The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1903-02-21

measure Of that Immortality Of cone
slant quotation which certifies supreme
literary excellence.
1t Is therefore an inquiry pertinent to
the day. What was the secret of Linz
coins wonderful skill in saying thingsR
was 1t not that he always put his
thoughts into as few and fit words as
possible? Did not his utterances go to
their mark at the time, and do they
not still remain household words. be-
cause he always had before him this
primary rule of good speech or writ
ing: Accuracy, terseness, accuracy?S
All the famous Lincoln sayings are
remarkable for these two things-their
absolute veracity and their 1rreducibla
brevity. AS for example:
No man Is good enough to govern
another man without that others COM
sent.
When the white man governs him~
self, that Is self government; but when
ne governs himself and also governs
another man. that is more than SELF
goVernment-that Is despotism.
This government cannot endure
permanently half slave and half free.
Il have always thought that all men
should be free; but If any should bd
slaves 1t should be first those who de@
sire 1t for themselves, and secondly
those who desire it for others.
Let us have faith that right makes
might and in that faith let us dare to
do our duty as we understand it.
Public sentiment Is everything. With
public sentiment nothing can fail; without
it nothing can succeed. Consequently he
who molds public sentiment goes deeper
than he who enacts statutes or pronouncea
decisions. He makes statutes and decisions
possible or impossible to be executed.
Our fathers brought forth a nation cons
ceived IN liberty and dedicated to the prop&
oSitiOn that all men are created equal
those who C0nl6 ga va
| the Union unless they could at the same
time save slavery. | do not agree with
| them If there be those who would not
save the Union unless they could at the
| same time destroy slavery 1 do not agree
with them. My paramount object In this
| struggle Is to save the Union, and Is noe
either to save or to destroy slavery"
| There are a hundred other examples
| Just as good of the preciseness and cons
| ctseneSS Of the Lincoln style. His inaugurs
| al address, his messages to congress, werS
| models of clear, exact and complete state1
ment. Considering that they dealt with
the state Of the nation and its foreign
! relations during the most momentous
| years in all its history, their breVity was
no less remarkable than their accuracy
| And there was not an important misstate~
ment of fact in any one of them.
At Gettysburg on Nov. 10, 1868, he gave
an extraordinary illustration of the
| strength that lies in that simplicity Of
| speech Of which he was the master. Ed.
| ward Everett, the most scholarly and poll
tshed orator Of his day, made the grafton
| eII 0CILy tIIctI udy ne SPOKE at RT6dk
| length and with studied preparation. Lin
coins speech was but "a few remarks, =
| hastily composed on a moving train. Next
| day Everett wrote to Lincoln In praise OF
| the latters brief address. Lincoln wrote
| to Everett in reply:
I'm our respective parts yesterday you
| could not have been excused to make a.
| short address, nor 1 a long one am
| pleased to know that, In your judgment,
! ure-"
The few plain. correct, concise words
| spoken by Lincoln on that occasion are
now held to form one of the masterpieces
! of English eloquence. It's short, striking
| sentences have become as familiar to the
| ears Of the American people as those Of
| the Declaration Of Independence. But who
reads, remembers or quotes the polished
| periods Of Everett's long and laborious
| Gettysburg grafton?
! Therefore Lincoln day is a most fitting
occasion to enforce the literary lesson Of
the great presidents style:
Accuracy, Terseness, Accuracy" New
| York World.