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.

ANECDOTES AND REMINISCENCES. 731
been added unto, or unwarrantably embellished. Of all mlne in the
world, Mr. Lincoln was the most unaffected and truthful. He rarely
or never used language loosely or carelessly, or for the sake of compliment. He was the most utterly indifferent to, and unconscious of,
the effect he was producing, either upon official representatives, or the
common people, of any man ever in public position.
Mr. Lincoln could scarcely be called a religious man, in the common
acceptation of the term, and yet a sincerer Christian I believe never
lived. A constitutional tendency to dwell upon sacred things; an
emotional nature which finds ready expression in religious conversation and revival meetings; the culture and development of the devotional element till the expression of religious thought and experience becomes almost habitual, were not among his characteristics.
Doubtless he felt as deeply upon the great questions of the soul and
eternity as any other thjoughtful man, but the very tenderness and humility of his nature would not permit the exposure of his inmost convictions, except upon the rarest occasions, and to his most intimate
friends. And yet, aside from emotional expression, I believe no man
had a more abiding sense of his dependelnce upon (1od, ir faith in the
Divine government, and in the power and ultimate triumph of Truth
and Right in the world. In the language of an eninent clergryman of
this city, who lately delivered an eloquent discourse upon the life and
character of the departed President, "It is not necessary to appeal to
apocryphal stories, in circulation in the newspapers-which illustrate
as much the assurance of his visitors as the simplicity of his faitlhfor proof of Mr. Lincoln's Christian character." If his daily life and
various public addresses and writings do not show this, surely nothing
can demonstrate it.
But while inclined, as I have said, to doubt the truth of some of
the statements published on this subject, I feel at liberty to relate an
incident, which bears upon its face unmistakable evidence of truthfulness. A lady interested in the work of the Christian Commission had
occasion, in the prosecution of her duties, to have several interviews
with the President of a business nature. He was much impressed
with the devotion and earnestness of purpose she manifested, and
on one occasion, after she had discharged the object of her visit,
he said to her: "Mrs., I have formed a very high opinion
of your Christian character, and now, as we are alone, I have a
mind to ask you to give me, in brief, your idea of what constitutes a true religious experience." The lady replied at some length,
stating that, in her judgment, it consisted of a conviction of one's own
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