The New York herald. [volume] (New York, N.Y.) 1920-1924, 1920-10-17

COLIN. BU Wuttunt IL. buTIOH, NetV IOfh.
George III. Doran Comeuny
tn HE janitor or whoever answered the
bell over there, used to show fade
less inkstain on the wall of one Of
those German castles that never had a
tenant clever enough to make the landlord
redecorate. But even if Martin Luther did
here aim, propel and throw his inkpot at the
devil, with intent to kill, as was alleged,
there is no proof that he actually ended the
career of that notorious parsonage The ink
singing goes on through the centuries, with
varying success. And William E. Barton in
The Paternity of Abraham Lincoln" which
was published last Friday, has disposed of
at least one litter of the lies of which the
said Beelzebub was father. If anybody
wants to tell any lies about Thomas Lincoln
and Nancy Hanks he will have to invent
something new.
John Drinkwater said. when he first came
over to watch the production of his play:
Abraham Lincoln is the best thing the.
human race has done, so far" And there
is no question of the sincerity of his adj
miration or of that of the British public gen.
orally for the civil war President. Yet Lord
Charnwood, On whose biography the Drink
water play is based, appears to accept the
view that Thomas Lincoln was not Abra-
hams father.
Now, as W. S. Gilbert would say it really
doesn't matter. The Emancipation Procla-
nation and the Second Inaugural abide in
region above genealogy. Pericles and Shake
speare and Ben Franklin were Lincoln's
forefathers. and Mercy and Truth glorify
his maternal ancestry. But there Is some
thing mean in the impulse that would deny
to Thomas and Nancy their unshadowed
parenthood of supreme greatness 1t was
time somebody hunted down all the old
stories and cleared up the mess completely.
If it were not for the interest in Lincoln
-.vx,
a curious study of rumor. It. would be hard
to find a more patient and impartial pursuit
Of the facts. Dr. Barton happens to be
clergyman, but he would make an excellent
lawyer Nobody would have appreciated the
way he has handled this case more than
Lincoln himself. Maybe he does appreciate 1T.
In answer to a possible objection that
scurrilous rumors are best left to die natu-
raj death, DIR. Barton shows that these fic-
tons have rather multiplied. He writes:
There exists in some quarters impress
sion that the stories concerning the birth of
Abraham Lincoln which were once widely
current We're completely disposed Of by the
discovery of the marriage bond and the min
listers return of marriage of Thomas Lin
coin and Nancy Hanks. The discovery of
that document was important, this book
will show; but it is probably true that those
stories were never widely current as they
are to-day. They have passed the acute stage
place In literature and oratory. At least
one man Is even now busy in the preparation
of q book intended to prove that Abraham
Lincoln was not the son Of Thomas Lincoln,
and there may be ten men at work on books
more or less conclusive intended to prove
that he was The English biographies of
Lincoln. now appearing in considerable num-
Der, including Charnwoods and the Ency-
clopadia Britannica give serious attention
to these reports and American authors do
not feel at liberty to publish their books
without somewhere intimating that they
at least familiar with these stories. Besides
books formally devoted to the study of Lin
coin a very large number of other volumes
are issued in which some reference to Lin
coin occurs, and many of these make more
or less direct alusion to these reports.
In preparing for his book The Soul Of
Abraham Lincoln" issued last year, DIR. Bar
ton had made thorough study of all facts
relating to ancestry. He had no thought of
writing on that special theme. But the per-
sistence of these tales and traditions finally
convinced him that whatever the truth
might be II ought to be searched out and
made plain once for all Most of the neces-
sary material was already in his hand He
then definitely set out ITO trace every rumor
and report relating to the birth OF Abraham
Lincoln, to assemble all the available evil
dence in favor of it and against it. to judge
each one OF these reports upon its own
merits and to render what he believes is a
judgment from which there can be sue
cessful appeal"
Seven cities claimed Homer as a native--if
not taxpayer! And the scandal mongers
have claimed paternity of such n man as
Homer might have sung for seven different
fathers. But even these are not enough
For every one Of the myths has as many