LINCOLN ROOM 
 
 UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS 
 LIBRARY 
 
 MEMORIAL 
 
 the Class of 1901 
 
 founded by 
 
 HARLAN HOYT HORNER 
 
 and 
 
 HENRIETTA CALHOUN HORNER 
 
Digitized by the Internet Archive 
 
 in 2012 with funding from 
 
 University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign 
 
 http://archive.org/details/abrahamlincolnseOOwahl 
 
ABRAHAM LINCOLN 
 
 SERVANT OF THE PEOPLE 
 
Copy of an original daguerreotype owned by the 
 
 author. President Lincoln presented this to 
 
 a soldier serving at Fort Totten, one of 
 
 the many small forts just outside of 
 
 Washington. The author procured 
 
 this from the soldier's family. 
 
ABRAHAM LINCOLN 
 
 SERVANT OF THE PEOPLE 
 
 BY 
 
 Carl E. Wahlstrom 
 
 Judge of Probate, Worcester, Massachusetts 
 
 1942 
 
 Achille J. St. Onge 
 Worcester. Massachusetts 
 
COPYRIGHT, 1942, BY CARL E. WAHLSTROM 
 
 Published, February, 1942 
 
 FIRST EDITION 
 
 MANUFACTURED IN THE U. S.A 
 BY H.WOLFF, NEW YORK 
 
TO 
 
 MARGARET AND LORNA 
 
HOW IT CAME ABOUT 
 
 One day, some years ago, two dignified and 
 elderly gentlemen called at the office to see me. 
 As they approached my desk I noticed that they 
 were attracted by a picture which hung on the 
 wall near by. It is a rather unusual picture of 
 Lincoln delivering the Gettysburg address. So in- 
 terested were they in my picture that I watched 
 without saying a word. Finally one spoke and 
 said, "It was in 1862 that I met Lincoln at City 
 Point in Virginia, and I carried his bag up to the 
 camp. He was dressed exactly as you see him in 
 that picture. He wore that long Prince Albert 
 coat and carried a shawl on one arm." Then the 
 two gentlemen introduced themselves. One was 
 a nephew of Clara Barton and the other was that 
 great authority on the "Life of Lincoln," a man 
 who had devoted many years to a study of 
 Lincoln, namely, Dr. William E. Barton. He 
 
 f vii 1 
 
PREFACE 
 
 stated that because of some correspondence we 
 had had together and because of evidence he had 
 found in papers in the Probate Court of Worces- 
 ter County and elsewhere he was able to prove 
 that in one respect the great Lincoln had blun- 
 dered and that he was about to publish the result 
 of his investigations in a book to be called "A 
 Beautiful Blunder." 
 
 You will recall that during the dark days of 
 the Civil War Lincoln's attention was called to 
 certain records. These records seemed to indicate 
 that one Mrs. Lydia Bixby of Boston was the 
 mother of five boys who had enlisted in the serv- 
 ice of their country and all of whom had been 
 killed in battle. This information so stirred the 
 tender heart of Lincoln that he wrote to Mrs. 
 Bixby one of the most sympathetic letters ever 
 written. So beautiful was this letter that it has 
 become known thruout the world as a gem of 
 literature. It was to this letter which Dr. Barton 
 referred when he said Lincoln had blundered, 
 for by his investigation he disclosed that only 
 four of Mrs. Bixby's sons had served their coun- 
 try; that two of these had died in battle and that 
 one of the other two sons had deserted to the 
 enemy. He proved conclusively that two sons, 
 one of whom had not been in the service, lived 
 in Massachusetts for many years after the close 
 of the war. 
 
 vm 
 
PREFACE 
 
 I mention this little episode, not because it is 
 of any particular value, altho it may be of inter- 
 est to Lincoln students, but because my own in- 
 terest in Lincoln and in the collection of Lincoln- 
 iana was the immediate result of my contact with 
 Dr. Barton. I had always had the average Ameri- 
 can boy's interest in Lincoln, but there was some- 
 thing about my brief association with Dr. Barton 
 that caused me to take a keener and more en- 
 thusiastic interest in the life of the Great Emanci- 
 pator. Since that time I have, in my own little 
 way, made the study of Lincoln and the collec- 
 tion of Lincoln items my hobby and so many of 
 these have I been able to procure that I have set 
 aside two rooms in my attic and there I have my 
 own private Lincoln museum. This consists of 
 more than one thousand books and pamphlets — 
 (many old and rare) — hundreds of pictures and 
 cartoons, numerous coins and medals, broadsides, 
 busts, old magazines, newspapers and several 
 other items, including some original Lincoln let- 
 ters, documents and legal papers, which are of 
 interest to the Lincoln student. 
 
 One who desires a hobby can find a most in- 
 teresting one in Lincoln lore, for the field is very 
 large. To date over five thousand books and 
 pamphlets have been written on some phase of 
 Lincoln's life and it is said that with each suc- 
 ceeding year fifty new books or articles about 
 
PREFACE 
 
 Lincoln are produced. No other American has so 
 captured the imagination and fancy of the peo- 
 ple. Because of my interest in the Great Eman- 
 cipator I have often been invited to address vari- 
 ous groups on some phase of Lincoln's life. This 
 I have done gladly and the address herein pre- 
 sented is one which I have delivered in one form 
 or another numerous times. The only reason for 
 having it appear in print is because so many kind 
 friends have requested me to permit it to appear 
 in book form. 
 
 THE AUTHOR 
 
 [x 
 
ABRAHAM LINCOLN 
 
 SERVANT OF THE PEOPLE 
 
Let us journey together to a country-side place 
 not far from the little city of Hodgenville in 
 Kentucky. There on a knoll in the distance we 
 see what appears to be a magnificent structure 
 of granite. So beautiful and stately is it that we 
 are reminded of those gorgeous temples of an- 
 cient Greece. Soon we approach it and ascend 
 the flight of broad steps. Then we enter, and we 
 find ourselves in a room where there is but one 
 object. It is a rough, crude log cabin about seven- 
 teen feet long, twelve feet wide and eleven high 
 to where the roof begins. It has but one door and 
 one window. Its floor is of dirt. It is typical of 
 the log cabins which stood in this section of Ken- 
 tucky in the early days of the nineteenth century. 
 But why has this lonely, wilderness cabin been 
 selected and placed in this great temple of stone, 
 there to be preserved for the ages ? Of course we 
 know the answer, for in that self-same lowly, 
 wilderness log cabin was born on the twelfth day 
 of February in the year eighteen hundred and 
 [13] 
 
ABRAHAM LINCOLN 
 
 nine, a babe, who was destined to become one of 
 his country's greatest servants and the sixteenth 
 president of these United States. 
 
 It has been my privilege to stand in reverence 
 and with bowed head at this consecrated place, 
 and there breathe a prayer of thanks to Almighty 
 God that I, too, am permitted to be a citizen of so 
 great a country, where one of humble birth in the 
 lowly, wilderness log cabin, may by and thru his 
 own efforts and the confidence he inspires in 
 others attain the highest office within the gift of 
 the American people. 
 
 Let us now continue our journey to a place 
 called Oak Ridge Cemetery in Springfield, Il- 
 linois. As we enter this hallowed place we see a 
 stately monument. From its center rises a shaft 
 heaven-ward. At the foot of the shaft stands a 
 life-size statue of the martyred president. On the 
 four corners of the monument we see bronze 
 groups portraying the various branches of the 
 military service. As we approach the base we ob- 
 serve a huge bronze head of Lincoln. This is a 
 replica of that great work done by Gutzon Bor- 
 glum and which is in the Hall of Fame in our 
 Nation's Capitol. 
 
 We see a doorway and we learn we may enter 
 
 and as we do so we find ourselves in a rotunda, 
 
 the ceiling of which is of silver leaf, the walls of 
 
 bronze and marble and the floor of travertine. 
 
 [14] 
 
Servant of the People 
 
 As we look about wc see nine statues of Abraham 
 Lincoln portraying him as the ranger, the sol- 
 dier, the circuit rider, the debater, the statesman 
 and the president. As we proceed thru the elab- 
 orate corridor we soon enter the stately sar- 
 cophagus chamber. On the red oak fossil ceno- 
 taph we read the inscription "Abraham Lincoln, 
 1809-1865," and we then realize we are within 
 the walls of the tomb, the final resting place of 
 the body of our great president. We pause in 
 reverence. Our hearts beat fast. Tears come to 
 our eyes. Our voices quiver as we try to whisper 
 the immortal words spoken by Secretary Stan- 
 ton to the world as Abraham Lincoln breathed 
 his last, which words we see inscribed above and 
 to the rear of the magnificent cenotaph, "Now 
 He Belongs to the Ages." We look about and 
 learn that in vaults in front of the cenotaph are 
 buried the bodies of Mrs. Lincoln and two of the 
 sons. In the rear of the cenotaph are placed 
 several flags, seven of these being the flags of the 
 different states in which the various Lincolns 
 resided, and it is a matter of pride to a resident 
 of Massachusetts to note that the first flag in line 
 is that of the old Bay State, for it was in this state 
 that the first of the Lincolns came and settled in 
 1638. 
 
 Lincoln's tomb is one of the stateliest structures 
 ever erected to the memory of a man. As we 
 
 [15] 
 
ABRAHAM LINCOLN 
 
 stand before this edifice we become possessed of 
 the loftiest and noblest thoughts and hopes for 
 the future of our beloved country. We think of 
 Washington as the Father — we must call Lincoln 
 the savior and preserver. This shrine, this noble 
 tomb is an enduring memorial erected by a grate- 
 ful people. 
 
 But we must continue our journey, and now 
 we find ourselves in our nation's capital, at a 
 charming spot in Potomac Park. From this point 
 we see the majestic Washington Monument, and 
 just beyond is the Capitol itself. At this delight- 
 ful place on the banks of the Potomac a grateful 
 country has caused to be erected a shrine, a 
 monument to the memory of a great son. The 
 first concerted effort toward the erection of a 
 memorial to Abraham Lincoln was in 1867, but 
 it was not until 1910 that Congress authorized 
 the appointment of a committee to arrange for 
 the erection of a suitable monument, and yet it 
 was not until February 12, 1914, that ground was 
 broken. There are certain things about the me- 
 morial that are unique and interesting. It rests 
 on a solid rock foundation from forty-four to 
 sixty-five feet below the grade. It is two hundred 
 and four feet long, one hundred and thirty-four 
 feet wide and ninety-nine feet high. It is made 
 of Colorado marble, some of the blocks weigh- 
 ing as much as twenty-three tons. Thirty-eight 
 [16] 
 
Servant of the People 
 
 great and beautiful columns surround it, each 
 column representing a state, there being but 
 thirty-eight states in the Union when Abraham 
 Lincoln was President. Over eight years were 
 spent in erecting this memorial and it cost ap- 
 proximately three millions of dollars. 
 
 This monument is the cause of marvel and 
 wonder. It is one of the most gorgeous struc- 
 tures ever designed by man. But impressive and 
 imposing as it is, it is not the edifice which creates 
 within us the most interest and reverence. No, 
 for as we ascend the great steps we see directly 
 in front of us a huge marble statue of the Eman- 
 cipator, the greatest of all Lincoln statues, that 
 done by Daniel Chester French. It is nineteen 
 feet high, nineteen feet wide, and it rests on a 
 marble pedestal ten feet high. But someone asks, 
 "Why do you call this the greatest of all the 
 Lincoln statues when there are so many?" I re- 
 fer to it as the greatest of all Lincoln statues for 
 in the face of that great work the sculptor has 
 been able to portray all the various phases and 
 moods of Lincoln's life. Stand directly in front 
 of it, as I have done numerous times, and you see 
 the fatherly, neighborly Lincoln. Stand to the 
 left and you will see the plainsman, the rough, 
 story-telling man of the West. Stand to the right 
 and you will see the statesman, the thinker, the 
 emancipator, the president, stern and yet kind, 
 
 \ 17] 
 
ABRAHAM LINCOLN 
 
 deliberate and yet determined, patient and yet 
 forceful. Yes, because the sculptor has been able 
 to portray all the phases and moods of Lincoln 
 in that great face, that statue portraying him as 
 he sits in that canopy of stone can rightly be 
 termed the greatest of all Lincoln statues. The 
 statue and the magnificent structure of marble 
 which surrounds it have been termed the noblest 
 and grandest memorial in the world. In truth 
 this monument is the most eloquent tribute to 
 the memory of any man by any nation. 
 
 Were we to continue our journey to the various 
 Lincoln monuments and memorials we would 
 have to travel far and wide. We would have to 
 visit over fifty cities in eighteen states. Yes, we 
 would also have to go abroad, for several foreign 
 countries have honored our Lincoln. So great is 
 his fame and to so large an extent has he found 
 a place in the hearts of the people that he can no 
 longer be claimed by Americans alone, for now 
 he belongs to the world. Just outside of West- 
 minster Abbey in London stands a replica of St. 
 Gaudens' Statue of the Emancipator. In Man- 
 chester, England there is another. In the beauti- 
 ful cemetery in Edinburgh, Scotland is still 
 another, and yet another in Florence, Italy, and 
 still another in Oslo, Norway. But of all the for- 
 eign countries it was left to Denmark to do the 
 most remarkable thing, for the Danes have set 
 
 [18] 
 
Servant of the People 
 
 aside a tract of land on which they have erected 
 a replica of the birthplace log cabin. Thus they 
 have their own Lincoln Memorial Park. 
 
 More statues, more monuments, more busts 
 and plaques have been made and erected, more 
 books have been published, more pictures have 
 been printed and painted, and more medals have 
 been struck off concerning Lincoln than any 
 other person who has ever lived save the Lord 
 himself. And why ? Someone has suggested that 
 Abraham Lincoln was an outstanding failure. 
 And it is true that he did fail in many things. 
 
 He failed as a business man — as a store- 
 keeper. 
 
 He failed as a farmer — he despised this work. 
 
 He failed in his first attempt to obtain politi- 
 cal office. 
 
 When elected to the legislature he failed 
 when he sought the office of speaker. 
 
 He failed in his first attempt to go to Con- 
 gress. 
 
 He failed when he sought the appointment 
 to the United States Land Office. 
 
 He failed when he ran for the United States 
 Senate. 
 
 He failed when friends sought for him the 
 nomination for the vice presidency on the Re- 
 publican ticket. 
 
 [19] 
 
ABRAHAM LINCOLN 
 
 Yes, he was a failure, a glorious failure. How- 
 ever, each failure only served to strengthen him. 
 But his failures do not explain why he is hon- 
 ored more and more with the passing years. And 
 why is this so ? He was neither king, prince, nor 
 potentate. He was not wealthy nor learned. He 
 was not a great military hero. To people of 
 modern times he has come to be a symbol of 
 courage and opportunity not only for Americans 
 but for boys and girls, men and women in the 
 far-flung corners of the earth. Small wonder 
 then, that folks like to have told and re-told the 
 old Lincoln story which is so thrilling, alluring 
 and inspiring. 
 
 Everyone likes to hear how in 1638, just eight- 
 een years after the Pilgrims settled in Plymouth, 
 one Samuel Lincoln landed and settled at Hing- 
 ham, a little town just south of Boston. Samuel 
 had a son Mordecai, who also had a son named 
 Mordecai, who when he came to man's estate 
 left the stern and bleak New England coast and 
 went to New Jersey and later to Pennsylvania. 
 He had a son, John, who went to Virginia. This 
 John Lincoln had a son Abraham who became 
 a prosperous Virginia farmer. Abraham had a 
 friend who distinguished himself as a hunter and 
 woodsman, one Daniel Boone by name. Boone 
 had been to what was considered the far West 
 several times and he often told his friend, Abra- 
 [20] 
 
Servant of the People 
 ham Lincoln, of the great forests filled with wild 
 game, of the wonderful lakes and ponds filled 
 with fish and of the fertile plains where crops 
 would grow in great abundance out there in that 
 western country beyond the Blue Ridge Moun- 
 tains. These stories so impressed and thrilled 
 Abraham Lincoln that he and his family packed 
 their belongings and crossed the mountains and 
 finally came to a place called Green River in 
 Jeflerson County in Kentucky. There they set- 
 tled and established a home. Here Abraham and 
 his sons cleared the ground and tilled the soil. 
 One day in 1784, soon after the close of the Amer- 
 ican Revolution Abraham was out in the field 
 working. Playing close-by, was his young son, 
 Thomas. All at once Indians came out of the 
 forest, killed Abraham, and one picked up little 
 Tom, intending to run off with him. A brother 
 in the nearby cabin, hearing the commotion, ran 
 out to see what was happening and sensing the 
 danger he raised his rifle, aimed, fired and killed 
 the Indian who was carrying young Tom. The 
 other Indians disappeared into the forest. That 
 little lad Tom, who was so nearly captured by 
 the Indians, was destined to become the father 
 of the man who has been honored above all men. 
 He became father of Abraham Lincoln, our Civil 
 War President. 
 After this sad episode the widow Lincoln and 
 
 [21] 
 
ABRAHAM LINCOLN 
 
 her family moved from this place to a home 
 where there was more security. When Tom grew 
 to manhood he did the customary thing; he 
 freed himself from his family and went off to 
 earn his own livelihood. He made his way to a 
 little place called Elizabethtown. Here he be- 
 came an apprentice carpenter and in due time 
 he was a skillful workman. Unfortunately Tom 
 Lincoln has not fared well at the hands of the 
 historians. He has been pictured as an ignorant, 
 lazy, good-for-nothing man, poor white trash, 
 a father and husband who had no ambition, a 
 man who had rather hunt and fish than care for 
 himself or his family. Such stories are not true. 
 The records show that historians and writers 
 have slandered and libelled Tom Lincoln. Go to 
 the records and what do you find ? You find that 
 in almost every place Tom Lincoln lived he 
 owned real estate and he had his own home, 
 which he furnished with furniture made by him- 
 self. He paid taxes, he was a member of the guard 
 of the militia, and a guard at the jail. He helped 
 to survey and lay out roads. He served on the 
 jury. He appraised property. He loved his family 
 and while he was an illiterate frontiersman yet 
 he could write his name, and he did more than 
 the average man of the frontier for his little 
 family. 
 In 1806, while still in Elizabethtown, Tom 
 [22] ■ 
 
Servant of the People 
 Lincoln married the charming Nancy Hanks, a 
 God-fearing, intelligent girl who could both 
 read and write, which was a remarkable accom- 
 plishment for a frontier girl. For a time the 
 newly-weds stayed in Elizabethtown but at the 
 end of two years Tom tired of working for 
 others. He wanted to be his own boss. He wanted 
 a place of his own and thus he took his wife and 
 their first-born, a daughter, Sarah, to a farm at 
 Nolin Creek not far from Hodgen Mills or 
 Hodgenville. And it was here that the son Abra- 
 ham was born on February 12, 1809. Here the 
 family lived for two years when Tom decided 
 to move because the soil was poor and it was very 
 difficult for him to provide properly for his 
 family. He had learned that up at Knob Creek 
 some eight miles away the soil was better and 
 thus he moved his family to this place. Here 
 they stayed for about five years, when Tom 
 learned that across the Ohio River in Indiana 
 there were more fruitful lands. He decided to 
 visit these lands and investigate for himself. He 
 built a raft, placed tools and provisions thereon 
 and set sail. Altho his little craft was wrecked 
 he finally reached the Indiana shore and after 
 trudging some sixteen miles he came to a clear- 
 ing called Pigeon Cove. The place impressed 
 him and he staked off a tract of land and then 
 returned to Kentucky for his family. 
 
 [23] 
 
ABRAHAM LINCOLN 
 
 Upon returning to the Knob Creek home he 
 packed his household possessions, groomed his 
 two horses for a long journey and with his little 
 family started for the new home. Abraham and 
 his father rode on one horse and Nancy and 
 Sarah on the other. Leaving the horses on the 
 Kentucky side of the river they ferried across 
 to Indiana and then went either by a team of 
 oxen or by forest sled to Pigeon Cove. They 
 reached this place in December, 1816, and this 
 was to be Abraham Lincoln's home for fourteen 
 years. At once the father built a temporary 
 shelter, a lean-to cabin, open on one side. In this 
 most unsatisfactory shelter the family lived thru- 
 out the winter until a rough and crude cabin 
 could be erected. This new cabin differed but 
 slightly from the cabin at Hodgenville, the prin- 
 cipal change being that a loft was built into it 
 where the boy Abraham slept on a bed of leaves. 
 The new home, which had no floor, was fur- 
 nished with some three-legged stools, a rough 
 table and a few tin and pewter dishes, pots and 
 kettles. When spring came a plot of land was 
 cleared for garden purposes. Corn was planted, 
 and as wild game and fish were plentiful the 
 family did not want for food. However, the set- 
 tlers in this community had a difficult time. It 
 was not a healthy place in which to live. There 
 were swamps all around and the water was very 
 [24] 
 
Servant of the People 
 
 poor. In 1818 a pestilence called the milk-sick- 
 ness swept the community. Nancy Lincoln went 
 about bringing cheer and comfort to her neigh- 
 bors who became afflicted. In so doing she 
 worked hard, became weakened and contracted 
 the disease and died. The boy Abraham was only 
 nine years old and the death of his mother left 
 no great impression on him. His emotions were 
 no different from any other child of that age. 
 He did help his father make crude coffins for 
 the mother and others who had passed away and 
 all were buried without any particular rites. It 
 was months later that a Baptist clergyman came 
 to the settlement and preached a sermon over 
 the graves of Nancy and others who had been 
 buried in the little cemetery. I have visited the 
 Pigeon Cove settlement and with reverence I 
 have paused before the grave of Nancy Hanks 
 Lincoln and have read the inscription on the 
 modest stone marking the grave. A friend had 
 erected a very elaborate marker over the grave 
 some years ago but it was so out of place in the 
 plain country graveyard that it was soon re- 
 moved. Today the site of the Pigeon Cove settle- 
 ment is known as a memorial park, which 
 numerous Lincoln pilgrims visit annually. 
 
 Time is a great healer of sorrows and wor- 
 ries. And this was particularly true in Tom 
 Lincoln's case, for it was only a little over a year 
 [25] 
 
ABRAHAM LINCOLN 
 
 after his wife's death that Tom Lincoln told his 
 children he was going to Elizabethtown. He did 
 not tell them his reason for going, but he had a 
 good reason. He had learned that the girl whom 
 he had courted as a young man had lost her 
 husband, and that her three children needed a 
 father as his two children needed a mother's care, 
 and therefore he had decided to visit her at her 
 home in Elizebethtown and propose that they 
 marry. Tom must have been very persuasive for 
 when he made the proposal to Sarah Bush Johns- 
 ton she at once accepted him and soon they were 
 married. Sarah was an ambitious, energetic 
 woman, intelligent and efficient. She had been 
 accustomed to a higher standard of living than 
 had Nancy Hanks. She possessed more of the 
 better things of life than Nancy had ever known. 
 As soon as possible she and Tom started for 
 Pigeon Cove. You can imagine the looks on the 
 faces of Abe and Sarah as they saw the wagon 
 drive up to the little cabin with a new mother 
 and two brothers and a sister for them. And how 
 their eyes must have opened wide when Sarah's 
 pewter, her dishes, her fluffy comforters and the 
 other household effects were unloaded and 
 brought into the cabin. From the very beginning 
 Sarah showed her good qualities, showed she had 
 a mind of her own and that she knew how to 
 use it. At once she insisted that the cabin be 
 [26] 
 
Servant of the People 
 
 made more comfortable. A floor was put on, an- 
 other window was made, the structure was 
 whitewashed, more furniture was made and 
 when the material comforts were attended to she 
 turned her attention to the children. She at once 
 recognized in Abraham something which no 
 other person had ever seen. She saw in him a 
 spark of greatness, and she believed it was her 
 God-given mission to help develop and foster 
 that spark of greatness. She told him stories of 
 the great world beyond the forests. She helped 
 him to read and write. She it was who bundled 
 him off to school the few months he went to 
 school. She was the inspiration of his youth and 
 in later years when he expressed his feeling for 
 his mother by saying that all he was and hoped 
 to be he owed to his dear mother I do not think 
 he referred to his natural mother, Nancy Hanks. 
 No, I believe that tho he revered her memory 
 he actually referred to his saintly stepmother, 
 that noble woman who had recognized in him a 
 characteristic, a quality, which none other had 
 seen and who devoted her energy and motherly 
 wisdom to develop the mind and soul of the 
 frontier boy. 
 
 Abe grew to manhood in this community. 
 
 Here he read and reread the few books which 
 
 came to his attention. The Bible, Aesops Fables, 
 
 Pilgrim's Progress, Robinson Crusoe, A United 
 
 [27] 
 
ABRAHAM LINCOLN 
 States history and Weems' "Life of Washington" 
 all impressed him greatly and they all became 
 part of him. It was in this community that he 
 began to read the newspapers and thus came to 
 learn that he was a citizen of a new and great 
 country. Here he discussed with his neighbors 
 the issues confronting the nation. Here he 
 learned to express himself, and here he gained 
 the respect of his friends and neighbors because 
 he saw things so clearly. Here, too, he gained a 
 reputation as a strong man, for there were few 
 men who could run faster, wrestle better, or sink 
 an axe deeper into a log than could Abe Lincoln. 
 But these feats of physical strength had no great 
 appeal to him. His mind was developing. Then 
 the time came when he was given an opportunity 
 to take a cargo of freight down the river to New 
 Orleans. Of course, this opportunity he grasped 
 eagerly and you may be sure that his eyes were 
 opened when he made this trip on the flat-boat 
 down the great river. Upon his return home he 
 learned that his father had decided to move the 
 family over into Illinois where he thought the 
 land was richer. Abe helped the family to move 
 and settle in a little place near Decatur. It was 
 at about this time that Abe attained the age of 
 twenty-one years and then he did the natural 
 thing — that thing which all frontier boys had 
 always done — he left his family and went off to 
 [28] 
 
Servant of the People 
 make his own living. The big question was, 
 where should he go ? Ah ! Yes ! He had heard of 
 a little village called New Salem. Folks there 
 boasted that it would some day rival Chicago 
 in size, for it, too, was on a waterway. True it 
 was on a waterway, on the shallow, muddy 
 Sangamon River. To this new town Abraham 
 Lincoln made his way. Here he fell in with one 
 Denton Offutt, a carefree but successful mer- 
 chant. When Offutt learned that Abe had been 
 to New Orleans with a cargo of freight he em- 
 ployed him at once to take another cargo down 
 the river. Lincoln was delighted until he learned 
 that he would have to build a boat or raft. How- 
 ever, he soon set to work and the raft was fin- 
 ished and then with the help of a companion he 
 loaded it with freight and began the journey 
 down-stream. It was on this second visit to the 
 South that Lincoln saw the evils of slavery. Here 
 he saw slaves sold on the auction block. Here 
 he saw families separated. Here he saw children 
 taken from their parents. And it was here that 
 the evil of slavery so burned itself into the bosom 
 of Abraham Lincoln that he vowed if ever he 
 could he would hit that thing and hit it hard. 
 
 Upon his return from this journey he decided 
 to settle in the little village of New Salem. At 
 once he went to work for Offutt in his grocery 
 store. Offutt was very proud of Lincoln and fre- 
 
ABRAHAM LINCOLN 
 qucntly boasted about his great strength and his 
 athletic prowess. These boastings came to the 
 attention of the Clary's Grove gang, and their 
 leader, Jack Armstrong, decided that he and his 
 cronies should go to New Salem and take a look 
 at the man who was the subject of this boasting. 
 Lincoln, of course, was not looking for trouble 
 but when Armstrong and his gang arrived at 
 New Salem it become necessary for Lincoln 
 to defend himself. He and Armstrong engaged 
 in what was supposed to be a wrestling match 
 but which turned out to be a match of strength 
 and wits. Before long Armstrong was surprised 
 to find himself thrown to the ground with Lin- 
 coln on top of him. Armstrong's natural inclina- 
 tion was to call on his gang and pitch into the 
 new-comer who had thrown him, but even Arm- 
 strong had a sense of honor and self-respect. He 
 realized that he had met his match, a much bet- 
 ter man, and instead of making further trouble 
 for Lincoln he insisted that Lincoln was the 
 stronger and that if ever he needed any help the 
 Clary's Grove boys would be glad to come to his 
 assistance. Thus instead of making an enemy 
 Abe Lincoln won a staunch and loyal friend, and 
 years later when Jack Armstrong's son Duff 
 needed a friend he was pleased that Lincoln, the 
 lawyer, was willing to come to his assistance. It 
 was by and thru Lawyer Lincoln's shrewdness 
 [30] 
 
Servant of the People 
 that Duff Armstrong was acquitted of a murder 
 charge. 
 
 It was while Lincoln was working as clerk 
 for Offutt that the governor of Illinois issued a 
 call for volunteers because the Indian Chief 
 Black Hawk was on the warpath again. Lin- 
 coln, who had no responsibilities to any person, 
 quickly volunteered to serve as a soldier in the 
 Indian campaign. You can imagine how pleased 
 he was when the members of his company 
 elected him their captain. Never before had his 
 ability as a leader been recognized, and in later 
 years the recollection of this event remained for 
 him one of his most cherished memories. 
 
 Lincoln's term of service in the Black Hawk 
 War did not last long. He had not had a very 
 exciting time. In fact, during the entire campaign 
 he had seen only one Indian, a poor, drunken 
 redskin who came tumbling into camp one 
 night. The soldiers wanted to kill him so they 
 could boast to their children and grandchildren 
 that they had spilled Indian blood. But Captain 
 Lincoln would not permit such action. 
 
 In later years Lincoln used to say that the only 
 blood he spilled during the Indian War was 
 mosquito blood. After his term of service was 
 over he made his way back to New Salem. He 
 had to walk because someone had stolen his 
 horse. He had not been back in the village long 
 [31] 
 
ABRAHAM LINCOLN 
 
 when he learned that a political campaign was 
 being conducted and that the Whigs needed a 
 candidate for the General Assembly. Lincoln, 
 having no job, was glad to offer himself as a 
 candidate. He went about making speeches 
 which were not too profound. He told the peo- 
 ple that he was poor, humble Abraham Lincoln; 
 that he would be pleased to represent them; that 
 if they voted for him it was all right, but if they 
 didn't it was just the same. Such half-hearted 
 appeals did not make any impression, for the 
 people did not elect him. 
 
 Still without work, he and one Berry decided 
 to go into business. Altho neither had any money 
 yet they bought a store and gave the seller a note 
 in payment. From the beginning the venture 
 was destined to fail. It is said that when folks 
 came to the store to buy merchandise they could 
 find neither of the partners, for Berry was often 
 under the counter "sleeping off a drunk," while 
 Lincoln was outside under a tree studying law. 
 And to make matters worse Berry died leaving 
 Lincoln with a bankrupt business. It took him 
 seventeen years to pay the business debts, but 
 he paid every dollar due. He often referred to 
 this as his national debt. Once again Lincoln 
 was without a job and again friends came to his 
 assistance. Altho he was a Whig politically yet 
 he had friends among the Democrats, who were 
 
 \32] 
 
Servant of the People 
 in power, and they were able to secure for him 
 the position of postmaster of New Salem. From 
 this time Abraham Lincoln was the best in- 
 formed man in the community, for it is said, 
 that he read all the mail before he delivered it. 
 Of course, this new position did not pay him a 
 large salary and therefore he had to do all sorts 
 of odd jobs so as to be able to subsist. It was dur- 
 ing this period that he split rails, farmed and 
 performed all kinds of chores for his neighbors 
 and friends. Once more his Democrat friends 
 helped him for he was appointed assistant to the 
 county surveyor and now we find Lincoln seri- 
 ously studying the intricate problems of survey- 
 ing. He became a good surveyor as is shown by 
 some of the plans which were made by him and 
 which have been preserved. He had not been a 
 surveyor long when another political campaign 
 lured Lincoln away from his new job. Again he 
 sought election to the Assembly, but this time 
 he went about making constructive speeches. He 
 had learned much since his defeat. Now he spoke 
 to his neighbors about the need of highways, 
 improved water-ways, banks and various other 
 improvements. And Lincoln won the election 
 and then borrowed money to buy clothes so he 
 would be presentable at Vandalia, then the 
 capital city of Illinois. 
 It was at about this time in Lincoln's life that 
 \33] 
 
ABRAHAM LINCOLN 
 
 he became interested in the ladies, and thus I 
 deem it proper to digress at this point and make 
 mention of Abe Lincoln and his love affairs. 
 We arc all familiar with the stories concerning 
 the courtship of Abe Lincoln and Ann Rutlcdgc. 
 This episode happened shortly before his elec- 
 tion to office. I must warn you that as with so 
 many other stories about Lincoln most of those 
 we hear and read about Lincoln and Ann Rut- 
 ledge are in the realm of myth. More myths 
 have come into existence concerning Lincoln 
 than about any other American. We do know 
 that there was a beautiful girl named Ann Rut- 
 ledge. We know she lived with her uncle at the 
 Rutlcdgc Tavern in New Salem. We also know 
 that she was betrothed to one John McNeil oth- 
 erwise known as John McNamar, and that he 
 had gone East to adjust certain business matters, 
 promising to return — and marry Ann. However, 
 with the passing of time his letters to his be- 
 trothed became fewer and fewer and then the 
 time came when Ann was convinced he would 
 not return. She then began to accept the atten- 
 tions of the tall, awkward, ungainly Lincoln. 
 We know, too, that Ann became seriously ill 
 and died and that Abe Lincoln mourned her 
 passing with much sorrow. But we also know 
 that within one short year after he had mourned 
 the loss of his beloved Ann this same Abraham 
 [34] 
 
Servant of the People 
 
 Lincoln was in love again, and this time with 
 a rather stout and buxom lass from Kentucky, 
 one Mary Owens, by name. She could talk 
 louder, longer and faster than any other person 
 in the community. Why the slow of speech, slow 
 moving and slow thinking Lincoln should have 
 fallen in love with this loquacious creature is a 
 mystery. But he did. In fact, he wooed her so 
 ardently and so long that the time came when 
 he felt he should do the manly thing, namely, 
 propose to her. And he did. He proposed once 
 and she refused him. He proposed twice and 
 she refused him. He proposed three times and she 
 refused him. And not until Abraham Lincoln 
 had proposed to her three times and had been 
 refused three times did he really understand that 
 Mary Owens did not want him. 
 
 He was now serving as a legislator at Vandalia. 
 Before long he was instrumental in having the 
 capital moved to Springfield. It was also at this 
 time that he was admitted to the practice of the 
 law and he entered into partnership with that 
 venerable politician, John T. Stuart. It was in 
 Springfield soon after he arrived there that Lin- 
 coln met a third girl and he immediately fell in 
 love with her. Her name was Mary Todd. She 
 was visiting with her sister and brother-in-law, 
 Mr. and Mrs. Ninian Edwards, prominent folks 
 of the new capital city. Mary Todd was a charm- 
 [35] 
 
ABRAHAM LINCOLN 
 
 ing little lady from Lexington, Kentucky. She 
 came from a very fine family and had been 
 reared in a cultured atmosphere. She was edu- 
 cated and spoke French fluently. She was intel- 
 ligent and knew her mind. To her friends she 
 had confided that the man she married would 
 some day be president. And then she set out to 
 find that man. When she arrived in Springfield 
 she found two men, both of whom, she believed, 
 were presidential possibilities. The first was 
 named Stephen Douglas. Born in Brandon, Ver- 
 mont, he had lost his father when he was a mere 
 youth. His widowed mother had taken him out 
 to what was then considered the far West. There 
 in the state of Illinois he had, by his own efforts, 
 gained an education and achieved distinction in 
 politics and in the law. Yes, Mary Todd was 
 right when she recognized sparks of greatness 
 in Steve Douglas. 
 
 The second man who interested her was that 
 new lawyer, that fellow Lincoln, who was a new- 
 comer to Springfield. She saw in him something 
 which only his own stepmother, Sarah Bush 
 Johnston Lincoln had seen when he was a small 
 boy. Soon Mary Todd made her choice and Lin- 
 coln was her man. A great many myths have 
 grown up concerning Abe Lincoln and Mary 
 Todd, the most celebrated being the so-called 
 marriage and desertion myth. According to this 
 [36] 
 
Servant of the People 
 
 fanciful story the day for the wedding was set 
 and the great day arrived. The bride appeared 
 on time as did the clergyman, the witnesses and 
 the guests. But the groom failed to put in an ap- 
 pearance. This is only one of the numerous 
 myths concerning Lincoln and Miss Todd. We 
 do know that their courtship was stormy; that 
 they quarrelled and that they became estranged. 
 But we also know that they were reunited by 
 and thru efforts of kind friends and in due time 
 they were married. We also know that from the 
 beginning Mrs. Lincoln began to make good her 
 boast that the man she married would some 
 day be president. It was her opinion that the 
 royal road to fame was in the field of politics 
 and thus she was instrumental in having her hus- 
 band announce that he was a candidate for Con- 
 gress — and he was elected. On to Washington 
 he went and there he spent two miserable years 
 or one term as a representative. At the close of 
 his only term in Congress he went north to New 
 England. 
 
 It was on the twelfth day of September, 1848 
 that Abraham Lincoln appeared in the little city 
 of Worcester in the heart of the Commonwealth 
 of Massachusetts. Why he came to Worcester 
 no person at that time knew, and really nobody 
 cared. It happened that a Freesoil Convention 
 was to be held in the little City Hall the next 
 [37] 
 
ABRAHAM LINCOLN 
 
 day and that a pre-convention meeting was to be 
 conducted the evening of the day of Lincoln's 
 arrival. Alexander Bullock, a prominent citizen 
 and future governor, was chairman. During the 
 day he had learned that all the speakers for the 
 evening meeting had sent messages that they 
 would not be able to be present. Naturally Mr. 
 Bullock was nervous and worried. Someone told 
 him that a Whig congressman from Illinois was 
 at the hotel that stood then at the corner of Main 
 and Elm Streets. This gave him a thought and 
 a hope and he at once went to the hotel to see 
 Lincoln, and invite him to be the speaker that 
 night. Lincoln accepted and was pleased to do 
 so. He was then invited to dine with a group of 
 prominent citizens at the Levi Lincoln mansion 
 on Elm Street just prior to the meeting. It has 
 been noted that Lincoln claimed no kinship with 
 the Massachusetts Lincolns nor they with him, 
 altho we have since learned that all are of the 
 same family. Lincoln remembered the dinner as 
 the finest he had attended up to that time. The 
 evening came — Lincoln made his speech, and a 
 good one it was, altho the Worcester newspapers, 
 being of another political faith, hardly made 
 mention of it. On the morrow Mr. Lincoln and 
 Mr. Bullock went to the railway station and there 
 welcomed the delegates to the convention as 
 they came from the many surrounding towns. 
 
 [38] 
 
Servant of the People 
 
 Lincoln then disappeared. He did not stay for 
 the convention. Soon after he went back to Illi- 
 nois to practice law. He expressed the opinion 
 that he was all thru with politics and that he 
 would devote all his time to the practice of his 
 profession. It is interesting to note that in later 
 years, after Lincoln had returned to politics and 
 gained great fame, Mr. Bullock liked to tell his 
 friends that there were three things about Lin- 
 coln which impressed him as they sat together 
 in the little hotel in Worcester on that Septem- 
 ber afternoon in 1848, namely, Lincoln's search- 
 ing questions, Lincoln's piercing eyes, and his 
 long linen duster. It was recalled, too, that on 
 that one and only occasion that Lincoln spoke 
 in Worcester, he wore that long duster and from 
 time to time he put his hands in his pockets and 
 as he spoke he pulled the duster up under his 
 arms and when he emphasized some particular 
 point he pulled his hands from the pockets and 
 the duster would fall down almost to the floor. 
 This, of course, made a rather amusing scene. 
 
 Upon his return to Illinois Lincoln did enter 
 into the practice of the law in earnest. In those 
 days the state was divided into circuits and the 
 court, instead of sitting at one particular place, 
 went about from town to town. Most of Lin- 
 coln's practice was in the old eighth district, 
 which was said to be the largest in the state. We 
 [39] 
 
ABRAHAM LINCOLN 
 
 are told that Lincoln was the only lawyer who 
 went around the entire circuit with the court. He 
 tried cases wherever the court was in session. 
 Soon he had a very large clientele and very often 
 he was retained to try cases for other lawyers. 
 He came to be a lawyer's lawyer. Because he 
 went around the entire circuit it was necessary 
 for him to stay away from his home about six 
 months of the year. This absence from home has 
 given rise to another peculiar story about Lin- 
 coln, namely, that he was having difficulties with 
 his wife and therefore welcomed the opportunity 
 to go around the circuit. Really two schools of 
 thought have come into existence regarding Lin- 
 coln's frequent absence from home. One school 
 would have us believe the story of domestic diffi- 
 culties in the Lincoln household. We do know 
 that Mary Lincoln was a rather difficult person 
 to live with. She was obstinate and stubborn and 
 had a temper which showed itself all too often. 
 But we also know that her easy-going husband 
 needed prodding, needed someone to stimulate 
 him into action — and Mary Lincoln was the per- 
 son he needed. Lincoln recognized this fact. He 
 knew that his wife was the person who inspired 
 him and spurred him on. To say that he feared 
 her and stayed away from home on the pretense 
 that he was a busy man is not correct. He loved 
 Mary and their boys and it was only because he 
 [40] 
 
Servant of the People 
 
 was a busy lawyer and had to attend to his prac- 
 tice that he was away from home so much. The 
 second school of thought which advances this 
 opinion is correct in its view. Records show this. 
 They show that Abraham Lincoln actually ar- 
 gued one hundred and seventy-five cases in the 
 Supreme Court of Illinois besides carrying on his 
 practice in the circuit court and in his office. 
 This is no small accomplishment even for an 
 outstanding lawyer of the present day. 
 
 It was during this period when he was so busy 
 at the Bar that he became interested in matters 
 which were happening in the country. People 
 were discussing slavery in all its aspects. The 
 Missouri Compromise had been repealed. Terri- 
 tories were clamoring for admission into the 
 Union as states and always the question was, 
 shall they be slave or free states? The Kansas- 
 Nebraska Act was on the lips of everyone, it 
 seemed. Stephen Douglas was now a distin- 
 guished United States Senator from Illinois. He 
 was preaching and proclaiming the doctrine of 
 popular sovereignty. He and many others be- 
 lieved that each territory, on its entrance into the 
 Union, should have the right to decide for itself 
 whether it should be slave or free. It was this 
 doctrine which irritated Lincoln and influenced 
 him to again become interested in things politi- 
 cal. He voiced the thought that the doctrine of 
 [41] 
 
ABRAHAM LINCOLN 
 
 popular sovereignty was erroneous. Mind you, 
 he did not oppose slavery as such. He did not 
 approve of it in the states north of the imaginary 
 line drawn by the Missouri Compromise. His 
 view was that if the southern states desired to 
 maintain slavery that was their business, for it 
 had existed in the south and been a part of south- 
 ern life for a long time. Thus when Douglas 
 returned to Illinois and informed his constitu- 
 ents that he was a candidate for re-election, Lin- 
 coln announced that he would be a candidate 
 for the same office. At that time election to the 
 United States Senate was not by popular vote 
 but by the state legislature. Soon after he had 
 made known his decision Lincoln did a rather 
 smart thing politically — he challenged Senator 
 Douglas to a series of debates on the slave issue, 
 and Douglas accepted. It is difficult to under- 
 stand why Mr. Douglas agreed to debate Lin- 
 coln. He was known thruout the country as an 
 able statesman. He was a leader of the Demo- 
 cratic Party. He had every reason to believe that 
 he would be his party's candidate for the presi- 
 dency at the next election. On the other hand, 
 who was this fellow Lincoln ? Oh, yes, he had 
 been a Congressman. But that was one phase of 
 his life which he was willing to forget. He had 
 gained an enviable reputation as a lawyer, but 
 only in central Illinois. Compared to Douglas, 
 
 [42] 
 
Servant of the People 
 
 Lincoln was an unknown man. By the debates 
 he had everything to gain and nothing to lose. 
 On the other hand, Douglas had nothing to gain 
 and everything to lose. However, Douglas saw 
 fit to accept Lincoln's challenge and after ar- 
 rangements were made the candidates debated at 
 seven different places in the state. These debates 
 attracted the attention of thousands. Yes, the en- 
 tire nation read about the debates, and people 
 began asking, "Who is this man Lincoln?" Also 
 they were saying, "He seems to clarify the slave 
 issue better than any other man." People in the 
 East especially wanted to know more about Abra- 
 ham Lincoln. 
 
 As the debates drew to a close Lincoln was 
 convinced he would not win the election, but he 
 also realized that because of the debates he had 
 advanced his own cause politically and that pos- 
 sibly a higher office than United States Senator 
 awaited him. Thus, with the election over, Lin- 
 coln began again to practice law but not whole- 
 heartedly, for the affairs of state, the condition 
 of the country, had an absorbing interest for him 
 now. He began to build his political fences. He 
 visited and talked with political leaders. He kept 
 abreast of the times by reading leading newspa- 
 pers. Then a happy event occurred. He received 
 an invitation to speak in New York and he ac- 
 cepted, for he was politically-minded enough to 
 [43] 
 
ABRAHAM LINCOLN 
 
 realize that this was his great opportunity. On 
 the evening of February twenty-seventh in the 
 year i860, when he stood on the platform at 
 Cooper Union, he faced a critical audience. 
 Many had come out of mere curiosity as tho he 
 were some monstrosity from the wild and woolly 
 West. Others had come to scoff at and scorn him, 
 but all stayed to applaud. Never before had a 
 fashionable New York audience heard the is- 
 sues of the day discussed with such clarity. His 
 visit to New York was a glorious triumph. He 
 returned home a victor. He knew that from a 
 political point of view he would have to be 
 reckoned with. He also knew that within a few 
 months the Republican National Convention 
 was to be held in Chicago and that with proper 
 action on his part, and on the part of his friends, 
 his name would be submitted to the convention, 
 and that probably he would be the standard 
 bearer for the Republican Party and then the 
 next president of the United States. The thought 
 pleased him. The thought also pleased his friends, 
 and he had many in Illinois. Above all the 
 thought pleased his wife and made her very 
 happy. Under the able leadership of the corpu- 
 lent Judge David Davids the friends were mobil- 
 ized. They prepared to advance on Chicago. 
 Lincoln, too, was busy. He did everything a 
 good politician should do under the circum- 
 [44] 
 
Servant of the People 
 
 stances. Then the great day came. The Repub- 
 licans assembled in large numbers in Chicago. 
 The name William H. Seward was on the lips 
 of many who believed he had earned the right 
 to be President. And surely he had. He was the 
 outstanding Republican of the day. He had been 
 governor of New York. He was now serving as 
 United States Senator from the great Empire 
 State. He, like Douglas, was an outstanding 
 statesman. The day for the balloting arrived and 
 on the third ballot Abraham Lincoln, the rail- 
 splitter from Illinois, was nominated by the Re- 
 publicans. And then the campaign began in 
 earnest. The Democrats were divided. Douglas, 
 Bell, Breckinridge, all sought the office of presi- 
 dent against Lincoln. Thus it was fairly certain 
 that the Republican nominee would be victor. 
 He made no campaign himself. He stayed at 
 home in Springfield and awaited the outcome 
 and when the final result of the election was 
 made known he prepared to go to Washington 
 and take over the reins of government from that 
 man who lacked both courage and vision, John 
 Buchanan. 
 
 Strange as it may seem the best book about 
 Abraham Lincoln, the President, has not as yet 
 been written. We do have excellent works such 
 as those by the late lamented Dr. William E. 
 Barton and the beloved poet of the people, Carl 
 [45] 
 
ABRAHAM LINCOLN 
 
 Sandburg. But for the complete life of President 
 Lincoln we must wait yet a while longer. When 
 Robert Lincoln's papers and records are avail- 
 able, as soon they will be at the Library of Con- 
 gress, I believe some historian or literary genius 
 will then be in a better position to portray for 
 us the fuller life of the Civil War President. 
 
 Much has been said and written of Lincoln 
 and his kindness, his sympathy and his patience. 
 We often forget, in fact, many do not know that 
 Abraham Lincoln as President also had to be 
 stern, severe, unsympathetic and at times seem- 
 ingly unkind. It is true that he was kind and 
 sympathetic. Whenever the life of a soldier was 
 at stake, because that soldier had fallen asleep at 
 his post, or had deserted, Lincoln was sympa- 
 thetic and kind. But there were times when the 
 President refused to interfere. Many soldiers were 
 shot because he would not grant a pardon. More 
 can be written about the stern, unsympathetic, 
 fighting President. He had to be stern and un- 
 sympathetic at times. He had to be a fighter in 
 order to prosecute that war to a successful termi- 
 nation. 
 
 There is another phase of Abraham Lincoln's 
 life as President which is not too well known. 
 It concerns his difficulties with the office-seekers, 
 of whom there were many. These he handled 
 admirably. He could not give jobs to all but he 
 [46] 
 
Servant of the People 
 could give them a hearty handshake and a cheer- 
 ful word. Many were sent away without a job 
 but were convinced that their President was a 
 great leader. On occasion he had to be stern with 
 the office-seekers, in fact, it is recorded that once, 
 at least, he threw an insulting fellow bodily out 
 of his office. The occasion of the visit of the group 
 of clergymen who sought an office for one of 
 their number is both interesting and entertain- 
 ing. They asked him to appoint a clergyman to 
 the office of chaplain in the army. Lincoln, being 
 a careful executive, called for the records and 
 the law governing the appointment of chaplains 
 and found there were no vacancies, and that 
 under the existing law he had no authority to 
 make the desired appointment. But the clergy- 
 men were insistent. "Was not the President 
 Commander-in-Chief of the military forces?" 
 "As President surely he could do as he desired." 
 They became stubborn. They refused to listen 
 to reason and the President soon saw it was use- 
 less to try to talk to them and thus he resorted 
 to that habit he had formed years before to get 
 him out of a predicament. He told them a story. 
 "Gentlemen," he said in substance, "your in- 
 sistence and stubbornness make me think of the 
 time I was back in Springfield when I saw my 
 friend Tommy sitting in the gutter playing with 
 mud. I stopped and watched him and asked, 
 [47] 
 
ABRAHAM LINCOLN 
 
 'What are you doing, Tommy ?' Tommy looked 
 up and said, Tm making a church. Here's the 
 pews; here's the altar; there's where the choir 
 sits.' And he went on mentioning other things 
 and then he stopped. 'Yes, yes, go on, Tom. 
 Where's the minister?' I asked. 'Oh!' continued 
 Tommy, 'there ain't no minister because there 
 ain't enough mud.' " And the visiting clergymen 
 evidently saw the point. 
 
 More can be written of President Lincoln and 
 the difficulties he had with the office-seekers. 
 
 The President had a great deal of difficulty 
 with members of his cabinet. There was Seward, 
 the man who believed he should have been presi- 
 dent. He had been Lincoln's chief rival at the 
 convention in Chicago. When Lincoln became 
 President he named this rival his Secretary of 
 State and no sooner had Lincoln assumed the 
 presidency when Seward suggested that as he 
 had had so much experience he should be per- 
 mitted to conduct the affairs of the executive. He 
 intimated that he could carry on the duties of 
 the presidency with Lincoln, of course, holding 
 the title. Lincoln was no figurehead and he re- 
 fused to be and his words and actions convinced 
 Seward that his little scheme would not work. 
 And that self-same Seward lived to see the day 
 when he was able to tell the world that Abraham 
 Lincoln was the greatest of them all. 
 [48] 
 
Servant of the People 
 
 Lincoln had difficulties with Salmon P. Chase, 
 that proud and conceited man from Ohio. He 
 had named him Secretary of the Treasury. It 
 seemed that with the change of every wind and 
 every time he could not have his own way Chase 
 would resign. But Lincoln, knowing him to be 
 a good administrator, only tore up his resigna- 
 tions and threw them into the fireplace and then 
 kept Chase on the job. And when our country 
 needed a strong Chief Justice of the Supreme 
 Court Lincoln elevated this same man to this 
 exalted office. 
 
 Then there was Edwin M. Stanton, Secretary 
 of War. Lincoln and Stanton had met years be- 
 fore in a court room in Cincinnati. It seems that 
 Lincoln had been retained to argue an important 
 case and he prepared himself with great care, 
 and then went to Cincinnati. Upon his arrival 
 in court he learned that his client had retained 
 the services of a distinguished eastern lawyer, one 
 Stanton, by name. When Stanton saw Lincoln 
 he hardly noticed him and insisted that he could 
 not argue. Lincoln, of course, was disappointed 
 and took no active part in the trial of the case 
 from that time. And yet when President Lincoln 
 needed a good Secretary of War he selected the 
 man who had treated him with something akin 
 to contempt in court years before. He appointed 
 Edwin M. Stanton to this high position. 
 \49] 
 
ABRAHAM LINCOLN 
 
 One day Lincoln proposed a certain measure 
 to his cabinet and there was much opposition to 
 it. Lincoln called for a vote. He said, "All in 
 favor, say 'Aye.' " He alone voted for it. Then 
 he said, "All opposed say 'Nay.'" All of his 
 cabinet members voted against it. "The 'Ayes' 
 have it," continued the President. And it is said 
 that within the short course of a month all came 
 to him and confessed they had been in error; 
 that his vision was greater than theirs, for the 
 measure had proved to be most advantageous. 
 
 Against the advice of his cabinet he freed the 
 slaves. Could he have saved the Union by freeing 
 some or none of the slaves he would have done 
 so. But finally when he saw that emancipation 
 of the slaves was for the best interest of the 
 country he issued the proclamation despite the 
 opposition of his cabinet. For a time the country 
 was stunned. The proclamation met with scorn- 
 ful criticism abroad. But Lincoln's vision was 
 clearer than that of his cabinet members and 
 others. Soon the wisdom of his action was rec- 
 ognized. Also he had kept his promise with God 
 for he had vowed that if victory came to the 
 Union forces at Antietam he would free the 
 slaves. Victory came and the slaves were freed. 
 More can be written of President Lincoln and 
 the difficulties he had with his cabinet. 
 
 More can be written of the President and the 
 [50] 
 
Servant of the People 
 difficulties he had with his generals. There was 
 that man McClellan, arrogant and conceited. 
 Lincoln knew his nature and temperament and 
 yet because he believed him to be a good or- 
 ganizer and drill master he tolerated him. Time 
 and again he urged him to advance, to fight, but 
 McClellan showed no inclination to battle and 
 finally Lincoln had to remove him. It was this 
 same, surly ex-general who had the effrontery to 
 oppose Lincoln when he sought a second term. 
 
 Lincoln had difficulties with other generals, 
 too. He had to censure Fremont, Meade and 
 others. Yes, he made and removed general after 
 general until he found that man Grant, and 
 then despite much adverse criticism he named 
 Grant Commander because he believed him to 
 be a fearless, courageous and loyal leader and 
 fighter — and this Grant proved to be. 
 
 More can be written of President Lincoln the 
 religious man. And Abraham Lincoln, the Presi- 
 dent, was a religious man. I know that there are 
 those who have called him infidel, agnostic, 
 atheist and liberal. I know that there are those 
 who do not believe that he was religious. As a 
 youth he came under the influence of the so- 
 called hard-shelled Baptists. Their teachings, 
 their manner of living, their harsh doctrines, 
 their difficult beliefs made him rebel and were 
 to him unbearable. Theirs was a God of hate. 
 \ 51] 
 
ABRAHAM LINCOLN 
 
 Lincoln could not understand this for he wanted 
 a God of love. Later in life as a lawyer he was 
 influenced by his own partner William H. Hern- 
 don, who was an outspoken radical religiously. 
 At this time Lincoln did become a doubter. 
 However, when Abraham Lincoln became Presi- 
 dent he soon realized that his mission, his job, 
 his responsibilities, if you will, were so great, his 
 burdens so heavy and his duties so arduous that 
 neither he nor any other human being could 
 bear them alone. He needed help and he learned 
 that there was a God from whom he could get 
 assistance. For proof go to the records. Read 
 what Bishop Simpson has to say. Read what 
 Father Chiniquy, Henry Ward Beecher, Bishop 
 Janes and Dr. Gurley have written and be con- 
 vinced that Abraham Lincoln, the President, was 
 a religious man. There are records which show 
 how he became a praying president. He prayed 
 with Dr. Beecher. He attended prayer services at 
 Dr. Gurley's church. He prayed God to give the 
 Union victory at Antietam. He prayed before 
 the battle at Gettysburg. 
 
 I like to tell the story of Gettysburg. It was in 
 the evening of July third, 1863. Lincoln and 
 members of his cabinet, as was their custom, had 
 gone to the telegraph office in Washington to 
 await messages from the various battle lines. On 
 this night Lincoln was anxious to hear from 
 \52] 
 
Servant of the People 
 
 General Grant whom he hoped might capture 
 Vicksburg. Nine o'clock came and there was no 
 message. Ten o'clock and no message. Eleven 
 o'clock and still no message. Midnight — a mes- 
 sage came, but it was not from Grant. Rather it 
 was a message from an unknown man, and the 
 message was just this, "The Union forces have 
 been victorious at Gettysburg." Lincoln was dis- 
 appointed because he had not heard from Gen- 
 eral Grant. He, of course, had learned that there 
 might be a battle at Gettysburg and he had 
 prayed for victory there. But he was so absorbed 
 in Grant's movements that he had not given any 
 thought to the meaning of a Confederate victory 
 at Gettysburg. Four days later he learned of 
 Grant's victory at Vicksburg. By this time he 
 also had come to realize that Gettysburg was the 
 turning point of the war. 
 
 I now take you on to November 19, 1863. A 
 great throng has gathered on the battlefield at 
 Gettysburg. They are there to help "dedicate a 
 portion of that field as a final resting place to 
 those who there gave their lives that this nation 
 might live." The orator for the occasion was the 
 great statesman from Massachusetts, the schol- 
 arly Edward Everett. The President, too, had 
 been invited. None of the committee had be- 
 lieved that he would accept. But he did. He ar- 
 rived in Gettysburg on the night before the ex- 
 
 [53] 
 
ABRAHAM LINCOLN 
 
 ercises. On the day of the dedication he rode a 
 horse in the procession to the field. He sat on 
 the crude, rough platform and listened to the 
 great oration by Mr. Everett, who spoke for two 
 hours. Were I to ask if anyone in any American 
 audience could give me just one sentence from 
 this great address I am certain none could do so. 
 
 When he had concluded there was music and 
 then the chairman for the occasion, in a very 
 casual way, introduced the President, saying he 
 was to give a few brief remarks. 
 
 Mr. Lincoln arose and ambled rather awk- 
 wardly to the front of the platform. He adjusted 
 his glasses. It was noted that he held a paper in 
 one hand. He spoke for four minutes to the as- 
 sembled throng, yes, to the entire world, and he 
 gave to all the immortal Gettysburg address. 
 Were I to ask if anyone in any American au- 
 dience could give me a sentence from this address 
 I know that there would be those who could 
 stand and give, not one sentence, but the entire 
 address. They would begin with the eloquent 
 words, "Four score and seven years ago," and 
 close with those words which have burned them- 
 selves into the hearts of liberty-loving people the 
 world over, "That government of the people, 
 by the people and for the people shall not perish 
 from the earth." 
 
 More can be written about the President who 
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Servant of the People 
 
 was hated and despised by many people both in 
 North and South. I would not leave you with the 
 thought that Abraham Lincoln was loved, hon- 
 ored and respected by all even in the North. No, 
 there were those who believed him to be a dema- 
 gogue and tyrant, who held him responsible for 
 bringing ruin to a once great American Re- 
 public. And then the day came when the real 
 tyrant had his way. On April 14, 1865 the great 
 Lincoln was assassinated. 
 
 It is interesting, if not significant, that it was 
 on Palm Sunday, 1865, that the Confederates sur- 
 rendered, that on Good Friday Abraham Lin- 
 coln was assassinated, and that on Easter Sunday 
 memorial services were conducted thruout the 
 length and breadth of our land in honor of the 
 martyred President. 
 
 Since that time the question has been asked 
 frequently, Suppose Abraham Lincoln had 
 lived — What would have been his policy for 
 reconstruction? What would have been his 
 policy for the North ? For the South ? Mark Sul- 
 livan, the learned newspaper correspondent has 
 tried to give an answer. In Volume five of his 
 monumental work "Our Times" Sullivan says 
 that while Lincoln had promised and proposed 
 generous terms for the South yet Congress re- 
 jected his policy of peace and mercy. There were 
 those who called for revenge, repression, gov- 
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ABRAHAM LINCOLN 
 
 ernment of the South as conquered provinces by 
 force. "But," continues Sullivan, "Lincoln had 
 the good fortune to die five days after the sur- 
 render of the Confederates. His death coming at 
 the peak of his military success and fame, si- 
 lenced his enemies and made his place in history 
 unassailable." 
 
 Be that as it may, I only know that when all 
 seemed so dark and dreary, when it seemed as 
 tho the great American Republic was to be rent 
 asunder, then 
 
 "From fifty fameless years in quiet Illinois 
 
 was sent 
 A word which still the Atlantic hears 
 And Lincoln was the lord of his event!' * 
 
 * (From the play "Abraham Lincoln" by John Drinf^water.) 
 
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