The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1902-02-13
ABRAHAM LINCOLN.

| - ABRAHAM LINCOLN liz.
History has long since written the
name of the great emancipation upon
I the eternal scroll of Fame, and the
tender chord of humanity, love and
gentleness, and the mighty and un-
yielding spirit of deep conscientious
conviction as exemplifed in Lincoln,
are all matters of oft-repeated story
and panegyric. Out of the hidden re-
cesses of an unknown west was taken
the soul and spirit of Abraham Lin
coin, and in the fiery furnance of trial
and tribulation, sacrifice and suffering,
we're forged into the grandest charac-
ter of the ages. -
Who was this man that nature had
dis6gured and distorted in his outward
appearance, but whose ways were the
ways of a great people, whose desires
were the desires of humanity, and
whose soul was aglow with Christ-like
compassion?' In December, 1850, when
the whole nation was getting feverish
over the question of slavery and the
'irrepressible conflict" the people of
the country who knew not Lincoln, be-
gan to inquire what manner of man he
was whom they had placed at the head
OF the nation, and who was soon to take
the reins of government. They turned
to Herndon, Lincoln's old partner, and
this is what he said of the man of des-
tiny: "Lincoln is a man of heart, ave,
as gentle as a woman, and as tender,
but he has a will as strong as iron. He
therefore loves all mankind, hates
slavery, and every form of despotism.
Put these together-love for the slave.
and determination, will, that JUS
tice, strong and unyielding, shall be
done when he has right to act, and
you can form your own conclusion.
Lincoln will fail here, namely. if a
question of political economy, if any
question comes up which is dou btful,
questionable, which no man can dem
onstrate, then his friends can rule him:
but when on justice, right, liberty, the
government, the constitution and the
union, then you may all stand aside.
He will rule then, and no man can
rule him--no set of men can do lit.
There is no fail here. This is Lincoln,
and you mark my prediction. -
Lincoln's old law partner did not de-
ceive the people in his estimate of the
obscure rail splitter. Lincoln's nature
was one grand poem-an epic. Itknew
no conventional metes and bounds. It
was cast in the mould of rigid right
eousness, and possessed elements both
human and godlike. He took the
weakened chain that held the anchor
OF the union and slowly but surely,
link by link, welded it together, and
cast the great weight into the deep
) and turbulent waters of fear and dis
trust. There was the roar of the storm
and the great vessel groaned and trem-
bled, but the master builder had an
abiding faith in the outcome.
Lincoln's character is beyond COM
plete analysis. He was country law
yer and politician when he started in
life. He was always politician but of
a very high order, and he sought DO
litical honors as most ambitious men
are wont to do. No elements of par
ticular greatness had developed in him
before he was elected president. But
there were within him those latent
powers that crisis can alone develop
in men. The darkening shadows of
the awful struggle between two mighty
human forces transformed his serio-
comic nature into one saddened and
sobered by the task and duty that was
his to perform. He exhibited great
mastery of men, opportunities and
events The duties and the RESPONSE
bilities that were his to bear and the
shadow of the awful conflict that was
around and about him seem to have
lifted him up above the average stand
ard of men and clothed him in a charao-
ter more than human His career of
usefulness extended over a brief space
of time but the work he did has made
its mark on the race Of man and on ma
tions for all time to come. =
The Duluth election was close one,
but Hugo seems to have got the best of
his opponent. by just eight votes. The