The Sauk Centre herald., 1909-03-11
seems well authenticated and is doubt

less correct. Even so, l know or nc
man in our time or in any time, for
the matter of that, who patterned his
life more fully on that of the Man of
Sorrows. Both were born poor. one
in q stable and the other in a cabin
not so good as most stables. One was
the Saviour of mankind and the other
the savior of his country. Both taught
love and mercy. both clung to truth,
both regarded the substance more thar
the form. and both were heard gladly
by the common people. Both were de
nounced by those in place and power,
both were reformers. both came tt
bring liberty to the captive, and bott
at last gave their lives for mankind
Both were meek, both were sad, both
taught In parallels, and both set their
faces against the worship Of Nam
mon. Other similarities can be shown.
but enough have been stated 10 royeaI
the fact that, whatever Lincoln said Of
theology. he was true follower Of the
Nazarene In life and deed. Those who
count the life and the deed more thar
the word will rate him accordingly.
All Of Mr.. Lincoln's biographers
speak Of certain mystical tendencies H.
his character. These have doubtless
been magnified beyond their true
worth. For example. there is the state
ment that he dreamed Of a rapidly
moving ship just before great events
IN his life. There is also the story Of
his having seen two images of him.
self in mirror one paler than the
other, from which occurrence Mrs. Lin
coin is said to have predicted that he
would be elected twice to the presi
dency and the last term would be
short. He is also said himself to have
had premonitions that he would be as
sassinated. People have even gone t.
the length Of alleging that President
Lincoln believed in spiritism and some
times consulted medium. So far as
I know, there is no evidence to prove
the truth of this. AS for the Other
phenomena mentioned, they are scarce
ly of the highest character, whether
true or false. The order of mind THAI
looks for sign might be impressed
by them, but the evidence Of the no
blest and finest spirituality in Lin
coins whole life so infinitely tran.
scends these psychic signs and won
ders, even if they are worthy of cred
ence at all. that they may as we'll be
discarded. They are more of the non
essential and trivial that have gath
cred about this great name.
Mr.. Lincoln's biographers also ac-
cuse him Of having been a fataIist. l.
this the whole truth? There is no evi.
dence in his resistless energy in trying
to move public opinion, no indication
In his tenacious will and masterfu.
character, no hint in his clear reason,
ing power or common sense philosC
ply, that he was fatalist in the &C
cepted sense of the term He was 4
thorough believer in cause and effect
but that does not constitute fatalist.
1t still leaves room for individual I'M
tiatiye in setting up causes
He was also profoundly convinced
Of an overruling Providence t. IL
affairs. If it is meant that i ~ ~
fataliSt in the sense that he
God and Gods law governs th, -!
the charge may stand, but that does
not imply fatalism since it leaves
wide latitude for the choice Of the IL
dividual. In a large way, like Napo-
leon BOnaparte, Mr. Lincoln may have
felt that man brings his destiny
with him. Most great souls born into
the world with a work have felt the
same. But that by no means reduces
man to machine, blind puppet OF
forces over which he has no control
The true man is master of his own
world, and few men have revealed
more Of this mastery over all given
into their hands than Abraham Lii
coin. Whatever his words may have
said, his life and deeds said beyond
any question Of doubt that he was
anything but fatalist. Those who
call him so have surely failed to go be
meath the mask of his personality.
They belong to the same school that
called him a materialist because he
was cautious and careful and reasoned
his way slowly and surely. Yet there
has been no man in modern times that
dwelt more in the moral world than
Lincoln. There has been no man that
had profounder faith in God and his
Intervention for righteousness than
Lincoln. No man had q firmer belief
In the final triumph Of the invisible
forces Of justice and truth. Do these
things belong to the materialist and
fatalist? The man that says SO does
not know the meaning Of words. -
Mr.. Lincoln was such many sided
man that it would take several char
acters rolled into one to furnish his
counterpart He was a combination
between a Jewish prophet and a Ken
lucky frontiersman, composite pho
tograph Of a patriarch, a Greek law
giver and an Illinois horse trader,
Lincoln's tenderness for animals and
many other points In his character sug-
gest the most Christlike monk of the
middle ages. st. Francis of Assist
Francis was the preacher and exemplar
Of poverty. the friend and helper Of
the unfortunate, was noted for meek
ness and patience and gained undying
fame by his kindness to animals Yet
he was by naturo a vnorvv hoo rfed how