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The Commoner.
VOLUME 9, NUMBER
2
STORIES OF LINCOLN AND TRIBUTES TO HIS WORK
FEBRUARY 12, 1000
Into tho South thoy come to do him revorenco,
Tli lit one whoso powor brought mighty severance
Of chain and shacklo to a suffering race
And North and South this day stand face to face.
Into tho South they como to do him reverence,
That spirit which to Freedom gave re-birth,
No wounds, no scars, remain on Blue or Gray,
For North and South united stand today.
Into tho South thoy como to do him reverence,
And from that glorious soul beyond tho stars
A benediction not on South or North,
Nor black nor white doth fall
But upon all.
Josephine N. S. Callahan, In Louisville
Courier-Journal.
LINCOLN ON CRITICISM
Tho San Francisco Star prints this letter:
"Sir: For tho benefit of a long suffering public
that mUBt bo a-wcaried by these everlasting self
serving messages to congress, will you kindly
print tho following incident in tho life of Lin
coln? In regard to an attack made upon him
for an alleged blunder in tho southwost, an
officer asked him If it would not be well to set
tho matter right in a letter to some paper, stat
ing tho facts as they actually happened., ,,
" 'Oh, no,' replied the president, 'at least not
now. If I were to try to read, muck -less an
k,swbr, all tho attacks made on me, this shop
.might as well bo closed for any other business.
nJi'.d6 the very best I know how -tho very best
I can; and I mean to keep on doing so until
the end. If the end brings' mo out all right,
what is" said against me won't amount to any
thing. If tho end brings, mo out wrong, ten
angels , swearing I was right, would , make . no
difference.' " - .
,v.;
versary of his birth, it is but fitting that every
loyal American citizen, in tno proper oDservunuo
of this national event, should feel it a duty and
a privilege to take some part in such exercisea
as will perpetuate his memory.
"To this end that Nebraska may maintain
her patriotic and loyal distinction, I hereby re
spectfully request that on Friday, the twelfth
day of February, A. D., nineteen hundred .and
nine, the citizens of Nebraska display tho flag,
and assist all patriotic societies and institutions
in their efforts to venerate tho memory of the
lamented Lincoln.'
LINCOLN'S VIEW OF WAR
Allen Thorndike Rice, a former editor of tho
North American Review, tells somo interesting
stories in his "reminiscences" of Abraham Lin
coln. Referring to the great president Mr. Rice
says:
"Ho was melancholy without being morbid,
a leading characteristic of men of genuine
humor, and it was this sense of humor that
often enabled him to endure tho most cruel
strokes, that called for his sense of pity and
cast a gloom over his official life. On these
occasions hd would relieve himself by compar
ing trifles with great things and great things
with trifles. No story was too trivial or even
too coarse for his purpose, provided that it aptly
illustrated his ideas or served his policy."
To this peculiar tendency of mind, we . un
doubtedly owe .the many' stories and quaint say
ings which lend, a , strange and,, uncommon in
terest to every recollection of Lincoln. '"
As an illustration of the peculiar rapidity
(TO. THE MOTHER OF FIVE SOLDIERS
Executive Mansion, Washington, November
21, 18G4. Dear Madam: 1 have been shown
in tho illeB of the war department a statement
of tho adjutant general of Massachusetts, that
you are tho mother of five sons who have died
gloriously on the field of battle. I feel how
weak and fruitless must be any words of mlno
which should attempt to beguile you from the
grief of a loss so overwhelming. But I
can not refrain from tendering to you the con
solation that may be found in the thanks of
tho republic they died to save. I pray that our
Heavenly Father may assuage the anguish of
your bereavement, and leave you only the cher
lBhcd memory of the loved and the lost, and
the solemn pride tliat must; be yours to nave
laid so costly a sacrifice -upon the altar of free
dom. Yours, very sincerely and respectfully,
ABRAHAM LINCOLN.
To Mrs. Bixby, Boston, Moss.
NEBRASKA'S PROCLAMATION
Govornor Shallenberger of Nebraska issued
thiB beautiful proclamation:
"Tho namo of Lincoln strikes a responsive
chord in tho breast of every true patriot', and
inspires to more noble deeds and higher ideals,
the citizenship of the American republic. Lin
coln, a name which stands out pre-eminently
in a conflict 'which not only shook the very
foundation of our own country, but Tvas felt
like a mighty earthquake throughout the na-
l0nlLtllQ, earth' Lincoln tho man, who, when
tho battle for a principle which concerned all
mankind, was on, guided it so wisely to a
triumphant conclusion.
"Tho life of Abraham Lincoln was dedicated
to humanity, ignoring all selfishness, and labor
ing against oppression and wrong, a far-seelnc
statesman a man of tho common people, cloal
to the soil, foremost on the nation's banner of
illustrious citizens, a leader of the nat'on ?n
InJi VST f VQ,rU d wlth w"se blSod was
sea od tho proclamation of universal liberty
The name of one who has contributed so
sonorously to the welfare of his countrv in -tS
past, should bo an inspiration fo? ho future
and on this tho approaching contemUal aX
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LINCOLN' WARNING
ryWhat constitutes, the bulwark b.f .our
, own liberty and independence., Iiistnot
our frowning batlements, our bristling,.
t;sea coasts, our ..army and . ouivinavy.
These are not our reliance agajpst
tyranny. All of those may be turned
i,againpt us ?wJthout making . us weaker
, for. the struggle. Our reliance is in the
love of liberty rwkich God has planted in
us. Our defense is in the spirit which
prizes liberty aB the heritage of all men,
in all lands everywhere. Destroy this
spirit and you have planted tLe seeds of
despotism at your own doors. Fa-
, miliarize yourselves with the chains of
bondage and you prepare your own
limbs to wear .them. Accustomed to
, trample on the riehtn nf nthava vr
Have lost the genius of your own inde
pendence and become the fit subjects of
the first cunning tyrant who rises
among you."
.
) 0
with which he would pass from one side of his
nature to the other Mr. Rice cites a story for
which he is indebted to Governor Curtin, of
Pennsylvania.
Summoned from the gory battlefield of Fred
ericksburg to the White House, Lincoln plied
mm withquestion after question.
Mr. President," said the governor, "it was
not a battle; it was a butchery."
As Curtin described one harrowing scene after
another Lincoln reached a state of nervous ex
citement that bordered upon insanity.
Finally, as the governor was preparing to
Xe'e W118 President's hand and said:
Mr. Pres dent I am deeply touched by your
sorrow and at the distress I have caused'you
have only .answered your questions. No doubt
my impressions have been colored by the suffer-
nf aavo seen. I trust matters will look
brighter when the official reports come Tin I
would give all I pbssess to know how to rescue
you from this terrible war " rescue
Lincoln's whole aspect suddenly changed and
"ThisVrl? mlnd by tellins XE
This reminds me, governor," he said, "of an
old farmer out in Illinois that T used to know
He took it into his head to go into hog ratalnT"
He sent to Europe and imported the fineft
breed of hogs he could buy. The prfze ,h?B
was pUt in a pen and th y A ne vrtao hog
chievous boys, James and John, were told tn
be sure not to let him out. But James th
wors of the two, let the brute out' n day
The hog wen straight for the boys and drove
John ud a tree. Then the hosr went fnr- ...
seat of James' trousers, and the only way the
boy could save himself was by holding on to
tho hog's tail. The hog would not give up his
hunt nor the boy his hold. After they had
mado a good many circles around the tree tho
boy's courage began to gjve out, and he shouted
to his brother, 'I say, John, co'me down, quick,
and help me let this hog go!' Now, 'governor!
tht is exactly my case. I wish some one would
come add help me let this hog go!"
"LINCOLN AND THE SLEEPING SENTINEL"
Mr. L. E. Chittenden, who waa register of
the treasury from 1861 to 1865 and a personal
friend of Abraham Lincoln, now for the first
time tells in. full the story of "Lincoln and tho
sleeping sentinel" (Harper & Brothers), which
has hitherto been known only In its bare out
line. He speaks aa one having authority, and
with justice, for he bore an important share
in the episode.
It was on a dark September morning in 18G1,
he informs us, that he was waited on at his
Washington office by a;, party of soldiers. They
belonged to the Third Vermont regiment, then
stationed at the Chain bridge, some -three miles
above Georgetown. One of their number, a
youth of twenty-one, had fallen asleep at his
post as sentinel. A hardy boy, not as yet in
ured to military life, he had found it impossible
to keep awake for twd nights in succession.
He had been found by the relief sound asleep,
had been convicted by a court martial and sen
tenced to be shot. .... . . ;1V'.,
With tears in their eyes, his comrades plead
ed with Mr. Chittendenvto use:his Influence and
save the boy's life. .' '; vv
"He's as good a boy as there is in the army,"
Baid their leader, "and he is. hot 'to blame."
.Scott had never before beenup all rilght in his
life. He -had been ",all beat out" by his first
experience. The second nighty he had succumbed-;,
to sheer physical exhaustions
. Mr. Chittenden's heart was touched:" J-Ie de
termined to. put young Scott in personal touch
with President Lincoln- By uBing all ?.his, influ
ence he succeeded. ,. l- &.. ..-ncic .t:'i
This ia how Scott himselfi. told, the story ot the
interview: .-..
"The president was the kindest man I had
ever seen. I knew him at once by a Lincoln
medal I had long worn. I was scared at first,
for I had never befpre talked with- a great
man. But Mr. Lincoln was so easy with me,
so gentle., that I soon forgot my fright. He
asked me all about the people at? home, the
neighbors, the farm and where I went to school,
and whp my schoolmates were. Then he asked
me about mother, and how she looked, and I
was glad I could take her photograph from my
bosQm and show It tohim. He said mow thank--ful-i-ought
to be that my mother 'still lived,
and liow, if he was in my place, he would try
to make her a proud mother and never cause
. her a sorrow or a1 tear. I can not remember it
all, but every word was so kind. ,
"He had said nothing yet about that dreadful
next morning. I thought it muste that he
w so lnd Parted that he didn't like to speak
It wby did fle say so much about my
mother, and my not causing her a sorrow or a
tear, when I knew, that I must die the next
morning? But I supposed that was something
that would have to go unexplained, and so I
determined to brace up and tell him that I did
not feel a bit guilty, and ask him wouldn't he
ux it so that the firing party would not bo
wm fUr J;?""" n&at was going to be the
hardest of all to die by the hands of my
comrades. .
"Just as I was going to ask him, this favor
he stood up, and he says to me: 'My boy, stand
up here and look me in the face.' I did as he
?? Lm My boy' e Bald' 'yo ar not going
En 2 Jomorrowi I Relieve you when you
JSn?? f yU CO"ld not kep awafee- T a
SifSJX TVt0 an.6end yo back jo your
Swo J ba:Ye been put t0 a Sreat deal
Sn IZ y,lrr ccount- I nave had to come
5?MfeHeJr?mVoahta8n when X nave got a
great deal to do, and what I Want to know is,
how areou going to pay my bill?' '
There was a big lump in my throat I could
SCTly, ?P,ea J na'd fexPeced toa?e, you see.
To h tinn?i lg0td t0 thinldat way!
u JIS 511 chanS6l a minute! But I got
it crowded down an.d managed to say:
.vnti,? srateful MX Lincoln. I hope I am as
fng my lire ntVT b foraV
mg my me. But it comes upon me sudden and
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