Arizona republican., 1922-02-12
SUNDAY MORNING, FEBRUARY IL. 1922
Circumstances ShoW aOhat men are.
-Epictetus.



In the preface of their biography, Abraham
Lincoln; A History John G. Nicolay and John
Hay, former secretaries of the great president
wrote, 1T is almost the unbroken testimony of his
contemporaries that by virtue Of certain high traits
of character in certain momenous lines of achieve
ment. he was incomparabiy the greatest of his
time. The deliberate judgment of those who knew
him has hardened into tradition; for although but
twenty five years have passed since he fell by the
bullet Of the assassin the tradition is already COM
plete The voice of hostile faction is silent
needed; even criticism is gentle and timid.'
The ten great volumes of this biography in the
preparation of which the authors had spent twenty
years and which they believed to be complete with
the hardening tradition do the life of
Lincoln and biography of him ever be COM
plee so long he lives and he is living and will
live as long page is added to page Of his coun-
trys history.
Though no biography could be more nearly
complete than the monumental work of these two
famous secretaries equipped by peculiarly nti-
mate knowledge of this great and inspired by
great love OF him. the inadequacy of it is apparent
in the words, "the voice Of hostile faction is silent
or unheeded; even criticism is gentle and timid"
Now thirty -one years later hostile faction is dead;
its voice is gone. There is longer gentle or
tnid criticism. Lincoln stands out unquestioned
His life is accepted as faultless. He is the one
American against whom history records no mistake
or weakness.
Within the last twenty years writer OF ma
tional reputation severely criticised Washingtons
judgment and OF justice both before and after
his election the first presidency because OF the
ascendancy he permitted Of Hamilton. Time has not
saved Andrew Jackson from the structures Of today
hardly less violent than those Of his contemporaries
oh W
something of demagogue in jefferson and declared
that Jeffersonian simplicity" was only "Jeffersonan
vulgarity."
we believe that all these criticisms are unjust.
There can be no doubt the great service that this
immortal trio rendered the country, yet they must
have been afflicted with weaknesses which time has
exaggerated while those OF Lincoln If they existed
have become imperceptible though his figure looms
larger and larger.
Those who stand near great picture do not be-
hold its beauties They the brush marks OF the
artist apparently unmeanng daubs. At the proper
distance these become lines of strength and beauty
but at too great distance only flat, dis
colored surface
So as the figures Of history recede the faults or
what we supposed to be faults softened but the
weaker figures in very brief recession melt into
insignifcance and then into nothingness The
stronger figures are preserved Tor longer Instances
1t has remained miracuiousy, for the figure
of Lincoln to increase it's lines of strength and
beauty as we believe it will increase through the
ages.
The biography Of every great man consists Of
two parts the made up Of his birth his growth
his RISE his achievements and his death. The sec
ond part is an account Of his influence upon his coun
try or mankind. The second part is OF varied length
,ccordinp m the greatness of the subject. The
eria for first part OF the history of Lincoln had
been assembled when stanton whispered, 'He is with
the ages The material for the second part is yet
beng gathered and every year adding the mighty
mass.