New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1916-09-30
L. n. SOTHERN.

election. the author belongs 70 the
generation since the Civil War, ana
he has most successfully avoided any
inheritance Of prejudice or passion.
I hat he has been dillgent reader and
student of authoritative works on Ian
coin. and on American history IN gen
eral, is obvious; for he divines Lin
coin, and the antecedents and the cir
cumstances of his career, with eNcep-
tional sympathy and correctness. But
perhaps most striking Of all IS ms
mastery Of some Of the best charac-
teristics Of historical and biographical
writing. For while this Is, we believe,
his first serious essay in literature, he
shows throughout a scope OF vision,
sense of proportion. "a sanity OF Judg-
ment, Il facility in digestlng and util-
izing to advantage an almost lmmeas-
urable mass Of material, and style
which charms by its clarity while 1t
convinces by It's cogency. sucn as
might well be coveted by many vet
erar man Of letters.
This volume is Of special interest as
the first English life of Lincoln, and
also as an English recognition o. his
status as one of the Makers Of the
Nineteenth Century. In the list Of
worthless who are and are TO be com
memorated IN the series, Delsne stands
first. as u was natural that an Eng
lishman should do IN an English pub
LEGATION. Lincoln is second. Others
in the list are Herbert Spencer, Leon
Gambetta. Porfrio Diaz, Victor Hugo
and Ii Hung-chang Among them all
there is not and viii not be one name
hat can overshadow LincOln's. nor do
we imagine that any writer VIII seek
to make any of them do so. Lord
Charnwood sets the standard Of Lin
coin where it will not be surpassed:
MANY great deeds had been done in
the war. The greatest was the keep
ing of the North together in an enter
prise so ardu0us. and an enterprise
for objects so confusedly related as
the Union and freedom. Abraham Lin
coin did this: nobody else could have
done it; to do 10 he bore on his sole
shoulders such a weight Of care and
pain as few other men have borne
II is welcome TO know that an author.
itative and mastcrful work sets this
down as Fngland's mature estimate OF
Lincoln, and thus gives him, in Lord
CharnwooG's words, "his rank with the
greatest Of our race"
The world has become so accustomed
10 think of Lincoln as President, as
statesman. that IL has unduly neg
lected another phase Of his career
which was Of much Importance in IT.
self, and which was Of simply inesu-
mable importance as a preparation for
the supreme service which followed it.
Indeed, most of the information which
has been generally difused concerning
Lincoln's work as a lawyer has come
from Herndon's Life, which, with all
its good intentions and It's many vaua
BILE features, is now realized 10 be un-
trustworthy, and TO give an incorrect
estimate of its subjects professional,
ability and standing Mr.. Richards's
monograph for such the volume prac-
tically ISIS the fruit Of long and ex-
pert research among the records of the
courts before which Lincoln practised,
and especially of the Supreme Court
of Illinois. and it gives what we must
regard as an authoritative and inval-
liable account of Lincoln's work as a
lawyer, and also of the influence of
his legal studies and practice upon his
subsequent career.
II has frequently been remarked that
England has never had but one lawyer
for Prime MiniSter-the present one.
The United States has had number Of
lawyers for Presidents, including some
Of the greatest. John Adams. jefferson
and Madison were all distinguished
lawyers before they became Presidents,
and Washington himself. though not
lawyer. had for his peculiarly intimate
and influential mentor one Of the
greatest lawyers in all our history,
Hamilton. Lincoln, despite Herndon's
Lnwarranted depreciation, was o lawyer
of more than ordinary ability. He had
legal and judicial mind. Had he de-
voted his life to the bar. he would
probably have ranked among the fore
most attorneys and counsel Of his time.
As il was, he ractised long enough to
receive an invaluable preparation for
the Chief Magstrsey When he be-
came President, says Mr.. Richards,
He had learned the important
lesson that there are at least two
sides to every controversy. that