The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-05-21
LINCOLN AND LITERATURE
CHARLES w. MOOREs's ADDRESS
BEFORE THE CENTURY CLUB.
The Bible, Shakespeare and Aesop's
Fables Constituted the Major
Part of Lincoin's Library.

III part MT. MOOreS SalQ.
1.-THE appeal of Lincoln was to reason and
to conscience. There were times when the
passion of the vehement partisans of lib
erty made enemies for the cause they up
held. There was never a time when the
logic of Lincoln failed to convince. 1t is
one thing to arouse an audience that is in
sympathy with a speakers views; it is
quite another to master an audience of OPP
posing faith. Emotion is for the moment
its impulse may set the world moving. but
il lacks inertia. Reason aided by convic-
ton of the truth and enlightened by con-
science endures And so it is that the ora
tory of Lincoln has survived.
Lincoln was spurred by a tireless ambi-
ton. but he was not ruled by it, The
ragged, uncouth, illiterate boy, as Indiana
knew him, was not content TO continue so;
the half trained. unettered circuit rider,
without law books and without schooling in
the law, was not content to continue so;
the popular politician, beginning to realize
his power over men and affairs, was not
content with the success of the mere poll
tician. And so while the other boys slept
he was mastering his grammar and his
mathematics by the light of the fireplace;
while he entertained his rough companions
with stories he was mOlding public senti-
ment in preparation for the crisis to come;
while he convincing juries by apt illus
tration and clear reasoning he was prepar-
ing himself to demonstrate so that men
could not deny him that slavery was
wrong while he had the senatorship in his
grasp he was content to lose it in order
to complete the demonstration by forcing
Douglas 10 ruin the slavery party in
America. 1t if he had said: 'Ye
shall know the truth and the truth shall
make you free.
Some of his addresses are preserved.
Some are bad; some are worse than bad.
But among them all there is series that
have taken rank with the greatest speeches
the world has known. Men have wondered
at Lincolns style and have pronounced
it we'll nigh miraculous that such man
should have attained to what is deemed
TO be literary perfection. How country
lawyer unlettered and underbred could
achieve what he did in the Douglas de-
bates how he could be the author of the
two inaugural addresses and the Gettys-
burg Grafton they profess total inability
to explain.
EVOLUTION OF HIS STYLE.
1.-THE evolution of Lincon's style is the
story of the growth of an idea and the
gradual realization of an ideal. Until that
idea took shape and became an ideal and
all other things shrank into insignifcance
in his view there was nothing in what Lin
coin said that any untaught, wide-awake
country lawyer might not have done. 1t
was when human slavery became the issue
that Lincoln found himself"
After discussing the evolution of Lincoln's
style from the horid to the dignifed and
commenting on other facts of his life, Mr..
Moores said: THE fables of Aesop and the
parallels of Jesus doubtless went far TO
convince him of the efficacy of Illustration
in argument. The world still tells his sto-
ries, no doubt attributing to him countless
tales that were never his. His stories were
told with a purpose, to cheer up his nearer,
10 Danish his own gloom, to clinch an ar
gument, expose a fallacy or make an OPP
ponent ridiculous. They were always to
the point He explained that they were
seldom his own. Only about one in six
was an old acquaintance. The rest were
the productions of better story tellers than
himself Il remember a good story when
l hear it, he said. but l never invented
anything original only a retail dealer
lone of his stories was of a long-haired,
long-faced Second Adventist who wanted
to hire the hall of the Illinois Legislature
while Lincoln was occupying room in the
Statehouse in 1860. The preacher wanted to
deliver a course of lectures. And what is
the subject of your lectures?' was asked.
The course / want to deliver 10 the citizens
of Springfield, he answered. with great
solemnity, lis on the second coming of
Christ 1t is of no use, was the reply.
You take my advice and waste no time
here. 1t is my private opinion that if the
not come a second time.
His figures of speech. like his stories,
made his points unanswerable, and his lr-
repreSSible humor kept him from despair.
When the protest came from Louisiana
against using negroes in the prosecution
of war his answer was: What would you
do in my position? Would you drop the
war where il is, or would you prosecute ii
in the future with elder stalks charged
with rosewater?
when times looked gloomiest telegram
/ par frOr Cumberland firing
was heard in the direction of Rockville
Il am glad of it, said the President Some
one present, who was distressed with the
perils of Burnside's position, suggested: L
don't see why you should be glad. Why,
you see said Lincoln, it reminds me of
an old neighbor of mine who had a large
family. Occasionally one of her numerous
progeny would be heard crying in an out
of-the-day place and Mrs. Ward would ex-
claim: Thank the Lord, there's one OF my
children that isn't dead yet!
ALWAYS HAD AN AUDIENCE.
when he told . story two or three hun
| dred men would crowd around him to
listen. He was mimic. All his features
seemed to take part in the performance.
AS he neared the point seriousness disap-
peared from his face. His little gray eyes
! sparkled, a smile gathered in the corners
of his mouth, his frame shook with excite
ment and when the 'nub' of the story came,
his was the heartiest laugh of all.
Mcclellan used constantly to understate
his fighting strength in the hope of getting
more troops, and the President described
| the situation by saying: Sending men to
! that army is like shoveling fleas across
barnyard; not half of them get there
The story is told of a young woman
/ miserably dressed who came TO ask for her
/ brothers pardon and who had to force her
/ way out of the proper hours into Lincolns
/ presence. The President was at first sur
/ prised at her forwardness, but noting her
/ distress he took up her case and COM
/ at her face, which was tear-stained and at
| her scanty but neat dress. his own features
| lightered up. My poor girl, he said; you
! have come here with no Governor or SEN
/ ator or member of Congress to plead your
! cause. You seem honest and truthful and
/ with much emphasIs-'you don't wear
/ hoops. and l believe L will pardon your
/ brother
Speaking Of the influence of books on Lin
coin, Mr.. MOOres said: THE influence OF
/ books other than the Bible is hard TO trace.
+ Beyond the Bible and Shakespeare and per-
i haps Aesop's Fables. there is little that he
/ appears to have used. The Bible and
/ Shakespeare he mastered. He used TO re.
peat pages of Hamlet and Richard the
I Third and to comment critically on them
/ He read no law books. His entire library,
general we'll as legal, did not consist Of
+ 200 volumes. Mr.. Herndon. his law partner,
says: The truth about Lincoln Is that he
/ read less and thought more than any man
i'm his sphere in America.
The great Orations of Lincoln are not
/ few. Among them are the Springfield ad-
dress opening the campaign for the sem
/ atorship. seven speeches delivered in the