The Detroit times., 1916-02-07
Lincoln the Politician
eY DR.. FRANK ckAhG
Copyright. 1915. by Frank Crancl

oiteh' OF TOO seriously, study the char
acter Of Abraham Lincoln.
His birthday, the twelfth OF Febru-
airy. ought to be observed in every public
school.
He means more TO American ideals
than any figure in our history.
We should not make an idol of him.
think that he never did wrong, or
imagine him to have had superhuman
qualities. He is the last man to set up
on a pedestal. He would be the first, il
he were here today, to laugh at the eff
forts some make to represent him as q
hero. apart from his fellow men.
For he had common sense and humor.
And common sense tells us that the
greatest man is nearest TO our common
humanity And humor is stirred by the
posing of those who believe their fat
other clay than that Of which the rest
of us are moulded.
One thing about Lincoln wish to en-
phasize this year. That is, that he was
a Politician, in the best sense of the
word.
Nothing can be more dangerous to our
country than for young people to get the
notion that all politicians are low men
and that politics is low business.
Some politicians. it is true, are petty
their party and the selfish profits they
can draw from it, But that is a weak
ness of human nature, and not due to the
business of politics.
Politics ought to be the highest,
noblest calling. 1t means attending to
the business of the commonwealth, the
establishing and safeguarding of condi-
tions of equity and liberty for all citi-
zens.
Lincoln was an excellent politician. He
was not what We would call a reformer,
for he did not advocate measures simply
because they were right. He considered
whether or not the people wanted them.
He did not think he and his judgment
and conscience were superior to the peo-
pies nor that he was in any way divine
lily licensed TO tell the nation what it
ought to do.
He aimed OF be the servant of the peo-
pie not their master. He was to do their
will, not to impose his will upon them.
His great power lay in this, that he
understood the people, kept close to
them, and carried out their collective
purpose.
He has been called the martyr"
president, and perhaps the title is apt
enough if it implies simply that he met
his death in the performance of his high
duty. But in a strict sense of the term
he was not martyr, for he was not kill
ed by authority, the populace did not
hate him nor clamor for his blood, they
| loved him. He was assassinated by q
criminal
He was a shrewd, wise, honest politi-
lcian, who tried to do the best he could
with the materials and conditions at
hand. So what he did it was not neces-
sary to undo.
Martyrs and reformers have their
place. Mankind needs them. But it
needs quite as much the able politician
who can make the peoples will effective,
who can tell what is practical as well ~
what is righteous, who can interpret and
utter the peoples heart.
He was precisely the kind of man
democracy needs, Undetermined, fear
less, conscientious, a restraint to the
rash and fanatical, and an encourage
ment to the timid
| He was not great in the sense that
| Napoleon or Caesar or Savonarola or
any king or emperor is called great, but
his was new greatness, the perfect
TYPE of public servant, the ideal ex-
preston of an intelligent democracy.