The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1909-02-12

HATFIELD penter tells of
Lincoln quoting Shakespeare with such
power that he suggested the president
had missed his calling and should
have taken to the stage. Lincoln,
however, played on a larger stage,
with the ages for his audience.
Terseness, clearness, unity, are the
most prominent characteristics of the
martyr presidents style. Where did
this child of the frontier learn his use
of English? Some of his utterances
have become classics. How did he,
with but few weeks schooling in his
entire life. learn to write gems as du-
rabIe as the language?
He himself has answered the ques-
ton. He read Bunyan, Aesop, Shake
speare, Burns and the Bible. He could
scarcely have had better models. He
did more. When the. travelling politi-
clans stopped at his fathers house
they talked of the questions then agi-
tating the country. The child had
difficulty in understanding them and
after climbing the ladder to his bed of
leaves in the loft would lie awake for
hours seeking to puzzle out what they
meant Then he would try to phrase
their sentiments in simpler and clear
er language, in words that any child
could understand. Does not that shed
a food of light on the marvellous terse-
ness, simplicity and clearness of his
style? l know of nothing more in
spring except Benjamin FrankIin's at
tempt to reproduce the thoughts of
Joseph Addison without memorizing
the language in order that by means
of the comparison he might improve
his own style. s47rs
Whenever he heard a sermon young
Abraham would come home and try to
reproduce it for the benefit of the fam
lily. Whenever there was luI in the
bayfield, he would mount a stump and
deliver a speech. At home he would
write on the wooden shovel and shave
it off, repeating the performance until
the shovel was all shaved away His
means of expression were so limited he
had to be terse. 1t would be public
blessing if all authors were forced to
learn the same fine economy of words
Lincoln even tried to write verse.
but why detract from his fame by re-
producing his poetry? 1t was about
as bad as it could have been. Never
theless he had a poets soul, even
LAOdSA lac w do AOI a 0uCCSSS at
his words and chopping them off at
certain machine lengths. Few Amer
lean poems contain more poetry than
some of Lincoln's prose.
remember once seeing in the offices
of the New York World this motto:
Accuracy, terseness, accuracy. j. P"
On the next post it occurred again:
! Accuracy, terseness, accuracy. j. p
IF oil he
rooms. 1t was one of the secrets of
Joseph Pulitzer's power in building
up the World and his other papers.
Mr.. Lincoln's style answers that test
perfectly. He was accurate because
he could not be otherwise. He had to
state even his opponents position fully,
fairly and completely. He could not
be vague and uncertain in his use of
facts. His logical mind would not per-
nit him to wander from the truth. He
was just as accurate in the statement
of principle as in the statement of a
fact. He reduced everything to it's
primary elements. His arguments thus
were as clear IS sunlight. Accuracy
was in his mental constitution. Terse-
ness he imposed on himself
I The address at Cooper Union is an
eACelI6uC example OF MS longer Ell
forts. An examination of it gives
good idea of Lincolns methods. 1t is
| compacted of facts There is no fam
boyant oratory, no appeal to prejudice
| or passion, no cheap parade of Ian
! guage or tricks of phrase. He takes
the one theme Of the attitude of the
country's founders on the subject of
slavery and proves it, demonstrates it,
until there is scarcely another word to
be said on the subject He shows be-
| yond any question of doubt that they
had in view the gradual limitation and
ultimate extinction of the peculiar in
stitution." With Lincoln it was facts,
facts. facts, logic. logic, logic. He
gestured little, his chief gesture being
a downright sledge hammer blow. He
was terribly in earnest His voice was
high and penetrating, but not unpleas-
ant At first he was awkward. but
soon forgot himself and all awkward
ness left him He dealt with the sub
stance of things, and that gave him
his power.