The life and public services of Abraham Lincoln ... together with his state papers, including his speeches, addresses, messages, letters, and proclamations, and the closing scenes connected with his life and death. By Henry J. Raymond. To which are added anecdotes and personal reminiscences of President Lincoln, by Frank B. Carpenter.

STATE PAPERS OF ABRAHAM LINCOLN.

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long legs, could. scarcely keep pace with him. On reaching the end of the furrow, I found an enormous chin-Jly
fastened upon him, and knocked him off. My brother
asked me what I did that for. I told him I didn't want
the old horse bitten in that way. 'Why,' said my
brother, ' that' s all that made him go.' Now," said Mr.
Lincoln, "if Mr. has a presidential chin-fly biting
him, I'm not going to knock him off, if it will only make
his department go." These, which are given as illustrar
tions of very much of his conversation, were certainly pertinent and frank. Oftentimes he would resort to anecdotes to turn the current of conversation from some topic
which he did not wish discussed, greatly to the disgust,
not unfrequently, of the person who had come to extract
information which Mr. Lincoln did not choose to impart.
He had a habit, moreover, in canvassing public topics,
of eliciting, by questions or remarks of his own, the views
and objections of opponents; and, in debate, lie never
failed to state the positions of his antagonist as fairly, and
at least as strongly, as his opponent could state them
himself.
An impression is quite common that great men, who
make their mark upon the progress of events and the
world's history, do it by impressing their own opinions
upon nations and communities, in disregard and contempt
of their sentiments and prejudices. History does not sustain this view of the case. Sto man ever moulded the
destiny of a nation except by making the sentiment of
that nation his ally-by working with it, by shaping his
measures and his policy to its successive developments.
But little more than a year before the Declaration of Independence was issued, Washington wrote to a friend in
England that the idea of separation from Great Britain
was not entertained by any considerable number of the
inhabitants of the colonies.* If independence had then
been proclaimed, it would not have been supported by
public sentiment; and its proclamation would hlave excited hostilities and promoted divisions which might have
* Letter to Captain Mackensie, October 9, 1774.
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