Nord stern. [volume] (La Crosse, Wis.) 1856-1921, 1914-10-30
The German Emperor.
Prof. D.. sem ~. Euruees &c.
cIsFe3 I'm 90 ..e Sassd7 ca.
Stood 3sr5. Describes ala
ka.se.' as nc ty8.lu t.in..
\ e You rimes.1

IL is o.tsn said Jy historians that
no truly great mai is ever really
understood by the seneratioL. and III
the age. for which he iabors. Many
instances OF the truth OF this state.
ment can be cas- cited. Two OF
the most fragrant have come within
the range OF MY o"n personal eX
perience. The first MAS the character
Of Abraham Lincoln as depicted by
the British press Of lS50-G4 and as
conceived ny the British public
opinion of that era. Mr.. Henry
Adams, son aid private secretary OF
Mr.. Charles Francis Adams. our
Minister PlenipUtentiary TO Great
Britain during that critical era in out
history, writes. In that fascinating
Donk of his entitled The Education
OF Henry Adams. that "LNndon
was altogether beside itself on one
point. in especial. it created a
nightmare OF is u%n. and gave II
the shape OF Abraham Lincoln.
Behind this it placed another
demon, if possible more deyilish.
and called 1t Mr.. Seward. In
regard to these two men English
SOA1GtF SGOlllEd NItAtlNCN+ RCAtiiSC
was useless; explanation was vain.
One could only let the passion
exhaust itself. Ones best friends
were as unreasonable as enemies.
for the belief in poor Mr.. Lincoln's
brutality and Stewards ferocity be-
came a dogma OF popular faith
Adams relates further that the
| last time he saw T~hackeray at Christ
mas of 1868 they spoke of their
mutual friend. Mrs. Frank Hampton,
of South Carolina, whom Thackeray
had portrayed as Ethel Newcome, and
who had recently passed away from
life. Thackeray had read in the
British papers that her parents had
been prevented by the Federal
soldiers from passing through tn.
lines to see her on her deeth-bed.
Adams writes that
"in speaking of it T~hackeray's voic,
trembled and his eyes filled with
tears. The coarse cruelty of Lin
coin and his hirelings was noto-
rious. He never doubted that the
Federals made a business OF
narrowing the tenderest feelings of
women - particularly of -
in order to punish their opponents.
On quite insufficient evidence he
burst into reproach. Had he
(Adams) carried in his pocket the
proofs that the reproach vas un-
Just, he would have gained nothing
by showing them AT that moment
Thackeray, and all London society
! with him, needed the nervous relief
of expressing emotions, for il Mr.,
Lincoln was % what they said he
was, what yer they2'
MIR. Lincoln sent yer Ii mosl
skillful politician. Thurlow Weed, anC
our most able constitutional lawyer
| William NJ. Eyarts, and later oul
most brilliant orator, Henry Ware
Beecher, followed. for the purpose O
bringing the British people to theli
senses and correcting British opinion
but all to little purpose. Gettysbure
and Vicksburg did far more towart
modifying that opinion than the per
s~uasiveness of Weed the logic o
Evarts, or the efoquence of b. cher
and it took Chattanooga, the Marc'
to the Sea, and Appomattox to dispe
the delusion entirely.
DeIusions About the Kaiser.
Today we are laburing under a Ii,
less singular delusion tnan were tht
English i'll 1862 The ~c,nceptio: