97 T >.7L6^. B3H?8a Horner, Judge Henry Abraham Lincoln? the Amer? can ideal LINCOLN ROOM UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS LIBRARY MEMORIAL the Class of 1901 founded by HARLAN HOYT HORNER and HENRIETTA CALHOUN HORNER ____ Abraham Lincoln The American Ideal By JUDGE HENRY HORNER of the Probate Court of Cook County, Illinois The Chicago Journal asked Judge Horner to write an ap- propriate Lincoln birthday article and he chose "Lincoln as the American Ideal." 973.7 UA Abraham Lincoln The American Ideal By JUDGE HENRY HORNER Big, busy, energetic Chicago, vi- brating with the motion and life of its population of more than 3,000,000 souls, engulfed in a turmoil of com- mercial enterprise, finds a leisure mo- ment now and then, it happily can be said, to pause at the altar of coun- try and do homage to the better im- pulses of a profound and undying idealism. So long as this spirit prevails, our citizenship is not endangered by unhealthy mate- rialism. It au- gurs well for our present and fu- ture citizenship, when busy men and women tem- per their onward rush of personal achi e v e m e n t with intelligent thinking of coun- try's welfare and future. To permit this holiday for the business engrossed mind of our citizen- ship, this week has been wisely set aside by our far - visioned mayor, as "American Ideal Week," during which all Chicago, by word and deed, may indicate a devotion to our coun- try's ideals, born of a high and last- ing sense of true patriotism. The theme of the "American Ideal Week" is truly vitalized by selecting for its celebration the week within Abraham Lincoln taken m Washington, D. C* in 1848. —Chicago Historical Society photo. 2 ABRAHAM LINCOLN which falls the anniversary of the birth of Abraham Lincoln, for Lin- coln, more than any other name in American life, symbolizes the Amer- ican ideal. Real American Ideal What is the American ideal? My un- derstanding thereof is an individual in whom the best standard of Amer- ican life and American citizenship is; completely realized. In the character of Lincoln, we not only realize the ideal, but idealize the real. It is not my purpose here to eulogize Lincoln for his character. His deeds and his words speak his best eulogy. I doubt if any intelligent citi- zen of our country is without some- knowledge of Lincoln's work and ca- reer, and few have been uninfluenced by his life. During the sixty years since his death, more than 1,000 books have- been published ibout Abraham Lincoln and tens of thousands of essays, poems and addresses. His career has been described and his character has been analyzed; he has been sung and praised and glorified until history, philos- ophy, eloquence and poetry are exhausted and no new things re- main to be said. While he was born more than Lincoln always said this a century ago, picture helped carry and lived his life him to the white house. in the days of —Chicago Historical the pioneer, yet Society photo, his acts and words and attitude in re- lation to the duties of citizenship, to good morals and to his country are appropriate to the life and manners and habits of the present day. THE AMERICAN IDEAL 3 The progress of mankind in the sciences — the adding of electricity, the automobile, the aeroplane and the radio to our daily experiences — has not changed the old American ideal of morals and patriotic citizenship, and" Lincoln's words, so appropriate sev- eral generations ago, are still beacons and compasses for the actions of the citizens of today. Is it not worthy of the occasion to restate some of them? REVERENCE FOR LAW What a blessing if this generation that has distinguished itself by its apparent disrespect of law, could nroduce another Lincoln, who, as a living monitor, would, in person, re- mind us of our duties and responsibil- ities as they are recalled when we think of the following words of Abra- ham Lincoln on this subject: Let every American, every lover of liberty, every well-wisher to his poster- ity, swear by the blood of the revolu- tion never to violate in the least particu- lar the laws of the country and never to tolerate their violation by others. As the patriots of '76 died to the support of the Declaration of Independence, so to the support of the consitution and laws let every American pledge his life, ais property and sacred honor. Let every man remember that to vio- late the law is to trample on the blood of his father, and to tear the charter of his own and his children's liberty. Let reverence for the law be breathed by every American mother to the lisping babe that prattles on her lap; let it be taught in schools, in seminaries and in colleges; let it be written in primers, spelling books and almanacs; let It be preached from the pulpit, proclaimed in the legislative halls and enforced In courts of justice. In short, let it become the political religion of the nation. LIQUOR QUESTION Lincoln had decided views on the liquor question. He earnestly believed in temperance. His views as to how the habits of the people can best be shaped is stated in his address to the Washington Temperance society of Springfield. 111., on Feb. 22, 1842, In these words: ABRAHAM LINCOLN But I have said that denunciations against dramsellers and dram-drinkers are unjust, as well as impolitic. Let us see. J h«vf not inquired at what period of time the use of intoxicating liquors com- menced; nor is it important to k n o w. It is sufficient that to all of us who now inhabit the world, the prac- tice of drinking, then, is just as- old as the world itself — that is, we have seen the one just as long as we have seen the other. When all such of us as have now reached the years of matur- ity first opened Lincoln in 1854 as a our eyes upon lawyer. He practiced the stage of ex- in Chicago. i s t e n c e, we Chicago Historical found intoxica- Society photo. ting liquor rec- ognized by everybody, used by every- body, repudiated by nobody. It com- monly entered into the first draught of the infant and the last draught of the dying man. From the sideboard of the parson down to the ragged pocket of the houseless loafer, it was constantly found. Physicians prescribed it in this, that, and the other disease; the government pro- vided it for soldiers and sailors; and to have a rolling or raising, a husking or "hoedown," anywhere about without it was positively insufferable. Backed by Public Opinion So, too, it was everywhere a respect- able article of manufacture and merchan- dise. The making of it was regarded as an honorable livelihood, and he who could make most was the most enter- prising and respectable. Large and small manufactories of it were every- where erected, in which all the earthly goods of their Owners were invested. Wagons drew it from town to town; boats bore it from clime to clime; and the winds wafted it from nation to na- tion, and merchants bought and sold it, by wholesale and retail, with precisely the same feelings on the part ot the seller, buyer and bystander as are felt at the selling and buying of plows, feed, THE AMERICAN IDEAL 5 bacon, or any other of the real neces- saries of life. Universal public opinion not only tolerated but recognized and adopted its use. It is true that even then it was known and acknowledged that many were greatly injured by it; but none seemed to think the injury arose from the use of a bad thing, but from the abuse of & very good thing. The victims of it were to be pitied and compassionated, just as are the heirs of consumption and other hereditary diseases. Their fail- ing was treated as a misfortune, and hot as a crime, or even as a disgrace. Not Easily Overcome If, then, what I Slave been saying is true, is it wonderful that some should think and act now as all thought and acted twenty years ago? And is it just to assail, condemn, or despise them for doing so? The universal sense of mankind on any subject is an argument, or at least an influence, not easily overcome. The success of the argument in favor of the existence of an overruling Providence mainly depends upon that sense; and men ought not in justice to be denounced for yielding to it in any case, or giving it up slowly, especially when they are backed by interest, fixed habits or burn- ing appetites. It is worthy of thought this "Amer- ican Ideal week," whether drastic leg- islation on the subject of prohibition is as effective as the wisdom and tem- perance of Lincoln. TOLERANCE Do we seek a code of American fra- ternity and tolerance? If so, we need but turn to Lincoln'^ words uttered in 1860*. "Let us at all times remember that all American citizens are brothers of a common country and should dwell together in the bonds of fraternal feel- ings." AGAINST IDLENESS If we need a caution against lazi- ness and shiftlessness, or an argn- ABRAHAM LINCOLN you in same diffi- ment for thrift and industry, we can turn to his letter written in 1848 to his stepbrother Johnston: Dear Johnston : Your request for eighty dollars, I do not think it best to comply with now. At the various times when I have helped you a little, you have said to me, "We can get along very well now," but in a very short time I find the culty again. Now this can only happen by some defect in your conduct. What that de- fect is, I think I know. You are not lazy, and still you are an idler. I doubt whether since I saw you, you have done a good whole day's work in any one day. You do not very much dislike to work, and still you do not work much, merely because it does not seem to you that you could get much for it. This habit of uselessly wasting time is the whole diffi- culty; and it is vastly important to you, and still more so to your children, that you should break this habit. It is more important to them because they have longer to live and can keep out of an idle habit before they are in it, easier than they can get out after they are in. Finest example M am- brotype; made in Chi- cago Feb., M57. —Chicago Historical Society photo. Tells Brother to Work You are now in need of some ready money; and what I propose is, that you shall go to work "tooth and nail" for somebody who will give you money for it. Let father and your boys take charge of things at home — prepare for a crop, and make the crop; and you go to work for the best money wages, or in dis- THE AMERICAN IDEAL charge of any debt you owe, that you can get. And to secure you a fair re- ward for your labor. I now promise you that for every dollar you will, be- tween this and the first of next May, get for your own labor, either in money or in your own indebtedness, I will then give you one other dollar. By this, if you hire your- self at ten dol- lars a month from me you will get ten more, making twenty dollars a month for your work. In this, I do not mean you shall go off to St. Louis, or the lead mines, or the gold mines, in California, but I mean for Picture taken in 1859 , y ° u £ *° "til when the white house f ° r „ ^.'"S loomed before Lincoln. ^ »»j£ ^mtfXT 1 in CoUs CoUnt ^ Now if you will do this, you will soon be < out of debt, and what is better, you will have a habit tnat will keep you from getting in debt again. But if T should now clear you out, next year you will be just as deep in as ever. You say you would almost give your place in Heaven for $70 or $80. Then ycu value your place in Heaven very cheaply, for I am sure you can, with the offer I make you, get the seventy or eighty dollars for four or five months' work. You say if I furnish you the money you will deed me the land, and if you don't pay the money back, you will deliver possession — Nonsense ! If you can't now live with the land, how will you then live without it? You have always been kind to me, and I do not now mean to be unkind to you. On the contrary, if you will but follow my advice you will find it worth more than eight times eighty dol- lars to you. Affectionately your brother, A. LINCOLN. ABRAHAM LINCOLN LABOR AND CAPITAL Seek we the American view of la- bor in its relation to capital, we need but turn to his annual message to congress of December, 1861: Labor is prior to and independent of capital. Capital is only the fruit of la- bor, and could never have existed if labor had not first existed. Labor is the supe- rior of capital and deserves much the higher consideration. And again to a committee of a Workingmen's association in 1864: The strongest bond of human sympa- thy, outside of the family relation, should be one uniting all working people, of all nations, and tongues and kindreds. Nor should this lead to a war upon property, or the owners of property. Property is the fruit of labor; property is desirable; is a positive good to the world. That some should be rich shows that others may become rich, and hence, is just en- couragement to energy and enterprise. Let not him who is houseless pull down the house of another, but let him labor diligently and build one for himself, thus by example assuring that his own shall be safe from violence when built. LESSONS FOR BOYS Need we a lesson for our younsr boys, we can point to the boyhood of Abe Lincoln, amidst hard- ships and toil, with his persist- ent yearning to make something of himself — his thoroughness in both work and study — his fi- delity to truth and his mental honesty. Our boys today who find opportunity for education easy and abun- dant, ought to be told how he actually walked miles to borrow , First , ^ cture ,^ iih t a grammar. He once said to his cousin: "Denny, beard. Date, 1561, after reaching Washington, —Chicago Historical Society phoio. THE AMERICAN IDEAL 9 the things I want to know are in books. My best friend is the man who will get me one." Although entirely seif-educated, his cousin Dennis Hanks says of him as a boy: "There was just one thing Abe Lincoln didn't know. He didn't know how to be mean, to do a mean thing, or to think a mean thought. When God made 'Old Abe,' he left that out for other men to divide up among 'era." BUSINESS INTEGRITY While Lincoln never was a very good "business man," as we define that term today, yet he knew enough of basic business integrity so that, al- though he failed in business, his spirit was restless and unhappy until he paid off every dollar of his business debts. He did not get all his "store debts" paid until long after he became a lawyer, but until they were paid he deprived himself of all the comforts and mar y of the necessities of life. PROFESSIONAL INTEGRITY By far the most notable trait in Lin- coln as a lawyer was his unwilling- ness to take an unjust cause. I know the sophistry that will be advanced in some quarters against this. With Lincoln it was simply a physical and moral impossibility for him to stand for a thing he thought unjust. That's why he was a power in a courtroom. While he recognized his duty to his client, he also recognized that his duty to society and justice was first. 10 ABRAHAM LINCOLN POLITICAL, HONESTY When he was suggested for the presidency, his opponents objected be- cause of his prior political defeats. He was sent back to private life after a service in congress and was twice defeated for the United States senate. Because of this, he was charged with being a fail- ure politically. A close examination of these charges, however, shows that it was his honesty political- ly that caused Linco i n reading Posed these poluical re- i n 1861 in hi* study in verses. Whiie in white house. congress he was —Chicago Historical too honest in his Society photo, convictions to approve the then ad- ministration's Mexican policy. When he ran for the senate the first time he lacked but a few votes of enough to elect him and magnanimously threw his strength to Lyman Trumbull. Had Courage of Convictions When running the second time and against Douglas, he had the courage to declare that "the nation could not endure half slave and half free." This, and like bold utterances lost him the senatorship, but gained him the presidency. Lincoln built his po- litical Ciouse on the rock of principle, and not on the sands of temporary success or expediency. However, the people believed in him in the end, and he never abused that confidence. Abraham Lincoln has been called, by some, a politician. If this is so, he was a politician for country and not for self. He was ready to sacri- fice his own prospects to make the peo- ple see the truth. THE AMERICAN IDEAL 11 AS HUSBAND AND FATHER One of the favorite pictures of Lin- coln represents him reading to one of his boys. Of ail his photographs he seems most at ease when sur- rounded by his children. Even in the busiest and most trying time of his career, as president, while he was endeav- oring to act as father to the na- tion, he found leisure to read to his son Tad, and to join his children in their studies and di- versions. He was — . . a devoted hus- * band. His wife was always the object of his ten- der care and patience. on a Sunday morning in the spring of 1863. —Chicago Historical Society photo. A devoted son, he could not be aught than a devoted father and husband. A TRUE AMERICAN TYPE Lincoln was a composite of all that was best in American life He was the word "American" made flesh. It is indeed difficult adequately to define the American ideal — but surely if any one individual incarnated it, that indi- vidual, was Abraham Lincoln. James Russel Lowell spoke of Lin- coln as a "new growth of this new soil, the first American." Whether or no he was the first, he was without question the most conspicuous. His character is the most influencing for the bettering of the nation. Tolstoi said: "Of all the great national heroes and statesmen of history, Lincoln i» the only real giant." 12 ABRAHAM LINCOLN Best in National Life He was a type of the best In our national life and had many of our typical national habits. He came from the com- mon people as do most of us. He told stories, both good and bad, which has be- come a national habit. He even played the great American game of baseball. Stud- ied from every standpoint, he is about the most satisfactory hu- man sample pro- duced not only by America, but - by modern times 2X. ta&Al£& —the most sat- was assassinated, isfying when -Chicago Historical measured by the Society photo, intellect, by the heart and by the soul and by his devotion to great princi- ple and country. His Ends Unselfish Happy are we that America has such a man for its humanized sym- bol. One of the delightful things about Abraham Lincoln is that he never held himself out, or never set out, to "set an example." He lived his life simply and naturally, de- veloped and spoke the thought that was in him, did the job that was laid out for him to do, and let his "ex- ample" shift for itself. He understood American values and used his understanding of them for unselfish ends. As a consequence, he is one of the greatest examples, and one of the greatest inspirations of hu- man history and the very best of our •'American Ideals." THE AMERICAN IDEAL 13 This article appeared first in The Chicago Daily Journal of Feb. 12, 1926. It is reprinted and distributed in a limited edition by an admirer of Abraham Lincoln, the great exemplar of character and democracy. 382 ai UNIVERSITY OF ILUNOIS-URBANA 973.7L63B3H78A C001 ABRAHAM LINCOLN, THE AMERICAN IDEAL CHGO 12 031797001