Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-02-12
L|NCOLN'S HUMANITY
Anecdotes Illustrative OF His
Quaint Humor
AS A STORY TELLER
NEVER AT LOSS FOR MATERIAL
TO POINT MORAL.
Southern Politician Whose Views I'm
derwent Radical Change-Chair
Preserved as Memento.

But the greatest thing about Abraham
Lincoln was his God-given humanity" sid
a distin guished speaker in commenting on
the life and work OF the great President
This WAS the side OF his nature that APP
pealed directly to the people and it is the
thing that holds him dear in their MEM
DRY. The quaint humor of Lincoln. the
keen sense of the ludicrous and the never
failing sympathy of the man went straight
to the hearts of all who knew him. The
mere mention of the name of Lincoln in an
assemblage of people who knew him IS
sufficient to bring forth anecdote after
anecdote Some one has said that there
are only forty good stories m the world.
and many people believe that Abraham Lin
coin was the author of at least thirty
nine Of them.
There has probably been no man in pub
lie life In the United States who could re-
late from his personal experience more
humorous episodes, all with a plainly
drawn moral. than could Mr.. Lincoln. He
was never at loss for a story to Illustrate
a point ne intended TO emphas re and many
of his anecdotes brought out what he want
ed to say so clearly that he did not take
the trouble to point their relation to the
subject in hand. There have been thou
sands Of stories published about Lincoln,
and today, the ninety-third anniversary of
his birth, there will be hundreds of Others
told. in almost every section of the United
States.
say things was that he understood human
nature IN all it's varied lights. He knew
men az perhaps no other eat man has
ever known them. He studied humanity
carefully and tempered his words to fit the
person to whom they were addressed. AS
a story-teller he was without an eTual in
his time. Following are some stories told
by and of President Lincoln that reflect
this characteristic:
Prejudice Removed.
When Lincoln first came to Washing
ton" said an old politician of the south,
Il went to see him. SO prejudiced against
him beforehand that no man with less
genius could have overcome it. 1 left
that first interview his friend. No man
ever came under the charm of Lincoln's
personality without respecting him, and,
II allowed. loving him.
One day, after we had become fairly
good friends. 1 told him of my early
prejudice.
Mr.. Lincoln said, 4 had heard every
mean thing on earth about you except
one l heard that you were never too
fond of the pleasures of life'
Mr.. Lincoln sat for a moment stroking
his long cheek thoughtfully, and then he
drawled out in his peculiar western
voice.
1hal IeHllHuS me OF something that q
boy said to me when / was about ten !
years old.
Once in a while my mother used to
get some sorghum and some ginger and
mix us up batch of gingerbread. 1t
wasn't often and 1t was our biggest treat
'One day i smelled 1T and came into
the house to get my share while it was
not found that she had baked me three
gingerbread men, and / took them out
under hickory tree to eat them.
There was family near us that was
a little poorer than we were, and their
boy came along as 1 sat down
Abe" he said, edging close, gimme
a man.
gave him one. He crammed 1t into
his mouth at two bites and looked at me
while bit the legs from my first one.
Abe, he said, gimme that other'n"
wanted 1t. but 1 gave it to him, and
as 1t followed the first one said:
You seem to like ginger bread?"
Abe, he said earnestly II don't
s'pose there's anybody on this earth likes
ginger bread as well as do" and. drawing
sigh that brought up crumbs. IT don't
s'pose there's anybody gets less of 1t
And the old congressman said Mr. lin
coin looked as though the subject was
ended. ~