Personal Traits Of Abraham Lincoln (1912)

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PERSONAL TRAITS OF ABRAHAM LINCOLN Ref, PREFACE WHEN my father began collecting material to be used in his joint work with John Hay, c Abraham Lincoln A History, he put certain things into an envelope marked Personal Traits, mean ing to make a chapter with that heading. As the work grew the items gathered under that head overflowed from one envelope into many and at the same time it became manifest that a chapter with such a title would be out of place. Inci dents illustrating Mr. Lincolns personal traits found their rightful place elsewhere and the authors argued that if the work as a whole did not reflect his character, it was labor lost. PREFACE The envelopes, bursting with their load, were put aside. My father meant at some future time, to make of the material thus collected, a smaller and more intimate vol ume. More pressing literary tasks, and failing health, interfered. Unfortunately, first-hand knowledge, that could take those miscellaneous notes, personal jottings, private letters, and newspaper clippings, unrelated as the col ors on a painters palette, and blend them into an absolutely satisfactory portrait, is not a kind of knowledge to be in herited even by a daughter who grew up in an atmosphere of devotion to Lin coln, and who, even in childhood was ac corded the privilege of helping, in so far as she was able, with the details of the History. That experience, however seems to put upon her a certain obligation to use these P REF ACE notes, while it does not lessen her sense of the perils of the task. It is a case, indeed, where duty and something very like pre sumption go hand in hand. She wishes to make acknowledgment to Mr. Robert Lincoln for his personal kind ness inhelp and advice and also to the authors whose painstaking research has brought to light new letters and material since Abraham Lincoln A History, was published. Washington, Z. ., May SI, 191. CONTENTS PAGK I THE MAN-AND His NATURE . . . 3 II LINCOLNS ANECDOTES AND SIMILES . 1 III His DEVELOPING POWER 36 IV THE START IN LIFE 63 V THE EIGHTH JUDICIAL CIRCUIT . . 79 VI LINCOLNS ATTITUDE TOWARD MONEY 97 VII A NEW CANDIDATE 117 VIII THE CAMPAIGN SUMMER .... 134 IX THE JOURNEY TO WASHINGTON . .151 X B VERY-DAY LIFE AT THE WHITE HOUSE 173 XI PRESIDENT LINCOLN, His WIFE AND CHILDREN 198 XII THOSE IN AUTHORITY 234 XIII DAILY RECEPTIONS OF THE PLAIN PEOPLE 257 XIV THE MEMORANDUM OF AUGUST TWENTY-THIRD 289 XV His FORGIVING SPIRIT 315 XVI His REASON AND His HEART ... 337 XVII LINCOLN THE WRITER 359 XVIII HWJ MORAL Fzww 377 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS FACING PAGE Party accompanying Lincoln on the Journey from Springfield to Washington .... 154 Handbill used on Lincolns Journey to Wash ington 168 Autograph Text of Address to Foreign En voys 176 Presidents Note about a Post-office Appoint ment, with Montgomery Blairs Endorsement 186 Two Characteristic Endorsements, and a Call to a Special Cabinet Meeting .... 190 A Presidential Tea Party 206 Autograph Text of Lincolns Rebuke to His Cabinet ............ S40 Memorandum across back of which Lincoln asked his Cabinet to write their names, but whose Contents he did not show them until after his reelection, 312 PERSONAL TRAITS OF ABRAHAM LINCOLN