New Britain herald., 1923-02-14
.DR c. R. BROWN ON
ABRAHAM LINCOLN
Dean Of Yale Divinity School
Speaks Before WOman'S Club

\ large and approeiatiye audience
greeted DIR. Charles u. Brown OF
Yale. when he rose TO deliver his lee
ture on Abraham Lincoln In the First
Church chapel yesterday afternoon. In
opened Dean Brown said: 1T is not
asy to compare men, TO reduce all the
little fractions of their character and
accomplishment to II common de-
nomination. The ancient writer said,
The heavens declare the glory OF
God How much more devoutly can
we say so for we have learned to
measure the depth of knowledge con-
corning them, and know how wonder
full they are.
I'm looking back at Lincoln let us
consider first the difficulties which
confronted him at the beginning OF
his administration: One, an empty
treasury. with which 10 carry on an
expensive war; two, an experienced
political party. ct is easy to criticize
the work of another but to suddenly
find one self in position to do the
work and to do it is another matter)
Three, distrustful cabinet; four, a
public opinion in Europe unfricndly TO
the North. bankers. aristocrats and
cotton manufacturers leading; five, a
large group OF Respondent northerners
who were sick and tired of the
wrangle and willing to let the states
secede; six, powerful and resolute
section of the Union in state of
armed rebellion to that Union which
he had sworn to maintain.
ITO these difficulties he brought a
greatness of character which we may
set forth in the following elements:
One, the combination of lofty ideals
with a well-seasoned sagacity of d.
plomacy. He was greater than mere
settlers forth of new theories in that
he built his idealism into concrete
fact to meet the the hurried and in
sistent demand of emergency.
Two, an ability to comprehend
men of extreme views. He knew and
they could be united. namely, to Saws
the Union So well did he mold
them that when Robert C. Brecken-
ridge was selected chairman of the
convention or 1864. he de- |
clared that he would serve them only
as the Union party. Lincon's sagac- |
ity was like an X-ray searching uh-
der the follies and the flesh to the
very backbone of the events in which |
he lived.
Three, his ability to hold himself |
very closely to the hearts of the
people and yet guide them on that
way in which he would have them go. |
He did not bully. he reasoned and to
this reasoning he applied three quail
ties. integrity, common sense and |
straightforwardness, and q sense of
humor. He showed these markedly |
in the Douglass debates, in his deal |
ing with Mcclellan over his delayed |
action and with his cabinet.
-Four, his political unselfshness
and moral integrity. His thought was
ever not that he might save the
Union but that the Union might be
saved. Yet he lived in a time of great |
He thought of himself |
as the Servant in the house. He
lived and died to serve.
HE suffers not one whit by COM
parison with others who are great. His
life was high and unsulled. He wove
into the common life OF his time his
own lofty idealism and nude of it an
accomplished fact. No section or
class or faction can claim him. he
belongs to humanity. Queen Victoria
aid aside court formalitics at his
Heath to write tog his widow mes
sage of sympathy from widow
When he entered Richmond the coll
,red people bowed before him. Near
springfield, ILL.,, the country folk saic
he brown thrushes did not sing for
/ year after he died 1t is no accident
hat between the greatest man of the
9th century and the greatest Man of
III time there are such marked paral-
els. Both were of humble origin,
10Th used story and parable, In
neither was form or comsliness that
We should desire him, and on both
at the shadow of sadness and grief.
IN Good Friday Abraham Lincoln
lied"