[D]FromLincoln and Other PoemsbyEdwin Markham. By permission of The McClure Company and the author. Copyright, 1901, by Edwin Markham.This poem was revised by Mr. Markham especially for use in this book. Copyright, 1908, by Edwin Markham. Reprinting in whatever form is expressly forbidden, unless through special permission of the author.
[D]FromLincoln and Other PoemsbyEdwin Markham. By permission of The McClure Company and the author. Copyright, 1901, by Edwin Markham.
This poem was revised by Mr. Markham especially for use in this book. Copyright, 1908, by Edwin Markham. Reprinting in whatever form is expressly forbidden, unless through special permission of the author.
ABRAHAM LINCOLN
Tom Taylor[E]
YOU lay a wreath on murdered Lincoln's bier,You, who with mocking pencil wont to trace,Broad for the self-complacent British sneer,His length of shambling limb, his furrowed face,His gaunt, gnarled hands, his unkempt, bristling hair,His garb uncouth, his bearing ill at ease,His lack of all we prize as debonair,Of power or will to shine, of art to please.You, whose smart pen backed up the pencil's laugh,Judging each step as though the way were plain:Reckless, so it could point its paragraphOf chief's perplexity, or people's pain.Beside this corpse that bears for winding-sheetThe Stars and Stripes he lived to rear anew,Between the mourner at his head and feet,Say, scurril-jester, is there room for you?Yes! He had lived to shame me from my sneer,To lame my pencil and confute my pen;To make me own this hind of princes peer,This rail-splitter, a true-born king of men.My shallow judgment I had learned to rue,Noting how to occasion's height he rose,How his quaint wit made home truth seem more true,How, iron-like, his temper grew by blows.How humble, yet how hopeful, he could be:How in good fortune and in ill the same:Nor bitter in success, nor boastful he,Thirsty for gold, nor feverish for fame.He went about his work—such work as fewEver had laid on head and heart and hand—As one who knows, where there's a task to do,Man's honest will must Heaven's good grace command;Who trusts the strength will with the burden grow,That God makes instruments to work His will,If but that will we can arrive to know,Nor tamper with the weights of good and ill.So he went forth to battle, on the sideThat he felt clear was Liberty's and Right's,As in his peasant boyhood he had pliedHis warfare with rude Nature's thwarting mights—The uncleared forest, the unbroken soil,The iron-bark, that turns the lumberer's axe,The rapid that o'erbears the boatman's toil,The prairie hiding the mazed wanderer's tracks,The ambushed Indian, and the prowling bear—Such were the deeds that helped his youth to train:Rough culture—but such trees large fruit may bear,If but their stocks be of right girth and grain.So he grew up a destined work to do,And lived to do it: four long-suffering years.Ill-fate, ill-feeling, ill-report lived through,And then he heard the hisses changed to cheers,The taunts to tribute, the abuse to praise,And took both with the same unwavering mood:Till, as he came on light, from darkling daysAnd seemed to touch the goal from where he stood,A felon hand, between the goal and him,Reached from behind his back, a trigger prest,And those perplexed and patient eyes were dim,Those gaunt, long-laboring limbs were laid to rest!The words of mercy were upon his lips,Forgiveness in his Heart and on his pen,When this vile murderer brought swift eclipseTo thoughts of peace on earth, good will to men.The Old World and the New, from sea to sea,Utter one voice of sympathy and shame.Sore heart, so stopped when it at last beat high!Sad life, cut short just as its triumph came!A deed accurst! Strokes have been struck beforeBy the assassin's hand, whereof men doubtIf more of horror or disgrace they bore;But thy foul crime, like Cain's, stands darkly out,Vile hand, that brandest murder on a strife,Whate'er its grounds, stoutly and nobly striven,And with the martyr's crown crownest a lifeWith much to praise, little to be forgiven.
[E]The authorship of this poem seems to be surrounded by somewhat of a doubt. Mark Lemon, editor ofPunchat the time when this was written, is sometimes accredited with writing the tribute; then again, Spielman'sHistory of Punchascribes it to Shirley Brooks, who also was editor ofPunchfor a few years.The poem first appeared anonymously in the LondonPunch, May 6, 1865. Accompanying it was an engraving of Brittania mourning at Lincoln's bier and placing a wreath thereon. Columbia was represented as weeping at the head of the President, and at the foot of the bier was a slave with broken shackles. Underneath was the inscription, "Brittania sympathizes with Columbia."It is now generally believed that the author of the famous tribute was the journalist and dramatist, Tom Taylor, the author of the comedy,Our American Cousin, a performance of which President Lincoln was witnessing at the time of his assassination.
[E]The authorship of this poem seems to be surrounded by somewhat of a doubt. Mark Lemon, editor ofPunchat the time when this was written, is sometimes accredited with writing the tribute; then again, Spielman'sHistory of Punchascribes it to Shirley Brooks, who also was editor ofPunchfor a few years.
The poem first appeared anonymously in the LondonPunch, May 6, 1865. Accompanying it was an engraving of Brittania mourning at Lincoln's bier and placing a wreath thereon. Columbia was represented as weeping at the head of the President, and at the foot of the bier was a slave with broken shackles. Underneath was the inscription, "Brittania sympathizes with Columbia."
It is now generally believed that the author of the famous tribute was the journalist and dramatist, Tom Taylor, the author of the comedy,Our American Cousin, a performance of which President Lincoln was witnessing at the time of his assassination.
LINCOLN
Henry Tyrrell
LINCOLN arose! the masterful, great man,Girt with rude grandeur, quelling doubt and fear,—A more than king, yet in whose veins there ranThe red blood of the people, warm, sincere,Blending of Puritan and Cavalier.A will whose force stern warriors came to ask,A heart that melted at a mother's tear—These brought he to his superhuman task:Over a tragic soul he wore a comic mask.He was the South's child more than of the North!His soul was not compact of rock and snow,But such as old Kentucky's soil gives forth,—The splendid race of giants that we know,Firm unto friend, and loyal unto foe,Such birthrights all environment forestall,Resistlessly their tides of impulse flow.This man who answered to his country's callWas full of human faults, and nobler for them all.He is a life, and not a legend, yet:For thousands live who shook him by the hand,Millions whose sympathies with his were set,Whose hopes and griefs alike with his were grand,Who deeply mourned his passing. They demandOur homage to the greatest man they saw,—They, his familiars; and throughout our landThe years confirm them, over race and law:Even of rancor now the voice is hush'd in awe.
THE BLUE AND THE GRAY
Francis Miles Finch
The women of Columbus, Mississippi, had shown themselves impartial in the offerings made to the memory of the dead. They strewed flowers alike on the graves of the Confederates and of the National soldiers.
The women of Columbus, Mississippi, had shown themselves impartial in the offerings made to the memory of the dead. They strewed flowers alike on the graves of the Confederates and of the National soldiers.
BY THE flow of the inland river,Whence the fleets of iron have fled,Where the blades of the grave-grass quiver,Asleep are the ranks of the dead;Under the sod and the dew,Waiting the judgment day;Under the one, the Blue;Under the other, the Gray.These in the robings of glory,Those in the gloom of defeat;All with the battle-blood gory,In the dusk of eternity meet;Under the sod and the dew,Waiting the judgment day;Under the laurel, the Blue;Under the willow, the Gray.From the silence of sorrowful hours,The desolate mourners go,Lovingly laden with flowers,Alike for the friend and the foe;Under the sod and the dew,Waiting the judgment day;Under the roses, the Blue;Under the lilies, the Gray.So, with an equal splendor,The morning sun-rays fall,With a touch impartially tender,On the blossoms blooming for all;Under the sod and the dew,Waiting the judgment day;Broidered with gold, the Blue,Mellowed with gold, the Gray.So, when the summer calleth,On forest and field of grain,With an equal murmur fallethThe cooling drip of the rain;Under the sod and the dew,Waiting the judgment day;Wet with the rain, the Blue;Wet with the rain, the Gray.Sadly, but not with upbraiding,The generous deed was done;In the storm of the years that are fading,No braver battle was won;Under the sod and the dew,Waiting the judgment day;Under the blossoms, the Blue;Under the garlands, the Gray.No more shall the war cry sever,Or the winding rivers be red;They banish our anger forever,When they laurel the graves of our dead.Under the sod and the dew,Waiting the judgment day;Love and tears for the Blue,Tears and love for the Gray.
LINCOLN: A MAN CALLED OF GOD
John Mellen Thurston
Extract from an address delivered before the Chicago Lincoln Association, February 12, 1891.
Extract from an address delivered before the Chicago Lincoln Association, February 12, 1891.
GOD'S providence has raised up a leader in every time of a people's exceeding need.
Moses, reared in the family of Pharaoh, initiated in the sublime mysteries of the priestcraft of Egypt, partaking of the power and splendor of royal family and favor, himself a ruler and almost a king, was so moved by the degraded and helpless condition of his enslaved brethren that for their sake he undertook what to human understanding seemed the impossible problem of deliverance....
A peasant girl, a shepherdess, dreaming on the hills of France, feels her simple heart burn with the story of her country's wrongs. Its army beaten, shattered and dispersed; its fields laid waste; its homes pillaged and burned; its people outraged and murdered; its prince fleeing for life before a triumphant and remorseless foe. Hope for France was dead. Heroes, there were none to save. What could a woman do?
Into the soul of this timid, unlettered mountain maid there swept a flood of glorious resolve. Some power, unknown to man, drew back the curtain from the glass of fate and bade her look therein. As in a vision, she sees a new French army, courageous, hopeful, victorious, invincible. A girl, sword in hand, rides at its head; before it the invaders flee. She sees France restored, her fields in bloom, her cottages in peace, her people happy, her prince crowned.
The rail-splitter of Illinois became President of the United States in the darkest hour of the nation's peril. Inexperienced and untrained in governmental affairs, he formulated national politics, overruled statesmen, directed armies, removed generals, and, when it became necessary to save the Republic, set at naught the written Constitution. He amazed the politicians and offended the leaders of his party; but the people loved him by instinct, and followed him blindly. The child leads the blind man through dangerous places, not by reason of controlling strength and intelligence, but by certainty of vision. Abraham Lincoln led the nation along its obscure pathway, for his vision was above the clouds, and he stood in the clear sunshine of God's indicated will.
So stands the mountain while the murky shadows thicken at its base, beset by the tempest, lashed by the storm, darkness and desolation on every side; no gleam of hope in the lightning's lurid lances, nor voice of safety in the crashing thunder-bolts; but high above the top-most mist, vexed by no wave of angry sound, kissed by the sun of day, wooed by the stars at night, the eternal summit lifts its snowy crest, crowned with the infinite serenity of peace.
"And God said—let there be light, and there was light." Light on the ocean, light on the land.
"And God said—let there be light, and there was light." Light from the cross of calvary, light from the souls of men.
"And God said—let there be light, and there waslight'." Light from the emancipation proclamation, light on the honor of the nation, light on the Constitution of the United States, light on the black faces of patient bondmen, light on every standard of freedom throughout the world.
From the hour in which the cause of the Union became the cause of liberty, from the hour in which the flag of the Republic became the flag of humanity, from the hour in which the stars and stripes no longer floated over a slave; yea, from the sacred hour of the nation's new birth, that dear old banner never faded from the sky, and the brave boys who bore it never wavered in their onward march to victory....
After a quarter of a century of peace and prosperity, all children of our common country kneel at the altar of a reunited faith. The Blue and Gray lie in eternal slumber side by side. Heroes all, they fell face to face, brother against brother, to expiate a nation's sin. The lonely firesides and the unknown graves, the memory of the loved, the yearning for the lost, the desolated altars and the broken hopes, are past recall. The wings of our weak protests beat in vain against the iron doors of fate. But through the mingled tears that fall alike upon the honored dead of both, the North and South turn hopeful eyes to that new future of prosperity and power, possible only in the shelter of the dear old flag. To the conquerors and the conquered, to the white man and the black, to the master and the slave, Abraham Lincoln was God's providence.
JONATHAN TO JOHN
James Russell Lowell
This poetic effusion of Mr. Hosea Biglow was preceded by theIdyl of the Bridge and the Monument, which set forth another side of American feeling at the British words and deeds consequent on the unauthorized capture, by Commodore Wilkes, of the Trent, conveying to England two Confederate Commissioners.
This poetic effusion of Mr. Hosea Biglow was preceded by theIdyl of the Bridge and the Monument, which set forth another side of American feeling at the British words and deeds consequent on the unauthorized capture, by Commodore Wilkes, of the Trent, conveying to England two Confederate Commissioners.
IT DON'T seem hardly right, John,When both my hands was full,To stump me to a fight, John—Your cousin, tu, John Bull!Ole Uncle S., sez he, "I guessWe know it now," sez he,"The lion's paw is all the law,Accordin' to J. B.,Thet's fit for you an' me!"You wonder why we're hot, John?Your mark wuz on the guns,The neutral guns, thet shot, John,Our brothers an' our sons:Ole Uncle S., sez he, "I guessThere's human blood," sez he,"By fits an' starts, in Yankee hearts,Though 't may surprise J. B.More'n it would you an' me."EfIturned mad dogs loose, John,Onyourfront-parlor stairs,Would it jest meet your views, John,To wait and sue their heirs?Ole Uncle S., sez he, "I guess,I only guess," sez he,"Thet ef Vattel onhistoes fell,'T would kind o' rile J. B.,Ez wal ez you an' me!"Who made the law thet hurts, John,Heads I win,—ditto tails?"J. B." was on his shirts, John,Onless my memory fails.Ole Uncle S., sez he, "I guess(I'm good at thet)," sez he,"Thet sauce for goose ain't jest the juiceFor ganders with J. B.,No more than you or me!"When your rights was our wrongs, John,You didn't stop for fuss,—Britanny's trident prongs, John,Was good 'nough law for us.Ole Uncle S., sez he, "I guess,Though physic's good," sez he,"It doesn't foller that he can swallerPrescriptions signed 'J. B.,'Put up by you an' me!"We own the ocean, tu, John:You mus'n' take it hard,If we can't think with you, John,It's jest your own back-yard.Ole Uncle S., sez he, "I guess,Ifthet'shis claim," sez he,"The fencin'-stuff 'll cost enoughTo bust up friend J. B.,Ez wal ez you an' me!"Why talk so dreffle big, John,Of honor when it meantYou didn't care a fig, John,But jest forten per cent?Ole Uncle S., sez he, "I guessHe's like the rest," sez he:"When all is done, it's number oneThet's nearest to J. B.,Ez wal ez you an' me!"We give the critters back, John,Cos Abram thought 't was right;It warn't your bullyin' clack, John,Provokin' us to fight.Ole Uncle S., sez he, "I guessWe've a hard row," sez he,"To hoe jest now; but thet somehow,May happen to J. B.,Ez wal ez you an' me!"We ain't so weak an' poor, John,With twenty million people,An' close to every door, John,A school-house an' a steeple.Ole Uncle S., sez he, "I guessIt is a fact," sez he,"The surest plan to make a ManIs, think him so, J. B.,Ez much ez you an' me!"Our folks believe in Law, John;An' it's for her sake, now,They've left the ax an' saw, John,The anvil an' the plough.Ole Uncle S., sez he, "I guess,Ef 't warn't for law," sez he,"There'd be one shindy from here to Indy;An' thet don't suit J. B.(When 't ain't twixt you an' me!)"We know we've got a cause, John,Thet's honest, just an' true;We thought 't would win applause, John,Ef nowheres else, from you.Ole Uncle S., sez he, "I guessHis love of right," sez he,"Hangs by a rotten fibre o' cotton:There's nature in J. B.,Ez wal ez you an' me!"The South says, "Poor folks down!" John,An' "All men up!" say we,—White, yaller, black, an' brown, John:Now which is your idee?Ole Uncle S., sez he, "I guess,John preaches wal," sez he;"But, sermon thru, an' come todu,Why, there's the old J. B.A crowdin' you an' me!"Shall it be love, or hate, John,It's you thet's to decide;Ain't your bonds held by Fate, John,Like all the world's beside?Ole Uncle S., sez he, "I guessWise men forgive," sez he,"But not forget; an' some time yetThet truth may strike J. B.,Ez wal ez you an me!"God means to make this land, John,Clear thru, from sea to sea,Believe an' understand, John,Thewutho' bein' free.Ole Uncle S., sez he, "I guess,God's price is high," sez he:"But nothin' else than wut He sellsWears long, an' thet J. B.May larn, like you an' me!"
NO SLAVE BENEATH THE FLAG
George Lansing Taylor
NO SLAVE beneath that starry flag,The emblem of the free!No fettered hand shall wield the brandThat smites for liberty:No tramp of servile armiesShall shame Columbia's shore,For he who fights for freedom's rightsIs free for evermore!* * * * *Go tell the brave of every land,Where'er that flag has flown—The tyrant's fear, the patriot's cheer,Through every clime and zone—That now no more foreverIts stripes are slavery scars;No tear-drops stain its azure plainNor dim its golden stars.No slave beneath that grand old flag!Forever let it fly,With lightning rolled in every fold,And flashing victory!God's blessing breathe around it!And when all strife is done,May freedom's light, that knows no night,Make every star a sun!
TRIBUTES TO LINCOLN
GraveLincoln came, strong-handed, from afar—The mighty Homer of the lyre of war!'T was he who bade the raging tempest cease,Wrenched from his strings the harmony of peace,Muted the strings that made the discord—Wrong,And gave his spirit up in thund'rous song,Oh, mighty Master of the mighty lyre!Earth heard and trembled at thy strains of fire:Earth learned of thee what Heav'n already knew,And wrote thee down among the treasured few!
GraveLincoln came, strong-handed, from afar—The mighty Homer of the lyre of war!'T was he who bade the raging tempest cease,Wrenched from his strings the harmony of peace,Muted the strings that made the discord—Wrong,And gave his spirit up in thund'rous song,Oh, mighty Master of the mighty lyre!Earth heard and trembled at thy strains of fire:Earth learned of thee what Heav'n already knew,And wrote thee down among the treasured few!
—Paul Laurence Dunbar, 1899
Fromhumble parentage and poverty, old Nature reared him,And the world beheld her ablest, noblest man;Few were his joys, many and terrible his trials,But grandly he met them as only truly great souls can!Our Nation's Martyr, pure, honest, patient, tender—Thou who didst suffer agony e'en for the slave—Our flag's defender, our brave, immortal teacher!I lay this humble tribute on thy honored grave.
—Paul DeVere, 1899
We rest in peace where these sad eyesSaw peril, strife, and pain;His was the nation's sacrifice,And ours the priceless gain.
—John G. Whittier
Hispatriotism, his integrity, his purity, his moderation will contribute largely to make the American people patriotic, honest, and upright.... His life, his teaching, and his character will prolong the life of the Republic.
Hispatriotism, his integrity, his purity, his moderation will contribute largely to make the American people patriotic, honest, and upright.... His life, his teaching, and his character will prolong the life of the Republic.
—Isaac N. Arnold
Hismind was strong and deep, sincere and honest, patient and enduring: having no vices, and having only negative defects, with many positive virtues. His is a strong, honest, sagacious, manly, noble life. He stands in the foremost ranks of men in all ages—their equal—one of the best types of this Christian civilization.
Hismind was strong and deep, sincere and honest, patient and enduring: having no vices, and having only negative defects, with many positive virtues. His is a strong, honest, sagacious, manly, noble life. He stands in the foremost ranks of men in all ages—their equal—one of the best types of this Christian civilization.
—W. H. Herndon
Thereis in the whole history of this Republic not one man, from whom we all—wherever born and whatever our political opinions—can learn more instructive and more inspiring lessons as to what true patriotism is: and there is but one who is fully his peer in this respect. To be pitied is, indeed, the American whose way of feeling and thinking will not allow him to look with infinite patriotic pride upon Abraham Lincoln.
Thereis in the whole history of this Republic not one man, from whom we all—wherever born and whatever our political opinions—can learn more instructive and more inspiring lessons as to what true patriotism is: and there is but one who is fully his peer in this respect. To be pitied is, indeed, the American whose way of feeling and thinking will not allow him to look with infinite patriotic pride upon Abraham Lincoln.
—H. E. VonHolst
Lincolnwas the grandest figure of the fiercest civil war.... Wealth could not purchase, power could not awe, this divine, this loving man. He knew no fear except the fear of doing wrong. Hating slavery, pitying the master—seeking to conquer not persons, but prejudices. He was the embodiment of the self-denial, thecourage, the hope, and the nobility of the nation. He spoke, not to inflame, not to upbraid, but to convince. He raised his hands, not to strike, but in benediction.
Lincolnwas the grandest figure of the fiercest civil war.... Wealth could not purchase, power could not awe, this divine, this loving man. He knew no fear except the fear of doing wrong. Hating slavery, pitying the master—seeking to conquer not persons, but prejudices. He was the embodiment of the self-denial, thecourage, the hope, and the nobility of the nation. He spoke, not to inflame, not to upbraid, but to convince. He raised his hands, not to strike, but in benediction.
—Robert G. Ingersoll
Lincolnwas the humblest of the humble before his conscience, greatest of the great before history.
Lincolnwas the humblest of the humble before his conscience, greatest of the great before history.
—Castelar
Abraham Lincolnwas the vindication of poverty. He gave glory to the lowly. In the light of his life the cabin became conspicuous; the commonest toil no longer common, and the poor man's hardship a road to honor. It put shame on the prejudice of wealth and birth, and dignity on common manhood. The poor received from him inspiring hope; he taught the humblest youth that there was for him a path to power.
Abraham Lincolnwas the vindication of poverty. He gave glory to the lowly. In the light of his life the cabin became conspicuous; the commonest toil no longer common, and the poor man's hardship a road to honor. It put shame on the prejudice of wealth and birth, and dignity on common manhood. The poor received from him inspiring hope; he taught the humblest youth that there was for him a path to power.
—Luther Laflin Mills
Mayone who fought in honor for the SouthUncovered stand and sing by Lincoln's grave?* * * * *He was the North, the South, the East, the West,The thrall, the master, all of us in one;There was no section that he held the best;His love shone as impartial as the sun;And so revenge appealed to him in vain,He smiled at it, as at a thing forlorn,And gently put it from him, rose and stoodA moment's space in pain,Remembering the prairies and the cornAnd the glad voices of the field and wood.
—Maurice Thompson, 1893
Theybowed before the bier of him who had been prophet, priest and king to his people, who had struck the shackles from the slave, who had taught a higher sense of duty to the free men, who had raised the Nation to a loftier conception of faith and hope and charity.
Theybowed before the bier of him who had been prophet, priest and king to his people, who had struck the shackles from the slave, who had taught a higher sense of duty to the free men, who had raised the Nation to a loftier conception of faith and hope and charity.
—James G. Blaine
Hiswas a name so pure, a life so grand,That Lincoln's a magic name throughout the land.
Hiswas a name so pure, a life so grand,That Lincoln's a magic name throughout the land.
—Jos. C. Sindelar
In hismentality, he shone in judgment, common sense, consistency, persistence and in knowledge of men. In his words, he was candid and frank, but accurate and concise, speaking sturdy Anglo-Saxon unadorned, powerful in its simplicity and the subdued enthusiasm of earnest thought. In his sentiments, he was kind and patient and brave. No leader ever more completely combined in his personality the graces of gentleness with rugged determination. In his morals, Truth was his star; Honesty the vital air of his living. In his religion, he was faithful as a giant; Providence was his stay; he walked with God.
In hismentality, he shone in judgment, common sense, consistency, persistence and in knowledge of men. In his words, he was candid and frank, but accurate and concise, speaking sturdy Anglo-Saxon unadorned, powerful in its simplicity and the subdued enthusiasm of earnest thought. In his sentiments, he was kind and patient and brave. No leader ever more completely combined in his personality the graces of gentleness with rugged determination. In his morals, Truth was his star; Honesty the vital air of his living. In his religion, he was faithful as a giant; Providence was his stay; he walked with God.
—Luther Laflin Mills
Hisconstant thought was his country and how to serve it.
Hisconstant thought was his country and how to serve it.
—Charles Sumner
Hiscareer teaches young men that every position of eminence is open before the diligent and worthy.
Hiscareer teaches young men that every position of eminence is open before the diligent and worthy.
—Bishop Matthew Simpson
Sucha life and character will be treasured forever as the sacred possession of the American people and of mankind.
Sucha life and character will be treasured forever as the sacred possession of the American people and of mankind.
—James A. Garfield
By hisfidelity to the True, the Right, the Good, he gained not only favor and applause, but what is better than all, love.
By hisfidelity to the True, the Right, the Good, he gained not only favor and applause, but what is better than all, love.
—W. D. Howells
He waswarm-hearted; he was generous; he was magnanimous, he was most truly, as he afterwards said on a memorable occasion, "With malice toward none, with charity for all."
He waswarm-hearted; he was generous; he was magnanimous, he was most truly, as he afterwards said on a memorable occasion, "With malice toward none, with charity for all."
—Alexander H. Stephens
Letus build with reverent hands to the type of this simple, but sublime life, in which all types are honored.
Letus build with reverent hands to the type of this simple, but sublime life, in which all types are honored.
—Henry W. Grady
Lincolnwas the purest, the most generous, the most magnanimous of men.
Lincolnwas the purest, the most generous, the most magnanimous of men.
—General W. T. Sherman
Hischief object, the ideal to which his whole soul was devoted, was the preservation of the Union.
Hischief object, the ideal to which his whole soul was devoted, was the preservation of the Union.
—Alexander H. Stephens
O honestface, which all men knew!O tender heart, but known to few!
—R. H. Stoddard
Whocan be what he was to the people,What he was to the State?Shall the ages bring us anotherAs good and as great?
—Phoebe Cary
Lincolnwas the greatest President in American history, because in a time of revolution he comprehended the spirit of American institutions.
Lincolnwas the greatest President in American history, because in a time of revolution he comprehended the spirit of American institutions.
—Lyman Abbott
He wasone of the few great rulers whose wisdom increased with his power, and whose spirit grew gentler and tenderer as his triumphs were multiplied.
He wasone of the few great rulers whose wisdom increased with his power, and whose spirit grew gentler and tenderer as his triumphs were multiplied.
—James A. Garfield
Withall his disappointments from failures on the part of those to whom he had trusted command, and treachery on the part of those who had gained his confidence but to betray it, I never heard him utter a complaint, nor cast a censure for bad conduct or bad faith. It was his nature to find excuses for his adversaries. In his death the nation lost its greatest hero.
Withall his disappointments from failures on the part of those to whom he had trusted command, and treachery on the part of those who had gained his confidence but to betray it, I never heard him utter a complaint, nor cast a censure for bad conduct or bad faith. It was his nature to find excuses for his adversaries. In his death the nation lost its greatest hero.
—U. S. Grant
The bestway to estimate the value of Lincoln is to think what the condition of America would be today if he had never lived—never been President.
The bestway to estimate the value of Lincoln is to think what the condition of America would be today if he had never lived—never been President.
—Walt Whitman
He hada face and manner which disarmed suspicion, which inspired confidence, which confirmed good will.
He hada face and manner which disarmed suspicion, which inspired confidence, which confirmed good will.
—R. W. Emerson
The lifeof Lincoln should never be passed by in silence by old or young. He touched the log cabin and it became the palace in which greatness was nurtured. He touched the forest and it became to him a church in which the purest and noblest worship of God was observed. In Lincoln there was always some quality which fastened him to the people and taught them to keep time to the music of his heart. He reveals to us the beauty of plain backwoods honesty.
The lifeof Lincoln should never be passed by in silence by old or young. He touched the log cabin and it became the palace in which greatness was nurtured. He touched the forest and it became to him a church in which the purest and noblest worship of God was observed. In Lincoln there was always some quality which fastened him to the people and taught them to keep time to the music of his heart. He reveals to us the beauty of plain backwoods honesty.
—Prof. David Swing
Theshepherd of the people! that old name that the best rulers ever craved. What ruler ever won it like this dead President of ours? He fed us with counsel when wewere in doubt, with inspiration when we faltered, with caution when we would be rash, with calm, trustful cheerfulness through many an hour when our hearts were dark. He fed hungry souls all over the country with sympathy and consolation. He spread before the whole land feasts of great duty, devotion and patriotism, on which the land grew strong. He taught us the sacredness of government, the wickedness of treason. He made our souls glad and vigorous with the love of liberty that was his.
Theshepherd of the people! that old name that the best rulers ever craved. What ruler ever won it like this dead President of ours? He fed us with counsel when wewere in doubt, with inspiration when we faltered, with caution when we would be rash, with calm, trustful cheerfulness through many an hour when our hearts were dark. He fed hungry souls all over the country with sympathy and consolation. He spread before the whole land feasts of great duty, devotion and patriotism, on which the land grew strong. He taught us the sacredness of government, the wickedness of treason. He made our souls glad and vigorous with the love of liberty that was his.
—Rev. Phillips Brooks
QUOTATIONS FROM LINCOLN
WITH malice toward none, with charity for all, with firmness in the right, as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in; to bind up the nation's wounds; to care for him who shall have borne the battle, and for his widow, and his orphan; to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace among ourselves and with all nations.
I haveone vote, and I shall always cast that against wrong as long as I live.
In everyevent of life, it is right makes might.
Themystic cords of memory, stretching from every battlefield and patriot grave, to every living heart and hearthstone, all over this broad land, will yet swell the chorus of the Union, when again touched, as surely they will be, by the angels of our nature.
Letus have faith that right makes might, and in that faith let us to the end dare to do our duty as we understand it.
Goldis good in its place; but loving, brave, patriotic men are better than gold.
Godmust like common people, or he would not have made so many of them.
Thereasonable man has long since agreed that intemperance is one of the greatest, if not the greatest, of all evils among mankind.
Thepurposes of the Almighty are perfect and must prevail, though we erring mortals may fail accurately to predict them in advance.
No menliving are more worthy to be trusted than those who toil up from poverty.
Of thepeople, when they rise in mass in behalf of the Union and the liberties of their country, truly may it be said: 'The gates of hell cannot prevail against them.'
No manis good enough to govern another man without that other man's consent.
Let nothim who is homeless pull down the house of another, but let him labor diligently to build one for himself.
Youmay fool all of the people some of the time, and some of the people all of the time, but you cannot fool all of the people all of the time.
Bettergive your path to the dog—even killing the dog would not cure the bite.
Theway for a young man to rise is to improve himself in every way he can, never suspecting that anybody is hindering him.
I say"try," for if we never try, we never succeed.
Thepioneer in any movement is not generally the best man to bring that movement to a successful issue.
Haveconfidence in yourself, a valuable if not indispensable quality.
Letus judge not, that we be not judged.
Whenyou have an elephant on hand, and he wants to run away, better let him run.
It isbest not to swap horses in the middle of a stream.
Thiscountry, with its institutions, belongs to the people who inhabit it.
A nationmay be said to consist of its territory, its people, and its laws.
Whenyou can't remove an obstacle,plough around it!
Godbless my mother! All I am or hope to be I owe to her.
I donot think much of a man who is not wiser today than he was yesterday.
Suspicionand jealousy never did help any man in any situation.
DIALOGUES, PLAYS, EXERCISES
THE SAVIOR OF OUR FLAG AND COUNTRY
Laura R. Smith
A PATRIOTIC CANTATA, DRILL, AND MEDLEY IN THREE SCENES FOR A WHOLE SCHOOL
Thisentertainment is especially adapted for primary and intermediate grades, although pupils of all grades may participate.
Thisentertainment is especially adapted for primary and intermediate grades, although pupils of all grades may participate.
CHARACTERS
SCENE I—Before the War
Six Sailor Boysenter from the right,Six Soldier Boysenter from the left. They march forward in two lines, carrying flags, pause and sing. Cross flags or wave them while singing the last four lines.
Sailor and Soldier Boys(sing):
Tune: COLUMBIA, THE GEM OF THE OCEAN
The flag of our nation we're bringing,The banner for me and for you;As songs of dear Lincoln we're singing,We stand 'neath the Red, White and Blue,O flag of a nation united,We love your bright folds and your stars,We march 'neath the bonnie bright banner,This good land of freedom is ours.We'll stand by the Red, White and Blue,We'll stand by the Red, White and Blue,The flag of our nation forever,We'll stand by the Red, White and Blue!See, the bonnie bright banners are streaming,We wave them all high in the air,The Red, White and Blue now is gleaming,Beloved by all men everywhere.Oh, long may the banner be waving,Upheld by soldiers and sailors true;Three cheers for the flag of our nation,We'll stand by the Red, White and Blue,We'll stand by the Red, White and Blue,We'll stand by the Red, White and Blue,The flag of our nation forever,We'll stand by the Red, White and Blue.
(Boysmarch forward and back,Soldiersin one line abreast,Sailorsin another, following.Lines march right and left,Sailorsfrom one side of stage,Soldiersfrom the other, pass each other several times at center of stage.Halt at center of stage, the two lines facing each other, close ranks at back and spread out at front, forming an open triangle, thus[Greek: lambda].)
Soldiers:
We'rethe boys of the land!We'll always be trueTo the flag of the Union,The Red, White and Blue.
Sailors:
We'rethe boys of the sea!Wherever we sailThe Red, White and BlueShall weather each gale.
All(waving flags):
The boys of the land and the boys of the sea,Sing a song for our banner, the flag of the free,The Union forever, for me and for you,Three cheers for our banner, the Red, White and Blue.
All(sing, waving flags during chorus):
HURRAH FOR THE FLAG![F]
There are many flags in many lands,There are flags of ev'ry hue,But there is no flag, however grand,Like our own Red, White and Blue.
Chorus:Then hurrah for the flag! our country's flag,Its stripes and white stars, too;There is no flag in any landLike our own Red, White and Blue!