The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1907-05-30
MINNESOTA
HISTORICAL
SOCIETY,".

VOLUME XXI. NO. %
has yet to learn whether the constitu-
ton of the United States, GAIL men
are created free and equal" sup
ported by the fourteenth amendment
and sealed with the blood of the
flower OF American youth, whether
that constitution speaks the truth
throughout the whole extent of our
vast domain.
1t is not difficult to pick from
among the great men of that period
the greatest of them all. There were
many unselfsh men who worked not
for glory and fame but for love- there
was one most unselfsh of all. There
were many that ranked high in gen.
eralship, but one, their commander
in-chief who out-ranked them all.
There were many statesmen of great
political sagacity; he was the greatest
OF them all. He was a prophet of
great insight. he knew the meaning
of events and saw their trend. He
read the hearts of men and OWNED
the heart and purposes of the unseen
God. the master spirit brooding over
the world IS chaos and working it into
order and harmony and peace. The
man OF that period who stands out
nro.oypirort 1i1yo ~ II
head and shoulders above people and
generals and statesmen the greatest
man of the age who looms up greater
and greater as the years go by-is
Abraham Lincoln. Rough hewn like
the country that nourished him, angu-
lar in feature and form as the fence
rails he split in his youth; yet in his
bearing like a king among men; in
his spirit having the courage of
Cour de Leon; in his heart the tender
ness and love of woman; loving
truth as Socrates loved it with all his
soul, and loving his fellowmen in a
loving sacrifice like that of Jesus
| Christ. Matthew Arnold said in
derision 1.-The British conception of
God is a magnifed Lord Salisbury"
Likewise we may say in truth and not
derision-The American conception of
a Christlike man is Abraham Lincoln
Of the generals of that period I will
mention two, one from each side of
that great conflict. General Lee never
appeared to greater advantage than
in defeat. On that fateful day when
General Gordon sent the message, 81
have fought my corps to FRAGILE and
I fear can do nothing unless I am
heavily supported by Longstreet's
corps" General Lee said ,ssThen
nothing is left me but to, go and see
General Grant and I would rather die
a thousand DEATHS" There were
many officers about and some, con-
vulsed by passion and grief, spoke
wild words. One said, sob general
what will history say of the surrender
of an army in the feld?" He replied,
eyes I know they will say hard things
of US: they will not understand how
we are overwhelmed by numbers.
But that is not the question, colonel,
the question is /: Is it right to sur
render this army? If it is right then
I will take all the responsibility. In
that spirit he went to see General
Grant, ''dressed in his best uniform
as mark of respect to Grant, unbent
by misfortune and sustaining by his
example the spirits of his defeated
comra des." One who had seen him be-
fore in the hour of defeat and the
hour of victory and accompanied him
to that little brick house, now famous
in history, described him as ::self-
poised and modest bearing on his
great breast mountain-load of woe,
with the light of an unclouded consci-
ence upon his ajestic brow, with an
ignate dignity and nobility of spirit
rarely equaled." So shone the CEN
trail figure of the Confederate cause in
the hour of supremest trial.
| On the other hand was General
Grant, quiet, modest and unassuming,
with his old SLOUGH hat and army
overcoat, and no sign of his rank
upon his person. I have frequently
read and have heard it said from the
lips of one who saw that scene, that
Lee might easily have been taken for
the victor and Grant for the con-
quered. Perhaps he felt like the
Duke of Wellington, asked by a lady,
"What is victory like?" ''The
greatest tragedy in the world, madam,
Except a defeat.t'' There sat the man
of peace, "serious and silent, absorbed
in thought and evidently seeking to
withdraw the bitter sting of defeat
from the quivering sensibilities of his