The Ogden standard. [volume] (Ogden City, Utah) 1902-1910, 1909-02-12

to ends; but there was in him none of
thnt morbid growth Of mind and soul
which blinds so many practical men
to the higher things of life. No more
practical man ever lived than this
homely backwoods idealist. but he
had nothing In common with those
practical men whose conscience are
warped until they fail TO distinguish
between good and evil fail TO under
stand that strength. ability, shrewd-
ness. whether in the world of busl.
ness or Of politics. only serve to make
their possessor more noxious, a more
evil member Of the community. IL they
are not guided and controlled by a
fine and high moral sense.
We of this day must try to solve
many social and industrial problems,
requiring to an especial degree the
combination OF 'indomitable resolution
with cool-headed sanity We can
profit by the way in which Lincoln
used both these traits as he strove
for reform. We can learn much OF
vnlue from the very attacks which fol-
lowing that course brought upon his
head, attacks alike by the extremists
OF revolution and by the extremists
of reaction. He never wavered in de-
votion to his principles. In his love for
the Union. and In his adherence OF
slavery. Timid and lukewarm people
were always denouncing him because
he was too extreme, but as a matter
of fact he never went to extremes. he
worked step by step. and because of
this the extremists hated and denounc-
ed him with fervor which now seems
to us fantastic In its deification OF the
unreal and the impossible At the
very time when one side was holding
him up as the apostle OF social revolu-
tion because he was against slavery,
the leading abolltionistsl denounced
him as the slave hound OF Illinois"
When he was the second time candi-
opponents attacked him because of
what they termed his extreme radical
ISM while minority threatened to
bolt his nomination because he was
not radical enough. He had contin-
ually TO check those who wished to go
forward too fast, at the very time that
he oyerrode the opposition of those
who wished not to go forward at all.
The goal was never dim before his Wis
Ion, but he picked his way cautiously,
without either halt or hurry, as he
strobe toward it, through such a mo-
rass OF difficulty that no man of less
courage would have attempted 1t,
while it would surely have overwhelm-
ed any man of judgment less serene.
Yet perhaps the most wonderful
thing of all. and, from the standpoint
of the America Of today and OF the fu-
ture. the most vitally important, was
the extraordinary way In which Lin
coin could fight valiantly against what
he deemed wrong and yet preserve un-
diminished his love and respect for
the brother from whom he differed In
the hour of q triumph that would have
turned any weaker mans head. In the
heat Of a struggle which spurred many
a good man to dreadful yindictiveness,
he said truthfully that so long as he
had been in office he had never will
lingly planted thorn In any mans
bosom, and besought his supporters to
study the incidents OF the trial through
which they were passing as philosophy
from which to learn wisdom and not
as wrongs to be avenged ending with
the solemn eXhortatlon that. as the
strife was over, all should reunite in
common effort to save their common
country.
He lived In days that were great
and terrible. when brother fought
against brother for what each sincere
ly deemed to be the right In a con-
test so grim the strong men who alone
can carry it through are rarely able
TO do justice to the deep convictions
OF those with whom they 'grapple in
mortal strife. AT such times men see
through glass darkly; TO only the