguished visitor
and cried out: why, here is Gen.
Grant! Well. this is a great pleasure, l
assure you" at the same time selling
him by the hand and shaking it for seq
eral minutes with a vigor which show
ed the extreme cordially Of the well
come.
The scene now presented was deeply
impressive. Standing face to face for
the first time we're the two illustrious
men whose names will always be in
separately associated in connection
with the war Of the rebellion. Grants
right hand grasped the lapel Of his
coat; his head was bent slightly for
ward aud his eyes upturned toward
Lincoln's face. The president, who
was eight inches taller, looked down
with beaming c%ountenance upon his
guest.
Although their appearance. their
training and their characteristics were
in striking contrast, yet the two men
had many traits in common and
there we're numerous points of resem-
blance in their remarkable careers.
Each was of humble origin and had
been compelled to learn the first les
sons of life IN the severe school of
adversely. Each had risen from the
people, possessed an abiding conf
dence in them and always retained a
deep hold upon their affections. Each
might have said to those who were
inclined to sheer at his plain origin
what a marshall Of France, who had
risen to a dukedom, said to the
hereditary mobiles who attempted to
snub him in Vienna: II am an an
cestor; you are only descendants" In
a great crisis Of their country's his
tory both had entered the public SER
vice from the same state. Both we're
conspicuous for the possession of that
most uncommon Of all virtues, COM
mon sense. Both despised the arts of
the demagogue and shrank from posing
for effect or INDUCING in mock hero
les. Even when their characteristics
differed they only served to supple
ment each other and add a still greater
strength to the u for which they
strove. With hearts too great for rivalry,
with souls untouched by jealousy, they
lived to teach the world that 1t Is time
to abandon the path Of ambition when
II becomes 80 narrow tina two cannot