all unimportant or accidental relations, so that his statement was a demonstation. At the bar, his statement of his case, or of a question of law, was so clear, that most persons were surprised that there should be any controversy about it. His reasoning powers were keen and logical, and moved forward to a demonstration with the precision of mathematics. What has been said implies that he possessed not only a sound judgment, which brought him to correct conclusions, but that he was able to present questions so as to bring others to the same result.

His memory was strong, ready, and tenacious. His reading was limited in extent, but his memory was so ready, and so retentive, that in history, poetry, and general literature, no one ever remarked any deficiency. As an illustration of the power of his memory, I recollect to have once called at the White House, late in his Presidency, and introducing to him a Swede, and a Norwegian; he immediately repeated a poem of eight or ten verses, describing Scandinavian scenery and old Norse legends. In reply to the expression of their delight, he said, that he had read and admired the poem several years before, and it had entirely gone from him, but seeing them recalled it.

The two books which he read most were the Bible and Shakespeare. With these he was very familiar, reading and studying them habitually, and constantly. He had great fondness for poetry, and eloquence, and his taste and judgment in each was exquisite. Shakespeare was his favorite poet, Burns, stood next. Holmes' beautiful poem, "The Last Leaf," was with him a great favorite. The following-verse he regarded as equal to anything in the language:

"The mossy marble rests

On the lips that he has pressed

In their bloom,

And the names he loved to hear,

Have been carved for many a year,

On the tomb." *

He made a speech at a Burns' Festival, in which he spoke at length of Burns' poems; illustrating what he said by many

* Carpenter's Six Months at the White House, p. 59.

quotations, which was listened to with the greatest pleasure, but it was unfortunately never reported. He was extremely fond of ballads, and simple, sad, and plaintive music.

He was a most admirable reader. He read and recited from the Bible and Shakespeare, with great simplicity, but remarkable expression and effect. Often when going to and from the army, on the steamers and in his carriage, he took a copy of Shakespeare with him, and not unfrequently read aloud to his associates. After conversing upon public affairs, he would take up his Shakespeare, and addressing his companions, remark, "What do you say now to a scene from Macbeth, or Hamlet," and then he would read aloud, scene after scene, never seeming to tire of the enjoyment. On the last Sunday of his life, as he was coming up the Potomac, from his visit to City Point and Richmond, he read many extracts from Shakspeare. Among other things, he read, with an accent and feeling which no one who heard him will ever forget, extracts from Macbeth, and among others, the following:

After "treason" had "done his worst," the friends who heard him on that occasion, remembered that he read that passage over twice, and with an absorbed and peculiar manner. Did he feel a mysterious presentiment of his approaching fate?

His conversation was suggestive, original, instructive, and playful; and by its genial humor, fascinating and attractive beyond comparison. Mirthfulness and sadness, were strongly combined in him. His mirth was exuberant, it sparkled in jest, story, and anecdote; and the next moment those peculiary sad, pathetic, melancholy eyes, showed a man “familiar with sorrow, and acquainted with grief." I have listened for hours at his table, and elsewhere, when he has been surrounded by statesmen, military leaders, and other great men of the Nation, and I but repeat the universally concurring

verdict of all, in stating that as a conversationalist, he had no equal. One might meet in company with him, the most distinguished men, of various pursuits and professions, but after listening for two or three hours, on separating, it was what Lincoln said, that would be remembered. His ideas, and his illustrations were those that would not be forgotten. Men often called upon him for the pleasure of listening to him. I have heard the reply to an invitation to attend the theatre, "No, I am going up to the White House-I would rather hear Lincoln talk for half an hour, than attend the best theatre in the country."

As a public speaker, without any attempt at oratorical display, I think he was the most effective of any man of his day. When he spoke, every body listened. It was always obvious, before he completed two sentences, that he had something to say, and it was sure to be something original, something different from anything any one had heard from others, or had read. He impressed the hearer at once, as an earnest, sincere man, who believed what he said. To-day, there are more of the sayings of Lincoln, repeated by the people, more expressions, sentences, and extracts from his writings and speeches, familiar as "household words," than from those of any other American.

Next to the Bible, and Shakspeare, there is no other source so prolific of these familiar phrases and expressions as his writings and speeches. Somebody has said, "I care not who makes the laws, if I may write the ballads of a nation." The words of Lincoln have done more in the last six years to mould and fashion the American character than those of any other man, and their influence has been all for good; for truth, right, justice, and liberty. Great as has been Lincoln's services to the people, as their President, I think his influence derived from his words and his example in moulding the future National character, in favor of justice, right, liberty, truth, and real, sincere, unostentatious reverence for God, is scarcely less important. The Republic of the future, the matured National character, will be more influenced by Abraham Lincoln, than by any other man. This is evidence of the greatness of the man, intellectually, and still more,

morally. In this power of impressing himself upon the people, he contrasts with many other distinguished men in our history.

A few quotations from Webster live in the every day language of the people. Little of Clay survives; not much of Calhoun, and who can quote, off hand, two sentences from Douglas? But you hear Lincoln's words, not only in every cabin and caucus, but at every school house, high school and college, and by every farmer, as he tells you story after story of Lincoln's, and all to the point, hitting the nail on the head every time, and driving home the argument. Mr. Lincoln was not a scholar, but where is there a speech more exhaustive in argument than his Cooper Institute speech? Where anything more full of pathos than his speech to his neighbors at Springfield, when he bade them farewell, on starting for the Capital? Where anything more eloquent than his appeal for Peace and Union, in his first Inaugural Address, or than his defence of the Declaration of Independence in the Douglas debates? Where is the equal of his speech at Gettysburg? Where is a more conclusive argument than in his letter to the Albany meeting, on arrests? What is better than his letter to the Illinois State Convention; and that to Hodges of Kentucky, in explanation of his antislavery policy? Where is there any thing equal in simple grandeur of thought, and sentiment, to his last Inaugural?

From all of these, and many others, from his every day talks, are extracts on the tongues of the people, as familiar, and nearly as much reverenced, as texts from the Bible; and these are shaping the national character.

"Though dead, he yet speaketh."

As a public speaker, if excellence is measured by effect, he had no superior. His manner was generally earnest, often playful; sometimes, but this was rare, he was vehement and impassioned. There have been a few instances, at the bar and on the stump, when, wrought up to indignation by some great personal wrong, or an aggravated case of fraud, or injustice, or when speaking of the fearful wrongs and injustice

of slavery, he has spoken in a strain of impassioned vehemence which carried everything before him.

Generally, he addressed the reason and judgment, and the effect was lasting. He spoke extemporaneously, but with more or less preparation. He had the faculty of repeating, without reading it, a discourse or speech which he had prepared and written out. His great speech, on opening the campaign in Illinois, June, 1858, was carefully written out, but so naturally spoken that few suspected that it was not extemporaneous. In his style, manner of presenting facts, and way of putting things to the people, he was more like Franklin than any other American. His illustrations, by anecdote and story, were not unlike the author of Poor Richard.

Another source of his great intellectual power, was the thorough, exhaustive investigation he gave to every subject. Take, for illustration, his Cooper Institute speech. Hundreds of able and intelligent men have spoken on the same subject, as was treated by him in that speech, yet, they will all be forgotten and his will survive, because his is absolutely perfect for the purpose for which it was designed. Nothing can be added to it.

Mr. Lincoln, however, required time, thoroughly to investigate, before he came to his conclusions, and the movements of his mind were not rapid, but when he reached his conclusions he believed in them, and adhered to them with great firmness and tenacity. When called upon to decide quickly upon a new subject, or a new point, he often erred, and was ever ready to change when satisfied he was wrong.

It was the union, in Mr. Lincoln, of the capacity clearly to see the truth, and an innate love of truth, and justice, and right in his heart, that constituted his character, and made him so great. He never demoralized his intellectual or moral nature, either by doing wrong, that good might come, or by advocating error, because it was popular. Although, as a statesman, eminently practical, and looking to the possible good of to-day, he ever kept in mind the absolute truth, and absolute right towards which he always aimed.