Norwich bulletin., 1919-07-16
HOW LINCOLN IMPRESSED
 A NoRWleH CLERGYMAN

to Norwich because it reproduces something from the pen of a promi- nent Norwich clergyman of the sos, Rev. J. P. Guliiver, then pastor of the Broadway Congregational church. ,Un-
 der the heading of Lineoin.s Logic in
 New England. the Monitor prints the
 following;
 In Six Months at the White House,
 by Francis B. Carpenter. the man
 commissioned to paint the emancipa-
 ton picture of Abraham Lincoln and
 his cabinet, is reproduced an article,
 written during the war. by the Rev.
 cut. This article first appeared in
 The Independent of Sept. 1, 1ss4. The
 writer had met Lincoln. engaged ip
 conversation with the mayor of the
 city. at the railway station.
 s "On being introduced to. him. the
 article runs, "he fixed his eyes upon
 me and said: I have seen you before,
 sir!' I think not I replied you
 must mistake me for some other per
 son. No, I don't; I saw you at the Town hali. last evening" Is it possi-
 ble, MT. Lincoln. that you could ob-
 serve individuals so closely in such crowd 2 Oh, yes" he replied. laugh
 ing. that is my way ! don't forset sir. and ! was well paid for going adding. somewhat in the vein. of pleas antry he had started. I consider ii one of the most extraordinary speech es I ever heard
 'As we entered the ears, he beck. oped me to take a seat with him. and said in most agreesbly frank way, Were you sincere in what you said every word of it. MT. Lincoln Why, an old dyed in the wool democrat, who sat near me, applauded you re- peatedly, and when rallied upon his conversion to sound principles, am swered, T don't believe word he says. but I can't help clapping him. he is so pat!" That I call the tri- umph of oratory. Indeed, sir, Il learned more Of the art of public speaking last evening than could rhetoric
 .Ah! that reminds me- said he of a most extraordinary circumstance which occurred at New Haven the professor of rhetoric in Yale college "a very learned man, isn't heT
 Yes, sir. and a fine critic. toe.'
 Well, I suppose so; he ought to be at any rate. They told me that he came to hear me, and took notes of my speech, and gave feSture on it to his class the next day; and, not satisfied with that. he followed me up to Meriden the next evening. and heard me again for the same purpose. very extraordinary. I have been suf- astonished at my success in the west. I has been most unexpect- ed. But I had no thought of any marked success in the east, and least of all that I should draw out such 1. commentators from literary and 1 learned men. Now he continued, T should like very much to know what i it was in my speech you thought so remarkable, and what you suppose | my friend, the professor. so much?' 1
 The clearness of your state nents, MT. Lincoln; the unanswerable l style of your reasoning, and especially 1 your illustra tions,, which were TO- | nance and pathos and fun and logic i all welded together. That story about l the snakes, for example, which set the 1 hands and feet of your democratic 1 at once queer and ccnuical tragic and 1 tive. It broke through all l he barriers of 8 r<s s previous opin- ] ons and prejudice. at a crash, and | theories before he could know what 1 lad hurt hirn.'"
 Lineoln was asked by Mir. Guiiiver now he had come by his most uncom ntinated that it must have come through education. To which Lincoln answered:
 Well, as to education, the news papers are correct; never went to i school more than six months in my l fife. But as you say. this must be a | product of culture in some form. . Ii can say this, that among my earliest l 'ecoilections I remember how., when a | nere child. I used to get irrita ted l when anybody talked to me in & way l
 could not understand. I don't think |
 ever got angry at anything else in i ny life. can remember going to [ ny little bedroom. after hearing the | leigfibors talk of an evening with my ather, and spending no small part of l he night walking up and down, try | ng to mako out what was the sexact 1 meaning of some of their-to me-f lark sayings. I could not sleep .l lntil I had caught it = until put it n language plain enough, as ISthought or any boy I knew to comprehend
 am handling a. thought. till I have | bounded it north. and bounded it II outh, and bounded it east. and ounded it west. Perhaps that ac- Fl cunts for the characteristic you cb- erve in my speeches. though never Fl ut the two things together before.'
 Mir. Lincoln. thank you for this. is the most splendid educational