The Sauk Centre herald., 1909-02-18

to the point. He might have been a
little taller and more homely than
most, but IL so what Of it? There was
nothing about all these circumstances
to differentiate him from his kind or
to explain him. They were the shell
Of the oyster. but gave no indications
Of the pearl inside.
Yet there are beautiful! things and
such as can be spoken of with all pro-
priety and respect in the love affairs
and the home life of Abraham Lin
coin. His despair at the death OF Ann
Rutledge. his agony, over the SHOWS
beating on her grave" the fears Of his
friends for his sanity, which went to
the length Of their taking precautions
against his possible suicide-all this
presents touching and pathetic pic
ture. l-.s -.
AS for the affair with Mary Owens.
there Is nothing in 1t worthy q pass
Ing notice except that 1t showed a fine
sense of honor on the part Of Lincoln
and an unselfish thOughtfulness for
the happiness of his future wife.
About the courtship with the woman
he finally married and about his home
life. with her there has been more or
less dispute. Herndon's exploded sto-
~ that Lincoln ran away on his mar
riage night has already been men
toned. With quite as much particu-
larity Lamon states that at this time
Mr.. Lincoln was really in love with
Miss Edwards. who lived in the same
house with his tiancee, and that this
fact accounts for his detection, which
was then more pronounced than usual,
and also for the long delay in his mar
riage to Miss Todd. So far as the
writer is aware no other biographec
mentions the alleged infatuation for
Miss Edwards.
That Mr.. Lincoln was to some extent
unhappy in his married life Is fact
disputed by none. The degree Of this
unhappiness has probably been exag-
gerated. Moreover, there have been SO
many sighting references to Mrs. Lin
coin that I feel like taking up the
cudgels in her behalf That she had a
temper is probably true. A temper Is
not necessarily bad thing. Mr.. Lin
coin himself had prodigious temper
when it was aroused. So had Wash
ington. So has every man or woman
that amounts to anything.
But there is this much to be said for
the wife of Abraham Lincoln. She
loved him. as was shown by the fact
that she married him despite his long
delay. While uerndon's story about
the marriage night dereliction is prob
ably untrue, there was some kindred
happening at about that time. An
other thing that can be said in Mrs
Lincoln's behalf is that she showed
enough discrimination to prefer Abra
ham Lincoln to Stephen A. Douglas
Under the circumstances this required
true insight into character. Douglas
when he paid court to her was already
great man, which was not so ap
parent in Lincoln's case. Douglas was
brilliant, polished and had mosI
winning manner, while Lincoln wa
more or less uncOuth and shy in fem,
mime society. Miss Todd was the
daughter of leading man of Kentuc
ky, and thus Douglas belonged to hel
own social class in those outwarC
things which make up class distinc'
tions, while Lincoln did not. Never
theless she chose Lincoln. She is ell
titled to honor for both her vision anC
her heart.
Miss Todd always said that sh,
would marry a president of the UniteC
States. No ordinary woman woulc
have had the courage to say that IL
the face of the ridicule it would Occa
sion, and no one but very extraor
dinary woman would have had thu
ability to pick the winner.
Is it not just possible that some 0!
Lincoln's biographers have overdrawr
his unhappiness at home just as they
have unduly emphasized his poverty
and have done positive injustice to hi:
father? Is it not possible that there
was some resentment due to the fac
that Miss Todd belonged to an aristo.
cratic family and did not share her
husbands views on slavery? And i.
1t not more than possible that there
Aoc oSCh ol oAooS AhS AhbO th'
private affairs Of both Mr.. Lincoln anC
his wife?
LincOln's great love for his children
which caused him to err, If at all, OF
the side Of too great indulgence, woult
not indicate wholly unhappy hom'
life. The fact that Mrs. Lincoln wa
loyal to her husband and his ambition
that she shared his great life, that sh'
bore dosble sorrows in the death o
her sons and bis own assassination
and that she endured SO much abust
from biographers without murmur en-
title her to our charity and respect
She was a woman, a wife and mother
She is dead. Common chivalry and
common humanity would at least die
tate that nothing should be said OF
her now except in loving tenderness
if not that, silence.
For one I am tired of much Of the
utterly trivial stuff written about
Abraham Lincoln. He was a greaI
enough man to be treated in a great
manner. He had an innate, dignity
and fineness that call for respect from
those who would show his true spirit
IN tho xunrll