Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1907-02-01
LINcoLN's sELF-coNTRoL,
The Spirit Of Tolerance and Generous
Forgiveness Which Made Him a Real
Leader Of Men.

Forgiveness which Made Him Real
Leader Of Men.
From Helen Nicholay's "The Boys Life
of Lincoln in st. Nicholas Magazinel
The keynote of the Presidents young
life had been persCVering industry. That of
his mature years was self control and
generous forgiveness. And surely his re-
mark on the night of his second election
for President that he did not think re-
sentiment paid" and that no man had
time to spend half his life in Quarrels,
was well borne out by the fruit of his
actions. 1t was this spirit alone which
made possible much that he was able to
accomplish His rule of conduct toward
all men Is summed up in a letter of repri-
mand that IL became his duty, while he
was President, to send to one young on
Ger accused of quarelling with another.
1t deserves to be written in letters of
gold on the walls of every school and col
lege throughout the land:
"The advice Of a father to his son, be-
ware Of entrance to a quarrel, but being
in, bear it that the opposed may beware
of thee is good, but not the best Quar-
rel not at all. No man resolved to MAKE
the most of himself can spare time for
personal contention. Still less can he af-
ford to take all the consequences, includ
ing the vitiating of his temper, and the
loss of self-control. Yield larger things
to which you can show no more than
equal right and yield lesser ones though
clearly your own. Better give your path
to a dog than be bitten by him in con-
testing for the right. Even killing the
dog would not cure the bite"
1t was this Willingness of his to give
up the lesser things, and even the
things to which he could claim an equal
right, which kept peace in his cabinet,
made up of men Of strong wills and con-
ficting natures. Their devotion to the
Union, great as it was, would not have
sufiiCed in such a strangely assorted Off
cial family; but his unfailinG kindness
and good sense led him TO overlook many
things that another man might have re-
garded as deliberate insults; while his
great tact and knowledge of human ma
ture enabled him to bring out the best
In people about him. and at times to turn
their very weaknesses into sources Of
strength. 1t made it possible for him to
keep the regard Of every one Of them.
Before he had been in the Office a month it
had transformed Secretary Seward from
his ri yal into his lasting friend. 1t made
warm friend out of the blunt, positive,
hot-tempered Edwin NJ. Stanton, who
became secretary of war in place OF Mr.
Cameron. He was a man OF strong will
and great endurance. and gave his de-
partment a record for hard and effective
work that It would be difficult to equal
| Many stories are told of the disrespect
| he showed the President, and the Cross
| purposes at which they labored. The
| truth is that they understood each other
perfectly on all important matters, and
worked together through three busy, try
| ing years with ever-lncreasing affection
and regard. The Presidents kindly hui
NOR forgave his secretary many blunt
! speeches. stanton says / am foo?'
he is reported to have asked busybody
| who came feet-footed to tell him Of the
| secretary's hasty comment on an order Of
| little moment. stanton says l am fool?
! Welr-with a whimsical glance at his
! informant-'then I suppose I must be.
! Stanton is nearly always right" knowing
| that Stanton was nearly always right"
1t made little difference to his chief what
| he might say in the heat Of momentary
/ annoyance.