The free lance. (Fredericksburg, Va.) 1885-1926, 1904-03-17

LINCOLN.
a Vireinian's Estimate ofHim
Washington, D. e.. March II, 1870

Washington, u. IT, MArcn IL, lJOI.
To The Free Lance:
Suppose the prOphesy had been made,
at the Court OF Louis the NNlll, lfor the
matter OF that, suppose it had been
made, in any European Court, during the
propaganda of the Holy Alliance. that
the ashes Of Napoleon would rest within
the Invalides SuppOss some courtier
had suggested to Charles the Second
that monument, dedicated 10 Crom-
well, would stand in the corridor OF
Weetm iDster Hall, above which his bleah
ing skull was then impaled.
The prOphesy in other cases. would
have seemed more extrRyagant than the
OLe now make that, within genera
tiOn, the portrait OF Abraham Lincoln
will depend from the walls OF many
Southern capitOls
have for years thought him the most
remarkable man the war produced, on
either side My deliberate judgment is
that his is one Uf the really great names
in history. ! do not see how the impair
tial student Of the monumental ward Of
NichOlay and Hay can form a different
estimate
His absolute deprivation OF the means
OF education would in ordinary cases,
seem ludicrous: In his csse, il is pathetic.
In this lghr, N you. prefer, 10 any light
read his debates with Stephen A. Doug
lss, in 1898 In logical and philosophi.
cal power he was an OveTmatch Tor the
Little Giant Take Stewards correspon-
dence with Lord Lyons, at the most crit
zeal inncturss, and study LincOlns
erasUres, substitutions and interlinea-
tiOns; and you VIII discover who was
the real " gifted man Go over his men
tai and moral career, in volume after
volume, during four such years, and you
will recognize HE unique power and
greatness.
But beyond all this was the goodness
and kindliDess oi bis nature.
At one Of the darkest epOchs OF the
war, Rev DR. Byron Inderland pastor OF
the First Presby terian church of this city,
went 20 the White House. and protested
that the President should turn the screw
in his attitude towards the South. Lin
coin absolutely declined 10 entertain the
suggestion. replying that the Southern
people were praying To the same God
a. they were; and that, for himself, he
was often baiiled In his Efforts 10 decry
the right. No appeal TO him in behalf OF
the most hagrant coward or deserter
was ever made in vain lie was q per-
petual nightmare to Stanton, who could
never zee any extenuating circumstances;
whilst Lincoln always found them, or
devised them
On one occasion, Stanton was secretly
exultant, as having finally checkmated
him. soldier without wife or child had
run In battle like q sacred wolf The
finding of the court martial was handed
to the President by the Secretary. With
caustic, and ss he thought, conclusive
comment. Mr. Lincoln, after reading it
quietly, put ii into a pigeon-hole.
mir. President. what are you doing
with that psper2' 81 sm putting it,
stanton, among my leg cases Blese-
ed are the merciful for they shall obtain
mercy"
| am confident that Lincoln would
have adopted, did adopt, for his motto:
"Not great like Caesar, stained with
blood,
"But only great a. | sm good.
was on the losing eide; and have
sought consolation. during weary years,
in Bill Arp's triumphant epigram; "We
made a bully fight OF 1t though. Selah
But do not propose to 20 through
life az a futile and istuous Bourbon;
learning nothing and forgetting nothing.
In writing the name of Cromwell.
few moments since, a grandiose utter
ance OF Carlyle occurred TO me. He said
that Washington was Cromwell, with
the juice squeezed out.
The dyspeptic, atrabilarious, old ego.
tist, who fancied that idi0matic EDglish
was unequal to the strain OF his wis
dom, and who, to use Macaulay's
words, wrote in hall German jargon,
imagined he was doing up" George
Washington, in single deliver
ance. | venture the surmise that there
are ten portraits OF Washington, in Eng.
land, to one OF himself.
But let's be fair 10 the disgruniled
philosopher.
| will accord to him the tribute, which
Mark Twain quoted, rs applied to an
other philosopher:
Nov this here Smiley said that this
here frog was the modest, strsightfor-
wardest frog you ever seen, for all be
was 30 gifted"