The Yale expositor. (Yale, St. Clair County, Mich.) 1894-current, 1900-02-09


ton of emancipation which made the
black race give him a crown of i'm
mortelles. AS the negro preacher in
Vicksburg said of him: 'Massa Lin
KUN, he everywhere; he know cherry
ting; he walk de earf like de Lord"
HIS Keen Irony.
Abraham Lincoln could say true
things when just resentment required
censure. He released some prisoners
on the other side of the divide" in
1868. The wife of one of these insisted
that her husband was a religious
man, even if he was rebel" Mr.
Lincoln wrote the release slowly, as If
in doubt, and, without smiling. handed
1t to the now happy wife, but said,
with keen irony:
You say your husband is relig-
ious man. Tell him when you meet
him that l cay l am not much of
judge of religion, but in my opinion
the religion that sets men to rebel and
fight against their government because,
as they think, that government does
not sufficiently help some men to eat
their bread in the sweat of other mems
faces is not the sort of religion upon
which people can get to heaven"
Dick Covers appointment.
Mr.. Lincoln once told Horace DEM
ing, a Connecticut congressman, when
he had been importuned to join a
church, that when any church will
inscribe over its altar as its sole quail
hn owe a
ment OF the substance of law and gos-
pei, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God
with all thy soul. and thy neighbor as
thyself-that church will l join with
all my heart"
His great good sense was shown in
his making Dick Cover a lieutenant
in the regular army. Dick had shown
his bravery and his capacity among
the western Indians, but was rejected
by the board of military martinets at
Washington because he did not know
what an abatis, or echelon, or hollow
square was" We'll" sharply said the
dilettante officer with single eye
glass. what would you do with your
command if the cavalry should charge
on your"
I'D give them Jesse, that's what l
would do; and I'd make a hollow
square in every mothers son of them"
Lincoln signed his commission and
Dick made a famous soldier.
Read the Letter.
Mcclellan then requested his chief
of staff to find copy of the letter. 1t
was speedily produced, and Cen. Nc
Clellan proceeded to crush Mr.. Lincoln
by reading his vituperative attack on
Stanton, with reflections on Lincolns
conduct of the war. Lincoln's peace
full smile vanished. When the letter
ended he rose quickly, looking neither
to the right nor left-not waiting for
any farewell to Gen. Mcclellan.
He seemed oppressed with the con-
seriousness of the dangers of the mill
tary as well as the political situation
of things. He drove slowly with Gen.
Blair over to the boat, which was to
convey them from Harrisons landing
back to Washington. When the vessel
had started, Mr.. Lincoln, for the first
time since leaving McClellans tent,
broke the silence and said to Gen.
Blair:
Frank, now understand this man.
That letter is Gen. McClellan's bid for
the presidency. / will stop that game
Now is the time to issue the proelama-
ton emancipating the slaves"
He forthwith issued the proclama-
ton of emancipation. Within a week
after the world was startled by new
charter of freedom for the slave.
Gen. McCIelIan's Mistake.
Congressman Vaux of Philadelphia,
I'm his late years changed his views
about President Lincoln. He told an
interesting story about the p.oclama-
ton of emancipation. The classic
and scholarly Vaux had been making
speeches in Connecticut, and came
home with Frank p. Blair of Missouri,
who was very close to the many-sided
patriot president while the war lasted.