DEEP INTEREST IN THE SOLDIERS.

The Christian Commission was organized to bless the sick and wounded soldiers, and Mr. Lincoln was among the first public officers to appreciate its value. George H. Stuart, Esq., the worthy president of it, stated at a public meeting in Washington last winter, that the first letter of recognition from any official quarter, breathing encouragement and hope, which the society received, was from President Lincoln. His feelings were so deeply interested in the welfare of the soldiers, that he hailed such an organization as a real God-send, and could not withhold from its officers the warm greeting of his heart.

In March of the present year, the President manifested his deep interest in the soldiers by attending a fair for their benefit in the city of Washington, where he made the following brief speech:

"Ladies and gentlemen, I appear to say but a word. This extraordinary war in which we are engaged falls heavily upon all classes of people, but the most heavily upon the soldier. For it has been said, 'All that a man hath will he give for his life;' and, while all contribute of their substance, the soldier puts his life at stake, and often yields it up in his country's cause. The highest merit, then, is due to the soldier.

"In this extraordinary war, extraordinary developments have manifested themselves, such as have not been seen in former wars; and, among these manifestations, nothing has been more remarkable than these fairs for the relief of suffering soldiers and their families And the chief agents in these fairs are the women of America.

"I am not accustomed to the use of language of eulogy; I have never studied the art of paying compliments to women: but I must say, that, if all that has been said by orators and poets since the creation of the world in praise of women were applied to the

women of America, it would not do them justice for their conduct during the war. I will close by saying, God bless the women of America!"

When the honored commander of the "Monitor," Lieut. Worden, was conveyed to Washington, after the naval fight with the "Merrimack," in which he was severely injured, the President sought him out, to thank him, in the name of his country, for his heroism and success. The first view of his sightless eyes, and his extreme sufferings, well-nigh overcame the President. Grasping the soldier's hand, while his heart swelled with emotion, and unbidden tears filled his eyes, he gave unequivocal proof of his respect and sympathy. And this is only one of many instances of his unfeigned attachment to the soldier, and his disposition to lay aside the dignities of office to do him honor. There have been hundreds of the sick and wounded from the tented field in the hospitals at Washington, who can bear witness to the President's pleasant smile, and word of encouragement, in his accustomed visits. Amid the pressing duties of his office, he has found time to go on errands of sympathy and love to the wards of the hospitals.

A correspondent who was with the President when he visited the wounded soldiers at Frederick, Md., relates that the party passed a house in which there was a large number of Confederate wounded men. At the request of the President, the party entered the building. After Mr. Lincoln had viewed the scene, he remarked to the wounded Confederates, that "he would be pleased to take them by the hand, if they had no objections." He said, "The solemn obligations which we owe to our country and posterity compel the prosecution of this war; and it followed that

many were our enemies through uncontrollable circumstances; and he bore them no malice, and could take them by the hand with sympathy and good feeling." After a short silence, the Confederates came forward, and each silently but fervently shook the hand of the President.

Some of their number were too severely wounded to rise so the President walked forward, and took the hands of those who were not able to walk, and bade them be of good cheer, assuring them that the best of care should be bestowed upon them. It was a very touching spectacle, and beholders wept at the interview. Most of the Confederates, even, were moved to tears by this simple act of kindness.

AMIABLE CHARACTER.

Growing out of this amiable and genial nature of the President are many of those acts that have endeared him to the country. He appears to regard his fellow-men as equals; and to act upon the principle, that neither office nor honor can add true worth to manhood. He never appears to be influenced by the thought, "I am President of the United States," in his intercourse with men. He is as familiar, genial, and loving now as ever he was; and he possesses that remarkable faculty of making everybody feel at home in his presence. Even the little children shake hands with him as their friend, and catch his winning smile of recognition with delight. He was always on the best of terms with children, as the little folks of Springfield, where he lived so long, will testify. He loved them, and they loved him; and here is the true philosophy of his magnetic influence in social life. He had no enemies among the young or old. Even his political opponents were not his

:

enemies they respected him as a generous, noble, honest, gifted man.

It is only a few weeks since, that three little girls, the daughters of a mechanic, neatly but poorly clad, passed into the Presidential mansion with the crowd on receptionday. Their curiosity was on tip-toe; and they were glancing their sparkling eyes from object to object, not designing to offer their little hands to the President, as their seniors did. Doubtless they thought that the Chief Magistrate of the nation would not like to have little girls intruding themselves upon his presence on such an occasion: but the President's sharp eye beheld them as they passed by him; and he called out,

"Little girls, are you going to pass me without shaking hands?"

Then he bent forward, and warmly shook the hand of each child, all of whom seemed delighted with the interview, though not more so than everybody in the apartment; for every beholder stood spell-bound by the touching scene, in which the beautiful simplicity and sincerity of Mr. Lincoln's character appeared.

President Lincoln's administration abounds with similar scenes that are incidental to his life in Washington, showing more of the "fine old country-gentleman" than his official acts. The Washington correspondent of the "Chicago Tribune" relates the following anecdote:

"I dropped in upon Mr. Lincoln on Monday last, and found him busily engaged in counting greenbacks. This, sir,' said he, 'is something out of my usual line; but a President of the United States has a multiplicity of duties not specified in the Constitution, or acts of Congress: this is one of them. This money belongs to a poor negro, who is a porter in one of the departments (the

treasury), and who is at present very sick with the small-pox. He is now in the hospital, and could not draw his pay, because he could not sign his name.

"I have been at considerable trouble to overcome the difficulty, and get it for him; and have at length succeeded in cutting red tape, as you newspaper-men say. I am now dividing the money, and putting by a portion labelled in an envelope with my own hands, according to his wish;' and his excellency proceeded to indorse the package very carefully. No one who witnessed the transaction could fail to appreciate the goodness of heart which would prompt a man, who is borne down by the weight of cares unparalleled in the world's history, to turn aside for a time from them to succor one of the humblest of his fellow-creatures in sickness and sorrow."

Pretty well for a President! But Mr. Lincoln would always render a good service as readily to a black man as to a white one. The worth of the man is what attracts his attention, and not his complexion or his clothes. When two or three colored gentlemen availed themselves of the privilege to call upon him, at one of his Saturday receptions, a few months since, no visitor could discover that Mr. Lincoln considered them black. They were greeted with the same cordiality and freedom that he bestowed upon white men. It was the first time, probably, in the history of the White House, that colored men had participated in the receptions of the President; and yet Mr. Lincoln treated the affair as of ordinary occurrence, much to his credit and renown.

Another incident is related by George H. Stuart, Esq., of Philadelphia, to whom reference has been made. Although it was related for another object, it is equally valuable to illustrate the character of our beloved Chief Magistrate. Mr. Stuart said,—