a simple address, which at once fascinated every little hearer, and hushed the room into silence. His language was strikingly beautiful, and his tones musical with intensest feeling. The little faces around him would droop into sad conviction as he uttered sentences of warning, and would lighten into sunshine as he spoke cheerful words of promise. Once or twice he attempted to close his remarks; but the imperative shout of 'Go on! oh, do go on!' would compel him to resume. As I looked upon the gaunt and sinewy frame of the stranger, and marked his powerful head and determined features, now touched into softness by the impressions of the moment, I felt an irrepressible curiosity to learn something more about him; and when he was quietly leaving the room, I begged to know his name. He courteously replied, 'It is Abraham Lincoln, from Illinois.'"

Thus did the future President spend a portion of his Sabbath, while absent from his home, in a distant city; and thus, in doing and getting good, would he have others keep the Sabbath. His deep and earnest reverence for Christianity is seen in the following official paper, issued on the 16th of November, 1862:

"The President, Commander-in-chief of the Army and Navy, desires and enjoins the orderly observance of the Sabbath by the officers and men in the military and naval service. The importance for man and beast of the prescribed weekly rest, the sacred rights of Christian soldiers and sailors, a becoming deference to the best sentiment of a Christian people, and a due regard for the divine will, demand that Sunday labor in the army and navy be reduced to the measure of strict necessity.

"The discipline and character of the national forces should not suffer, nor the cause they defend be imperilled, by the profanation of the day or name of the Most High.

'At this time of public distress,' adopting the words of Washington in 1776, ' men may find enough to do in the service of God and their country, without abandoning themselves to vice and immorality.' The first general order issued by the Father of his Country after the Declaration of Independence indicates the spirit in which our institutions were founded, and should ever be defended: The General hopes and trusts that every officer and man will endeavor to live and act as becomes a Christian soldier defending the dearest rights and liberties of his country.'

"ABRAHAM LINCOLN."

Among the kindly and appreciative words of the amiable President may be found his brief speech on the 18th March, 1864, at the close of the successful fair held in the Patent Office in Washington. It was as follows:

"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 the 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 this war. I will close by saying, God bless the women of America!"

Again: just before he wrote the immortal proclamation, he said, "Do not misunderstand me: I have not decided against a proclamation of liberty to the slaves, but hold the matter under advisement. And I can assure you that the subject is on my mind, by day and night, more than any other. Whatever shall appear to be God's will, I will do."*

And yet again: in words of living faith he says, "If we have patience, if we restrain ourselves, if we allow ourselves not to run off in a passion, I still have confidence that the Almighty, the Maker of the universe, will, through the instrumentality of this great and intelligent people, bring us through this, as he has through all the other difficulties of our country."+ This was said in 1861. In 1864, the President's faith was lost in sight.

See the modesty of our late President in his own record of his life, furnished for a " Dictionary of Congress." "Born Feb. 12, 1809, in Hardin County, Ky. "Education defective.

"Profession, a lawyer. Have been a captain of volunteers in the Black-Hawk War.

"Postmaster at a very small office. Four times a member of the Illinois Legislature, and was a member of the lower house of Congress.

"Yours, &c.,

"A. LINCOLN."

Here is the record of an act of kindness, from the pen of a Western editor:

"I dropped in upon Mr. Lincoln on Monday last, and found him busily engaged in counting green-backs. '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 dif ficulty, 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."*

An English clergyman said in his eulogy, "One or two illustrations of his personal kindness have just come to my knowledge through a friend who has recently returned from the United States. This gentleman told me that he was one day conversing with the general in command of one of the armies, on the subject of desertion; when the general said, 'The first week of my command, there were twenty-four deserters sentenced by court-martial to be shot; and the warrants for their execution were sent to the President to be signed: he refused. I went to Washington, and had an interview. I said, 'Mr. President, unless these men are made an example of, the army itself is in danger. Mercy to the few is cruelty to the many.' He replied, 'Mr. General, there are already too many weeping widows in the United States. For God's sake, don't ask me to add to the number; for I

* "Chicago Tribune."

won't do it.' A young sentry was found asleep on his post: he was sentenced to be shot; but the President came into camp, and granted the earnest petition of the lad. The dead body of that youth was afterwards found among the slain on the field of Fredericksburg; and under his waistcoat, next to his breast, was a photograph of the President, beneath which the lad had written, 'God bless President Lincoln !' Many similar incidents might be cited to show how tender-hearted he was, and how deeply he was beloved by multitudes who have received from him personal marks of kindness." *

At the time when the young soldier above mentioned was under sentence of death, " Carleton" (C. C. Coffin), of the "Journal," was in Washington. He became convinced that the case was one deserving pardon; that the young man had been kept awake too long, and was not desirous of failing in duty, but was absolutely overpowered by fatigue. On the evening preceding the day when he was to be shot, Mr. Coffin called on a Presbyterian pastor, Rev. Mr. Smith, and found that he had retired to his bed, sick on account of the approaching doom for one whom he also deemed innocent. He rose, and, proceeding to the parlor, told "Carleton" that he heard the President had "made up his mind" to have the young man executed, and forbade all admittance to those who would plead for him: so the clergyman had been asking for deliverance of One whose ear is ever open. The two proceeded to the White House, were denied admittance to the President, but wrote a note to him, begging the young man's life, which the President consented to receive; and they left the White House ignorant of the result. The next day the pardon was

* Rev. Newman Hall, London.