The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1929-01-25

tiers, turning the innumerable pages OF
old, following newspapers and travel
ing over the continent on many
fruitless. as well as fruitful. Journey
Scarcely had he begun, when he was
appalled, at the discovery of how in
adequately the work had been done
before. Myth after myth faded out
before his searchlight- Thus. quite
early. he said TO the writer that if
he were asked to speak on Lincoln
he would decline. Il do not know Just
now what | think of Lincoln"
As he proceeded, the task grew in
magnitude until at times. he felt so
utterly discouraged that he half
wished to abandon it Instead of hav-
ing before him the not too labori-
Gus mission of a new Interpretation,
he found himself confronted with the
necessity Of subjecting himself to the
hardships of pioneering for facts and
he grimly buckled down TO his job.
One day he half seriously told JUS
tice Holmes, a neighbor at Beverly
farms, that should he hear of the find
ing in the woods of a haggard old
man, dead from exhaustion, he would
know that it was a friend of his who
had been foolish enough to attempt
Life of Lincoln"
One instance of the painstaking la
Dor which Beveridge gave to his
monumental task is that wherein he
obtained his information about Lin
coins career as member of the ILL
nois legislature. Other biOgraphers
have hurried over this period partly
because the only frst-hand informa-
ton on ii is contained in the legis-
iatfve reports which are included In
several huge volumes, printed in small
type and having no index. What Bev-
eridge did was to go to Springfield,
dig out these dust-covered volumes
and with the aid of a magnifying
glass go over them all. The result
was, instead of a few hasty para
graphs such as other biographies
have written about Lincoln the legis-
lator, Beveridge's study devotes 1877
pages to this period which had vital
Importance in shaping the character
and later career of Lincoln. Another
instance lies in the statement that he
wrote and rewrote the chapters of his
books, not once, nor twice, but many
times. One of them was rewritten 10
times before he was satisfied with it
AT this point the pen of the writer
stopped, leaving the chapter in its
first draft" Such is the statement
made at the end of the chapter on
'sThe Great Debate in the second
volume of Beverages Lincoln. AT
Mr.. Beveridge's elbow were the vol
umes of the Debates and Schurz's
autobiography, open at the pages
whence he had taken the last quota
tons or references. On the table, near
his hand. were the heaps of notes
prepared for the chapter, extracts
from letters, newspapers, proceedings
of conventions and legislatures. and
photostats of the more important
manuscripts he had found in public
and private collection" For DEATH
had stayed the hand of the great biog-
rapher of great man. In April, 1927
Albert ]. Beverage died suddenly in
the prime of his life with his story
half told. Barton, another noted Lin
coin biograph r, has well said of Bev-
eridge's Lincoln" 1T ends Ike Schu-
bert's Unfinished symphony" This
is one of the greatest tragedies in
literary history" says Bowers. who
pays this final tribute to Beveridge:
However, we may rejoice in the
realization that he has done for the
first fifty years tof Lincoin's life) that
which has never been done before, and
no other could do so we'll He has
raised in his Marshall and Lincoln
monument to himself which will OUT
last marble and before which future
generations will pay homage to his
genius as an Interpreter of the Amer
lean spirit"