New-York tribune., 1908-02-13

.ba. there could be a course In Lincoln. I wisn 1
c,,r Young men could be taken through the lons
scarts Of his career / wish they could become
,n,re Intimately acquainted with the aoo.ens -
that he delivered. wish that they coulu saea l;+v
closer fo,,c, with that remarkable personally,
80 ,be1, xauld never find it possible to take
dow or morbid view of American opporloIi.:s.
Abraham Lincoln was an acute ilali' 91 80 ~. 10
.prer. no monuments to shrewdness- We nave no
memorials bv which desire to perpenua.,e ,o :.
the records of American smar1ness; 20, en,i seissh
purposes may win their temporary NIoio w. "a
hut the acuteness that the American peolo o. o.,
n1ire is that acuteness which Is deIo'eo 70 ;. az.
.nl,,tson of nroblerns affecting their posterits
and directly related to their interests anu
se e.,1nloyed unseifishly and for the oenent oi
sb. ,eonie arart from any individual interest
have long been student or Lincoln: haNe
marvelled at the ability when ne oisliat s ta,
ey1,ora bas been greater exponent OF liistl
xhrewdness of intellect which so pre-eminehIs
.haracterfzes the American; but Apranain Lii Lii
coin devoted all his talents. ms eAtraoi
n.rsnsracitv to the welfare of the people he
was a man of principle He was a man, ai os
whose acts were founded upon ni o,1r W
Republic Said he on one occasion, L hasS s,nS IA
sentiments except those which L nave derNeu
fro,,, a study of the Declaration of lndepeno-
ence He was profoundly an apostle Of liberty
I have said that he was man OF pfliicIpie-
Rarely has the doctrine of the relation OF tne
ration 10 the states and OF government to the
Individual, been more lucioiy eApounueu lit1A
he expounded it in those sentences Whier . p'oo .
afIv are familiar to You all. He said The ma
sion must control whatever concerns the haioIl M
The states or any minor political community
must control whatever exclusively concerns
,be,, The Individual shall control whatever ex-
Clusiyelv concerns him. That is real popular
sovereignty.
LINCOLN AN EXPERT LOGIC1AN-
He WAS an expert logician. He brought 10
bear upon his opponents the pa1teries oi re
snorseless logic. He had profound commence
IN the reasoning Judgment of the American
people He disdained all efforts TO capture the
populace by other means There IS ho'nLhs
,nore Illuminating than his conduct IN that
grand campaign against Douglas IN 1898. f1e
developed his line of attack IN a Quesuoli t,e
bro1,yit TO bear upon his opponents an extraor-
sainsry ability of analysis. He eV1scerated the
subject of discussion and he presented the wnoie
matter that was then before the great American
nation in its bare bones. in a perfectly cooi aho
logical consideration; and, While he iost the
campaign for the Sesaatorship he mace hlinseii
The APOSTLE of thinking America in its opposf-
zion to the extension Of slavery he had one
Foundation principle, and that was this: SlaN-
cry" he said lis wrong 1t may pe fecos ii.Zeo ~ @
where il corslifutionaily exists but shall 1t be
exterded2' And every proposition that was
presented by his skilful, adroit opponent he pre-
scented not abuse not any appeal TO the emo
ffons of the multitude. but cogent reasoning
from which none could escape. and while he
lost the Senatorship he appeared before the
American people as representing their Ideal
of strs rsightforpard. honest representation OF the
truth applicable TO their crisis and received the
highest honors within their gift
There never has been illustration. / vent
ure say. within the memory of man where
sntellect has exertsd so potent a magnetism and
cause reason exe-ted its sway. / love to dwell
upon these historic events Any American who
has failed TO take advantage OF their STUDY mas
zost largely his opportunity
LINCOLN A HUMBLE MAN.
Whenever you are tempted to think in a dis
couraging manner of the future of the American
Republic You should read the annals of those
aines when the Union itself was in the balance,
and YOU should realize how inevitably to the
demand of reason the American public respond
and how necessarily anything that cannot stand
against honest judgment must fail in this
frightened Republic. Lincoln was humble man,
aInpretentious and Of lowly birth He was with
affectation; he was the most democratic Of
,nen. No one that has ever lived among has
been so much brother TO every man. however
sowly born or unfortunately cfrcumstanced. His
was not the early training OF those who, like
,nany OF our distinguished men. had the advan-
sages afforded by parentage with noble tradi-
tions. although m poor circumstances, with
schooling and environment which would stimu-
late the 1oftiest of aspirations He sprang from
conditions which would seem to stifle ambition.
He simply was a man, man born, a great
American. superior to all the disadvantages
which surrounded his birth and early training.
End there Is no man VINO walks IN any sta
1ion of life in any part OF the country but
ran call Lincoln his brother, his friend, man
Of like passions and like experiences with him
self.
We recognize some men for the services they
have rendered. They have deserved well of
.beir country We recognize Lincoln for his
service No one has deserved better OF his
country He rendered a service which cannot
s,a e,Ilopized In foo extrsvaeant terms bu+ we
forget anything that Lincoln ever did any,
thing that Lincoln ever said in the recognition of
the great manhood that his. which trans
sended anything he did because of what he was
] have said that he was a man OF principle, and
so he was. But he a progressive man: he
was sensitive TO The demands Of his day. Three
or four yeare-three years. I believe il was
sfter the outbreak OF the war, he said: IT have
not controlled events: I confess events have con-
srolled me. After three years We find ourselves
tn a situation which neither party and man
devised expected" He was a man who met
each demand il arose. To the radicals he
was too conservative; to the conservatives he
was too radical Few in the community praised
him during his life Probably man In the
whole history Of the Republic ever so Sc
yereiy criticised and Tnercilessy lampooned