Year: 1865

of God. But the great cause OF this
mourning is to be found in the man him
self. Mr.. Lincoln was no ordinary man
and I believe the conviction has beena
growing on the nations mind, as it GER
tainly has been on my own, especially In
the last years of his administration. By
the hand of God, he was especially sin
gled out to guide our Government in these
troublous times, and it seems to me that
the hand of God may be traced in many
of the events connected with his history
First, then, | recognize this in the phys
ical education which he received, and
which prepared him for enduring hercu-
lean labors in the trials of his boyhood
and the labors of his manhood. God was
giving him an iron form. Next to this
was his identification with the heart OF
the great people-understanding their
feelings because he was one of them and
connected with them in their movements
and life Ills education was simple;
few months spent in the school house gave
him the elements of education. He read
few books, but mastered all he read
" Bunyan's Progress and th5 " Life of
Washington" were his favorites. In
these we recognize the works which gave
the bias to his character, and which part
ly nodded his style His early life, with
its varied struggles, joined him indissolu
bly, to the weeping masses, and no eleva-
tion in society diminished his respect for
the sons of toll lie knew what it was to
fell the tall trees of the forest, and to
stem the current of the hard Mississippi.
His home was in the growing West, the
heart of the Republic, and, invigorated
by the wind which swept over its groves
he learned the lesson of self-reliance
which sustained him in seasons of adver-
sity. His genius was soon recognized as
true genius always will be. He was pla-
cid in the legislature Of a State.


Already acquainted with the principles
of law, he devoted his thought to mat
ters of public interest, and began to be
looked on as the coming statesman. As
early as lS49 he presented resolutions in
the Legislature asking for emancipation


in the District of Columbia, although,
with rare exceptions, the whole popular
mind of his State was opposed to the
measure.


From that hour he was a steady and
uniform friend of humanity, and was pre-
pairing for the conflict of latter years. If
you ask on what mental characteristic his
greatness rested, [ answer on quick and
ready perception of facts, and a memory
unusually tenacious and retentive and on
logical turn of mind which followed
sterlingly and unwaverlingy every link in
the chain of thought on any subject which
nC was CdIltu uh W lllNtsIlHdlC.


| think there have been minds more
decided in their character, more compre-
hensive in their scope, but | doubt if
there has been man which could follow,
step by step, with logical power, the points
which he desired to illustrate lie gain
ed the power by close study of geome-
try and by determination to persevere
in the truth 1t is said of him that in
childhood, when he had any difficulty in
listening to a conversation to ascertain
what people meant, if he retired to rest
he could not slee, till he tried to under
stand the precise points intended, and
when understood to convey it in clear
mann to those who had listened with
him.


Who that has read his message fails to
perceive the directness and the simplicity
of his style, and this very trait which was
scoffed at and derided by his opposers is
now recognized as one of the strong points
of that mighty mind which has so power
fully influenced the destiny of this nation,
and which shall for ages to come infu-
ence the destiny of humanity. 1t is not,
however, chiefly by his mental faculties
that he gained such control over mankind.
His moral power gave him prominence.
The convictions of men that. Abraham
Lincoln was an honest man led them to
yield to his guidance.


AS has been said of Golden, whom he
greatly respected, he made all men feel
and own the sense of himself, and rccog-
Mise in him individuality, self-relying
power. They saw in him a man whom
they believed would do that which was
right, regardless of all consequences. 1t
was this moral feeling which gave him
the greatest hold on the people, and made
his utterances almost oracular. When
the nation was angered by the perfdy of
foreign powers, in allowing privateers to
be fitted out, he uttered the significant
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