Year: 1874




burg Statesman, several extracts taken
from the letter of Col Ward II. Lamon
! to Rev. II. w. Beecher, respecting the
religious views of President Lincoln.
1t will be remembered that shortly after
his assassination the country was food
ed with photograph representing the
apotheosis of Washington and Lincoln.
The first descending from the battle
ments of heaven and saluting the other
as be ascended on the swings of the
morning" How far President Lincoln's
ascension to heaven squares with his
ideas of religion, as portrayed by Col.
Lannon's pen, we leave to others more
orthodox than ourselves to determine.
One thing is certain however that Pres
ident Abraham was not as good disci-
pie as he might have been of the elder
Abraham, whose religious history we
need not repeat. After Col. Lannon's
payment of respects to some Of his par
ticular friends who bad questioned the
truth of his asertions in reference to
Mr.. Lincoln's religious belief, he says:


When the life OF Lincoln was written
it was my honest purpose TO give to the
world candid, truthful statement of
all facts and incidents of his life of
which was possessed or could by dill
gent investigation procure, so as to
give a true history of that wonderful
man. ! was we'll aware from the first
that by pursuing such course would
give offence to some; for who that ever
bad courage enough to write or utter
great truths, since the commencement
of the Christian era to the present time,
has not been held up to pablo scorn
and derision for his independence :
knowing this, and yet believing that
knew Mr.. Lincoln as well, and knew as
much about him as any man living, l
undertook to furnish biography, facts,
truth, history-not eulogy-belleying
then, as l believe now, that the whole
truth might be told Of him and yet he
would appear purer, better, and great
er man than there is yet living. But
he was human, composed of flesh and
blood, and to him, some of the small
sins incident to men. lie was not per-
feet as man, yet with all his humanity
he was better than any other man lever
knew or expect to know. He was not
q Christian in the orthodox sense OF the
term, yet he was as conscientlousiy re-
ligious as any man. / think | am now
justified in saying that had Mr. Lincoln
been called upon to Indicate in what
manner the biography of him should be
written, he would have distinctly pre-
ferred that no incident or event OF his
life should be omitted that every Incl
dent and event of his history, and every
characteristic of his nature should be
presented with Photographic accuracy.
lie would have been content that the
vail of obscurity should be Withdrawn
from his early life. All that was rude
and outre in it could detract nothing
from the career which he afterwards so
wonderfully accomplished The higher
elements of his character, as they were
developed and wrought their effect
could have lost nothing in the worlds
judgment by contrast, however strong,
with the weaker and cruder elements OF
his nature. His life was type OF the
society in which he lived, and with the
progress and developments Of that So
ciety he advanced and expanded with a
civilization which changed the unpeo-
pied West to land of churches and
cities, wealth and cultivation.


When it is established by the testi-
mony of the Christian ministry that
sinners may enter heaven by a broad
back gate like this, few will thiuk it
worth while to continue in the straight
and narrow path prescribed by the word
of God. They who would canonize
NJ. Lincoln as s,irt should pause and
reflect brief moment upon the incalcu-
liable injury they do the cause which
most of them profess to love. The del
fication of profigate Caesars was shock
ing enough to the moral sense OF de.
cent heather, but what is to become OF
the Christian Church when mere politi-
clans, who never so much as pretended
to accept a single one of the least iIE-
portant precepts, are thrust into the
highest places in the calendar Of saints.
This is sacrilege. have never asserted
that Mr.. Lincoln was sceptic. He
entertained the belief that the Holy
Scriptures were not of Divine inspira-
ton. On this point bis mind had reach
ed a fixed and unalterable decision. He
was an in6del and rested in his conclu-
sious. 1t would certainly have been
pleasant to me to have closed the chap
ters of bis biography without touching
upon his religious opinions; but such an
omission would have violated the fun
damental principle upon which every
line of the book was traced. Had 1t
been possible to have truthfully asserted
that he was a member of the Church OF
Christ, or that he believed in the teach
ings of the New Testament, the facts
would have been proclaimed with a
glow of earnest and uDfeigned satisfac-
ton.


&c me now to complain of the injus-
tice which you have done me personally
when you say that the beartiness OF his
arguments upon Mr.. Lincolns religion
casts certain doubt upon it and leaves
the impression that be was inspired by
an ante Christian animus. Pardon me,
my dear sir; although not protesting
Christian myself, may say that few
men possess deeper yeneration for the
Christian religion and all that the Or
| =. nI.-l ~o<,.rls m socrod than