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 LINCOLN ROOM 
 
 
 UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS 
 LIBRARY
 
 LIBRARY 
 
 OF THE 
 
 UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS 
 
 ADDRESS 
 
 ON THE 
 
 DEATH 
 
 OP 
 
 President Lincolk 
 
 JOHN FOWLER, Jr., 
 
 NETV-ROCHELLE, ^P»RI3Li SOth, 1865.
 
 An Address 
 
 DEi^TH 
 
 OF 
 
 President Lincoln, 
 
 DELIVERED AT THE REQUEST OF THE 
 
 CITIZENS OF NEW-PtOCHELLE, WESTCHESTER CO., X. Y., 
 
 JOHN FOWLEE, Jr., 
 
 THURSDAY EV'G, APRIL 20, 1865, 
 
 3xn tl)c ©ItJ Hjpisco|)al ffi^urcl), ^Mcto^a^octcllc. 
 
 KEW-YORK: 
 JOUN A. GRAr & GREEX, PRINTERS, COR. FRANKFORT AND JACOB STREETS. 
 
 1865.
 
 
 s 
 
 
 " WITH MALICE TOWARD NONE.-WITH CHARITY FOR ALL,-WITH FIRMNESS 
 IN THE RIGHT,-AS GOD GIVES US TO SEE THE RIGHT -LET VS STRIVE ON TO 
 FINISH THE WORK WE ARE IN,-TO BIND UP THE NATION'S WOUNDS,-TO CARE 
 FOR HIM WHO SHALL HAVE BORNE THE BATTLE, AND FOR HIS WIDOW AND 
 ORPHAXS,-TO DO ALL WHICH MAY ACHIEVE AND CHERISH A JTJST AND LAST- 
 ING PEACE AMONG OURSELVES AND WITH ALL NATIONS." 
 
 PRESIDENT LINCOLN'S INAUGURAL ADDRESS, 
 
 MiKCH 4, IsM. 
 
 ^:s- 
 
 1022912
 
 New-Rochelle, Westchester Co., 
 
 April 21, 1S65. 
 
 Dear Sir: 
 
 The undersigned^ a Committee^ appointed for the purpose 
 hy their fellow-citizens who had tlie pleasure of listening to 
 your eloquent^ judicious, and patriotic Address last evening, 
 have the honor to reqiiest that you will favor us with the 
 manuscript for publication. 
 
 Very respectfully, yours. 
 
 RICHARD LATHERS, 
 JAMES C. LUCE, 
 JOSEPH W. HARPER, Jr., 
 P. C. BULKLEY, 
 ROB'T A. CHESEBROUGH, 
 
 Committee 
 
 ON 
 
 Publication. 
 
 JOHN FOWLER, Jr., Esq,, 
 
 New-Rochelle.
 
 NEW-ROCHELLE, April 22, 1865. 
 
 Gentlemen : 
 
 I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your 
 
 favor of tiventy-first Inst. In compliance with your reciuest^ 
 
 the manuscript^ to -ushlch you so kindly allude, is hereivith 
 
 transmitted. 
 
 Very respectfully^ 
 
 Jour obedient seroant, 
 
 JOHN FOWLER, Jr. 
 To 
 
 RICHARD LATHERS, 
 
 JAMES C. LUCE, 
 
 P. C. BULKLEV, 
 
 JOSEPH W. HARPER, Jr., 
 
 ROBERT A. CHESEBROUGH, Esc^uires, 
 
 Committee on Publication.
 
 NOTE 
 
 At a meeting of the citizens of the town of Xew-Rocbelle, held pursuant to 
 public notice, in the Town Hall, Monday evening, April 17th, 1865, it was, on 
 motion of Mr. Robert A. Cuksebrocgii, unanimously resolved : 
 
 " That, John Fowler, Jr., be respectfully requested to deliver an Address on 
 the Death of President Lincoln, on Thursday evening, April 20th, before the 
 Citizens of New-Rochelle, in the old Episcopal Church Building." 
 
 The Address was delivered by Mr. Fowler, at the time and place indicated in 
 the Resolution ; but as many persons were, by reason of a violent storm, pre- 
 vented from attending, the Committee of Arrangements, in accordance with the 
 general desire, requested a repetition of the Address, in the same place, Monday 
 evening, April 24th, At this time, as on the evening of April 20th, Mr. Richard 
 Lathers presided. The platform was occupied by the entire clergy of the village, 
 namely, the Rev. Richard U. Morgan, D.D., Rector of Trinity Church ; the 
 Rev. John Milet, D.D., Pastor of the Methodist Episcopal Church ; the Rev. 
 Thomas McLoughlin, Pastor of St. Matthew's Church ; the Rev. Erskine N. 
 White, Pastor of the Presbyterian Church, and the Rev. Otis Saxton, Pastor of 
 the Baptist Church. 
 
 The attendance was numerous, every seat in the spacious building being occu- 
 pied. Mr. Lathers addressed the audience in fitting terms, alluding in a feeling 
 manner to the terrible calamity that had befallen the Country, and urging the 
 cultivation of kindly feelings at a time when every citizen should give the Ad- 
 ministration a fair trial and generous support. 
 
 Mr. Fowler's Address was preceded by a Prayer from the Rev. Erskine N. 
 White, and followed by a Prayer from the Rev. Dr. Morgan. The Rev. Thomas 
 McLoughlin addressed the assemblage briefly. He spoke of the high regard and 
 admiration he entertained for the lamented President. His earnest expressions 
 of regret and sympathy deeply impressed the audience. At the conclusion of the 
 Reverend gentleman's pathetic remarks, a Vote of Thanks to Mr. Fowler was 
 unanimously adopted, and a Committee, consisting of Richard Lathers, James 
 C. Luce, Joseph W. Harper, Jr., P. C. Bulkley, and Robert A. Chesebrough, 
 was appointed by the audience, to request of Mr. Fowler a copy of his Address 
 for publication in pamphlet form. 
 
 P. C. Bulkley, 
 
 Chairman Committee of Arrangements. 
 J. W. Harper, Jr., Secretary. 
 
 New-Rochelle, April 25, 18G5.
 
 ADDRESS. 
 
 « ♦ »- 
 
 Fellotv-Citizein's : 
 
 We meet to-nio-lit under circumstances as extra- 
 ordinary as tliey are appalling ! In tlie very hour 
 of victory, when all hearts were expected to be aglow 
 with joy and pride, we meet to mingle our tears over 
 the new-made grave of a murdered Chief Magistrate ! 
 
 Throughout four weary years we had watched with 
 painful solicitude the varying progress of a malignant 
 rebellion, which, at times, seemed so fraught with dan- 
 ger and disaster, as almost to shake the stoutest hearts. 
 During a large portion of this time our energy, pa- 
 tience, and treasui'e, were severely taxed. Our loyal- 
 ty was, on more than one occasion, tested and found 
 true. To all the elements of national strength we con- 
 tributed without stint. In the full confidence that a 
 grand love for the whole country would prove the 
 paramount passion of the people, and, sooner or 
 later, rise superior to the spirit of disunion, — we were 
 willing to accept as a full reward for all our pains, 
 the suppression of the Rebellion and the restoration 
 of the Union.
 
 10 
 
 We saw, witliout dismay, tlie Xatioiial Debt mount- 
 ing from tens of millions to linnclreds of millions. 
 No mind could be so sordid as to 2)ut a money value 
 on the Union : the cause at stake was priceless. 
 
 Tliousands uj^on thousands of our brethren went 
 forth to repel the public enemy, and meet death in all 
 the horrid forms which the demon of war conjures up. 
 ]\Iany of them sleep where they fell. Others, emerg- 
 ing from some loathsome prison, crept home and 
 thought it hajDpiness enough to look once more uj)on 
 the dear scenes of childhood, and then to hare their 
 mutilated limbs and wasted forms laid decently to rest 
 by the hands of affection. 
 
 At last, through the dark cloud, light seemed break- 
 ing. The heart of the j^retended Confederacy was 
 reached. Hood's defiant army approached Nashville 
 in the vain hope of an easy victoiy, but was gallantly 
 met by Thomas and scattered to the winds. Sher- 
 man, meanwhile, marched triumphantly through Geor- 
 gia, and, taking Savannah on his way, proceeded lei- 
 surely through the Carolinas, where our glorious ban- 
 ners, long accustomed to the smoke of battle, soon 
 mingled their gay colors with Orange Blossoms and 
 Palmetto Leaves. 
 
 Still, the end, although certain, seemed for off. The 
 campaign was being conducted in the midst of the en- 
 emy's country, and might, at any moment, be adverse- 
 ly determined by some accident which neither skill 
 nor courage could avert. Hope had been so often de- 
 ferred, that while any great movement was in progress,
 
 11 
 
 we souglit ratlier to steel our hearts against the pangs 
 of disapj^ointment, than encourage the j^romises of 
 success, 
 
 Wilmino-ton had fallen, Charleston was ours. 
 
 Grant, long silent, but always vigilant, moved sud> 
 denly on the enemy's works. After several days of 
 such terrible conflict as the world had rarely seen, the 
 foe beaten, discomfited, abandoned his strong lines in 
 utter dismay, and we beheld the old flag floating in 
 triumph over the Citadel of Treason. 
 
 Then quickly followed the surrender of Lee and the 
 army of Northern Virginia, 
 
 It needed now no official bulletin to persuade us 
 that the rebellion was crushed, and the war virtuall}^ 
 closed, 
 
 A general joy suffused all true American hearts. 
 The timid were assured; the wavering ceased to 
 doubt ; they who had opposed the war were glad that 
 it was over ; they who had favored a vigorous pros- 
 ecution of the war as the only legitimate means of es- 
 tablishing a permanent peace, were equally rejoiced. 
 
 No Ion seer beneath the chastenino; rod we lifted our 
 heads to behold with gratitude the bow of j^i'omise, 
 spanning what, to our imperfect vision, appeared an 
 unclouded sky. 
 
 A day was set apart, Thursday, April twentieth,* 
 
 * Thursday, April twentieth, 1865, had been named by the Governor's 
 Proclamation as a day of Thanksgiving and Praise for the recent victo- 
 ries ; but was changed on account of the death of the President to a 
 day of Humiliation and Prayer.
 
 12 
 
 as a day of Tlianksgiviiig aud Praise, of Rejoicings 
 and Merry Meetings, and to hail witli universal joy 
 tlie dawn of tliat auspicious season when the clasli of 
 arms sliould cease, — when instead of "bugle Llast and 
 trumj^et blare, and screaming fife and deafening drmn, 
 the robin's song and plougluuan's whistle should be 
 heard, — when through valleys trampled beneath the 
 hoof of cavalry, and along hillsides furrowed by artil- 
 lery, the lily should spring up, and grass resume its 
 verdure, and tasseled corn and waving grain should 
 bloom, — when deserted firesides should smile once 
 more, and hearts long, too long estranged, be one 
 aQ;ain. 
 
 In the midst of all this exj^ectant joy — while we 
 were arranging the gay order of the happy ceremonies 
 — at the very moment when our hands were raised to 
 strike the timbrel and the harp, the dreadful, heart- 
 rending, paralyzing news came to us that the Peesi- 
 DENT of the United States lay senseless — dying ^ he- 
 neatli tlie hJmo of an assassin ! A few moments later, 
 the fatal message arrived that the President was 
 Dead ! 
 
 Dead ! Muedeeed ! ! 
 
 With full hearts and choking utterance, we turned 
 one to another, and tremulously, cloubtingly repeated 
 the awful words : Dead ? Muedeeed ? 
 
 Abeaiiam Lincoln, fi'om whose calm eye naught 
 but benevolence beamed, — on whose benignant face 
 charity and good-will always sat, — in whose generous 
 breast the gall of bitterness never found an abiding
 
 13 
 
 place, — ABRAnA:\r Lixcolx the man of tlie people, tlie 
 friend of the people, the freely chosen Ruler of the 
 Nation — Dead ? Murdeked ? 
 
 Comj^letely overcome by a flood of conflicting emo- 
 tions, and utterly unable to fathom the depths of this 
 mysterious Providence, we could only turn our eyes 
 toward God and watch and wait 1 
 
 To some impetuous temperaments there seemed no re- 
 lief but in instant and bloody vengeance. Blood alone 
 could apj^ease the fierce wrath of souls so suddenly 
 stiiTcd up to rage and mutiny. The murderer had 
 fled ! He had escaped ! He had not been caught 
 and torn asunder while in the act of exultins; over his 
 stupendous crime ! The popular fury spreading like 
 some dreadful contagion, infused its rancor into many 
 hearts unaccustomed to hatred, until, for a moment, 
 it was feared that the people were about to enforce 
 the impassioned sentiments of Antony : 
 
 " Woe to the hand that shed this costly blood ! 
 Over thy wounds now do I prophesy — 
 Which like dumb mouths do ope their ruby lips 
 To beg the roice and utterance of my tongue, 
 A curse shall light upon the limbs of men ; 
 Domestic fury, and fierce civil strife, 
 Shall cumber all the parts of Italy ; 
 Blood and Destruction shall so be in use, 
 And dreadful objects so familiar, 
 That mothers shall but smile when they behold 
 Their children quartered by the hands of War ; 
 And Pity choked with custom of fell deeds, 
 And Ca?sar's spirit ranging for Revenge
 
 14 
 
 With Ate by his side, come hot from Hell, 
 Shall in these confines with a monarch's voice 
 Cry ' Havoc,' and let slip the dogs of war ; 
 That this foul deed shall smell ahove the earth 
 With carrion men groaning for burial 1 " 
 
 r Terrible as tliey seem, sucli were the sentiments 
 "wliicli for a moment possessed tlie minds of many. 
 But tlie paroxysm was too violent to last, and wlien 
 reaction came, the wiser counsels of moderation jire- 
 vailed. A little calm reflection demonstrated, that 
 the spirit of wide-sj)read revenge was not the spirit 
 in which the Great Calamity should be met ; that 
 over the dead body of our kindly-tempered Peesideis^t 
 we should not allow oui' evil passions to become in- 
 flamed; that to let loose the furies of popular dis- 
 cord would be an insult to the memory of the good 
 man whose life, entirely free from bigotr}^, was one 
 beautiful illustration of harmony and love ; that 
 while never remitting our utter detestation of trea- 
 son, in whatever guise it may appear, we should seek 
 inspiration not from the bloody work of murderous 
 hands, but rather from the sweet smile which lingered 
 round the martyr's face when the agonies of death 
 were gone. 
 
 "_Far it is tvritten, ^Venrfmnce is mine. I will o'e- 
 pay, saitli tlie Lord^ " To Him whose judgments are 
 unsearchable, and whose ways are past finding out, we 
 commit the fiend that perpetrated this unforgotten, 
 unforaciven crime. Althous-h the wretch evade the 
 vigilance of human eyes, he shall suffer the miseries of
 
 15 
 
 a- thousand deaths as, pursued by the outraged Law 
 and haunted by remorse, the proscribed felon seeks in 
 some oliscure corner of the earth to hide his guilty 
 head. An exile and an outcast, a fu^-itive and a vasra- 
 bond, what dreadful punishment can he suffer — what 
 terrible j^enance can he endure — that shall cleanse his 
 blood-stained soul of this foul murder ? * 
 
 Turning from the contem2:>lation of this enormous 
 crime, let us devoutly thank God that the assassin's 
 main j^urpose was not accomplished ; that the Gov- 
 ernment remains steady in its course, — that the Union 
 never had a stronger hold on the affections of the peo- 
 ple than at the present moment. And while daring to 
 hope that our beloved Country is, as it was in days 
 gone by, an object of Divine Protection, let us not 
 omit in this the hour of humiliation to acknowledge 
 that no sentiments however pure, no qualities how- 
 ever great, no station however exalted, can avert from 
 poor humanity the shafts of Death. 
 
 " The Glories of oui* Blood and State 
 
 Are Shadows — not Substantial Things ; 
 There is no Armor against Fate — 
 Death lays his icy hand on Kings ! 
 Sceptre and Crown 
 Must tumble down, 
 And, in the Dust, be equal made 
 "With the poor crooked Scythe and Spade. 
 
 * At the time of the delivery of this Address, the murderer had not 
 been arrested.
 
 16 
 
 " Some men with Swords may reap the fielJ 
 And plant fresh Laurels where they kill ; 
 But their strong nerves at last must yield ; 
 They tame but one another still. 
 Early or late 
 They stoop to Fate, 
 And must give up their murmuring breath, 
 When they, pale captives, creep to Death. 
 
 " The Garlands wither on your brow : 
 
 Then boast no more your mighty deeds ! 
 Upon Death's purple altar now 
 
 See where the victor-victim bleeds ! 
 Your heads must come 
 To the cold Tomb ; 
 Only the actions of the Just 
 Smell sweet and blossom in the Dust ! " 
 
 Tliis is not the appropriate season for an elaborate 
 analysis of the character and virtues of President 
 LmcoLi^. The moment is too solemn — our grief is too 
 poignant for the stately phrase and pompous period of 
 labored eulogy. A Nation's Tears are now tlie silent 
 Heralds of his Fame. 
 
 The period is not yet arrived when mankind 
 can survey his eminent jiublic services — as History, 
 with her impartial j^en, will delight to trace their 
 beauties. When time shall have smoothed the asper- 
 ities of partisan warfare, and mellowed the judgments 
 of men ; when all the motives of his conduct shall 
 have been revealed and followed to their results, the 
 world will love him all the more that to the Victor's 
 Wreath was added the Martyr's Crown.
 
 17 
 
 Whatever differences of opinion tliere may Lave 
 existed among liis countrymen regairding the correct- 
 ness of his political theories, or the wisdom of his ad- 
 ministrative policy, no one ventured to question his 
 singleness of heart or honesty of purj^ose. That he 
 moved cautiously and weighed events deliberately ; 
 that he was singularly free from the intolerance of big- 
 otry, and was ever controlled by a conscientious regard 
 for justice, has rarely been denied. His private char- 
 acter was conceded to be not only beyond reproach, 
 but above suspicion. This is the more remarkable 
 from the fact that he came into power on a whirlwind 
 of popular excitement, the result of an agitation which 
 for more than twenty-five years had threatened to rend 
 the Union. 
 
 Environed by difficulties at home, and threading his 
 way through the dangerous entanglements of foreign 
 diplomacy, he applied to all his intricate duties the 
 rules of a homely common-sense. Unused to the logic 
 of the schools, he called to his aid none of the arts of 
 rhetoric ; but with unaffected reasoning, direct argu- 
 ment, and plain Saxon words, passed straight to the 
 point at issue. In his correspondence vritli private 
 citizens, and mth committees and military officers — in 
 his public addresses. Messages to Congress, and various 
 State papers, he delivered his sentiments ^vith a sim- 
 plicity and vigor that won respect where they failed 
 to convince. Men who could not admit his doctrines 
 acknowledged his candor. 
 
 He seemed to fully a2:»2^reciate the great responsibil-
 
 18 
 
 ities of liis position Avliile yet standing on tlie tliresLold 
 of his Presidential career. There Avas a solemn grandenr 
 in the calm devotion with whicli he pledged life itself 
 to the great duty of preserving the Union. Nowhere 
 is this more striking than in tlie brief speech made by 
 him when about to raise the National Flag over Inde- 
 pendence Hall on Washington's birthday, 1861. His 
 language on that memorable occasion not only disclos- 
 ed a familiar acquaintance with the principles of our 
 Government which honored his intelligence and patri- 
 otism, but in certain particulars, now startling to re- 
 call, seems almost to have proceeded from a prophetic 
 mind. To the complimentary remarks of Mr. Cuyler, 
 he replied as follows : 
 
 " I am filled witli deep emotion at finding myself standing here, 
 in this place where were collected tlie wisdom, the patriotism, 
 the devotion to principle from which sprang the institutions 
 imder which we live. You have kindly suggested to me that in 
 my hands is the task of restoring peace to the present distracted 
 condition of the country. I can say in return, sir, that all tlie 
 political sentiments I entertain have been drawn, so far as I have 
 been able to draw them, from the sentiments which originated 
 and were given to the world from tliis hall. I have never had a 
 feeling politically that did not spring from the sentiments em- 
 bodied in the Declaration of Independence. I have often pon- 
 dered over the toils that were endured by the officers and soldiers 
 who achieved that independence. I have often inquired of my- 
 self, what great principle or idea it was that kept this Confederacy 
 so long together. It Avas not tlie mere matter of the separation 
 of the colonics from the mother land ; but that sentiment in the 
 Declaration of Independence which gave liberty not alone to the 
 peoj^le of this country, but, I hope, to the world for all future
 
 19 
 
 time. It was that ■which gave promise that in clue time the 
 Aveierht would be lifted from the shoulders of all men. Tliis is 
 a sentiment embodied in the Declaration of Independence. Now, 
 my friends, can this country be saved upon this basis ? If it can, 
 I will consider myself one of the happiest men in the world if I 
 can help to save it. If it cannot be saved upon this principle it 
 will be truly aAvful. But if this country cannot be saved with- 
 out giving up that principle, I was about to say I would rather 
 
 BE ASSASSINATED ON THIS SPOT THAN SURRENDER IT. 
 
 " Now, in view of the present aspect of aifairs there need be no 
 bloodshed or war. There is no necessity for it. I am not in 
 favor of such a course, and I may say, in advance, that there will 
 be no bloodshed unless it be forced upon the Government, and 
 then it will be compelled to act in self-defence. 
 
 " My friends, this is wholly an unexpected speech, and I did 
 not expect to be called upon to say a word when I came here. I 
 supposed it was merely to do something toward raising a flag. 
 
 " I HAVE SAID NOTHING BUT WHAT I AM WILLING TO LIVE BY 
 AND, IP IT BE THE PLEASURE OF AlMIGHTY GoD, TO DIE BY." 
 
 His most malignant enemy will look in vain tlirougli 
 his writings and speeches for any trace of rancor or 
 malice. His sentiments ever breathe the spirit of kind- 
 ness. Always hopeful, his far-seeing mind assured 
 him that, sooner or later, the people of the South, con- 
 vinced of their great blunder, would seek in the Union 
 a refuge from all their ills, real and imaginary. He 
 therefore carefully avoided the utterance of any thing 
 which might aggravate dissensions or mar the harmony 
 of his fraternal feeling's. 
 
 The questions with which he had to deal were ques- 
 tions that involved the very existence of our Country. 
 A highly respectable portion of our Northern fellow-
 
 20 
 
 citizens was bound to the South by long-clierislied 
 political affiuities, by warm social relations, by ties of 
 blood, and by the not less stubborn bonds of trade. 
 These links could not be suddenly ruptm-ed ^\'ithout 
 adding greatly to the confusion and discord, already 
 fearful in extent. Many intelligent and patriotic men 
 at the North continued to think that the South could 
 yet be won back by kindness, and that even the hottest 
 bloods of Virginia and South-Carolina might be cooled 
 by moderation on the part of Congress and the Execu- 
 tive. The attack on Fort Sumter dispelled all hopes 
 of a peaceful solution of the difficulty. AVar began in 
 earnest. 
 
 The artillery of the press opened at the same time. 
 Every act of the administration Avas sharply criticised. 
 Every attempt to strengthen the hands of the execu- 
 tive by the assumption of dormant or unusual powers, 
 or by straining the Constitution, was met by exciting 
 appeals, warning the peoj^le against a threatened de- 
 privation of the public liberties. The limits of free 
 speech were, in certain cases, defined ; the liberty of 
 the press was, in some portions of the country, re- 
 strained ; the writ of haheas corpus was susj^ended, and 
 civilians, secretly arrested at the instance of the general 
 Government, were refused bail and held by the mili- 
 tary arm for trial by court-martial. The people, unac- 
 customed to such scenes, were invoked to resist these 
 supposed attacks upon their ancient rights, which, 
 wrung from op2")ression by successive revolutions, had 
 been handed down to them by their English ancestors.
 
 21 
 
 To all these difficulties was added tlie intem2:)erate zeal 
 of certain injudicious friends whose naiTOw minds con- 
 ceived a plan for governing the country by the cramped 
 machinery of party politics. 
 
 Perplexed, embarrassed, annoyed, meeting at every 
 step im^^ediments and thorns, President Lincoln 
 moved forward slowly, yet steadily, hoping that his 
 countrymen, appreciating the novelty of his situation, 
 would lend him their sympathies, and patiently await 
 the result of a line of conduct which he felt was fully 
 vindicated by the exigencies of the times and the 
 pm'ity of liis intentions. 
 
 When for a brief season the tide of war seemed roll- 
 ing back against us, and timid friends fell off, and 
 secret foes took heart, he never faltered in his hia^h 
 pm'pose. He adhered with Eoman firmness to the 
 maxim, '■'■Never despair of tlie CommonweaWir And 
 ^vhen many looked with fear on a still divided Xorth, 
 excited by angry discussions and embittered by ex- 
 travagant recriminations — when he began to be openly 
 denounced as a tp'ant and usurper, one thing alone re- 
 mained to us as our bulwark ao-ainst the assaults of 
 anarchy : that was the popular belief in his integrity. 
 The countiy was flooded with newspapers, magazines, 
 and pamphlets, containing ably written articles de- 
 siofued to demonstrate that he had transcended the 
 limits of the Constitution; but the people continued 
 to look upon him as an Honest Man. They refused to 
 withcb'aw the confidence they had reposed in him.
 
 22 
 
 Tliey could not be made to believe that he was ca- 
 pable of l)i'ea]ving his Oath. 
 
 Between him and his predecessors no jiarallel can be 
 drawn, for no other President ever held the reins of 
 power through four years of virulent rebellion. It is 
 therefore impossible to say how much better or how 
 much worse others would have done. We saw, how- 
 ever, that his grasp of statesmanshijD was rapidly be- 
 coming appreciated, and that his early opponents were 
 inclined to receive with favor the accumulatinof evi- 
 deuces of his intellectual capacity. 
 
 Without any of those brilliant mental qualities 
 which we have occasionally seen flit across the politi- 
 cal sky, dazzling but not illuminating, his intellectual 
 light shone clear, calm, and steady. That he was a 
 man of quick comprehension, vivid perceptions, excel- 
 lent judgment, and extraordinary mental vigor was 
 long since imiversally conceded. Had he lived to 
 embark on his career as a statesman freed from the 
 burthens of war, he would have won the still further 
 concession that his mind was distinguished by many of 
 the highest characteristics of greatness. 
 
 It is impossible for us to look back upon the history 
 of the past four years and fail to observe the wonder- 
 ful extent to which he moulded public sentiment. If 
 to shape the thoughts of a free people, upon questions 
 of vital importance, in a country of general intelli- 
 gence, — if to lead that people successfully through a 
 wilderness of dissensions — be a mark of greatness, 
 then Abeaham Li^^^coLiS^ was a Great Man.
 
 >3 
 
 'No man of ordiuary mind could have accomplished 
 this. 
 
 No man of ordinary mental powers or moral quali- 
 ties could have reached the lofty position occupied 
 by him ; nor could a man of mean capacity or base 
 motives, if thrown into the presidential chair by some 
 wave of popular caj^rice, have maintained himself in 
 the place. An Imbecile or a Demagogue would have 
 gained no hold on the Country. The people have not 
 been in the humor to tolerate incapacity or dishonesty. 
 
 There are many who believe that Peesidext Ln^coLN 
 succeeded as but few men would have succeeded ; that 
 his qualities wei*e peculiarly adapted to the times ; that 
 a man with more inflexibility of will, or less gentleness 
 of heart, would have failed to reconcile any portion 
 of the Union with the other, and that what at first 
 seemed his weakness proved, in time, our strength. 
 
 The eulogy is well deserved. His main purpose was 
 to preserve the Union. To this great object he bent 
 all the energies of his soul. 
 
 We all know that he did not originally seek the 
 office of President. We also know that once in the 
 office, it immediately became his ambition to be what 
 the people designed him for — the President of the 
 United States of America. Nor was this a mere per- 
 sonal ambition. Every State had a place in his affec- 
 tions. He longed to see each State return home. His 
 heart throbbed alone for the Union. In seeking to 
 gratify this prevailing desire, he may at times have 
 •appeared unnecessarily rigid, and at other times unne-
 
 24 
 
 cessarily lax ; but we sliould not forget that the details 
 of history are rarely understood aright during the life- 
 time of the principal actors. There doubtless are many 
 circumstances in his presidential career which will not 
 be properly understood until some future historian, 
 groping his way through the puljlic archives, shall dis- 
 close private letters and secret dispatches now wisely 
 concealed. The public mind, then no longer warped 
 by passion, nor clouded by prejudice, nor biased by 
 faction, wall calmlv review his wdiole conduct, and ac- 
 cord the full praise due to his high character as a 
 Statesman, Sage, and Patriot. 
 
 It is sad to reflect that the murderer's hand reached 
 him just as he w^as turning from the rough fields 
 of discord to tread the primrose paths of peace. To 
 him the proud satisfaction was not reserved to wit- 
 ness the full fruition of his w^eary laboi-s. lie w^as 
 permitted to behold the da%vn of victory, but not 
 the meridian blaze of triumph. Yet he would have 
 enjoyed that triumph not so much for its glory as for 
 the grand practical results, and the blessings of frater- 
 nal love and national unity which he fondly hoped 
 would follow in its train. He would have indulged in 
 no vain exultations over a fallen foe, but would have 
 kindly striven to deprive conquest of its sting. To the 
 congratulations of the Union Clubs of Washington, on 
 the occasion of his reelection, he replied : 
 
 " Now tliat the election is over, may not all, having a common 
 interest, reunite in a common eflfort to serve our common coun- 
 try ? For my own part I have striven, and shall strive, to avoid
 
 25 
 
 placing any obstacle in the way. So long as I have been here, I 
 liave not willingly planted a thorn in any man's bosom. While I 
 am duly sensible to the high compliment of a reelection, and duly 
 grateful, as I trust, for having directed my countrymen to a right 
 conclusion, as I think, for their good, it adds nothing to my satis- 
 fliction that any other man may be disappointed by the result." 
 
 In reply to tlie address of the Maryland Union State 
 Central Committee, on the seventeenth day of Novem- 
 ber last, he simply said : 
 
 " I repeat what I have said before, that I indulge iu no feeling 
 of triumph over any one who has thought or acted differently 
 from myself. I have no such feeling toward any living man." 
 
 In the same noble, magnanimous spirit he penned 
 the concludino: lines of his last Inaii2:ural, delivered less 
 than two months a^ro : 
 
 o 
 
 "With malice toward xone, — with charity for all, — 
 
 with firmxess ix the right as god gives us to see the 
 
 right let us strive ox to fixisii the work we are ix, — 
 
 to bixd up the xatiox's wouxds, — to care for 11131 who 
 shall have borxe the battle, axd for his widow axd or- 
 phaxs, — to do all which 3ray achieve axd cherish a just 
 and lastixg peace amoxg oursela'es axd with atj> xa- 
 
 TIOXS." 
 
 "VVe little thought, when first those simple words 
 appeared, how soon they would become his epitaph ! 
 
 It was in the same l^enevolent si^irit that he received 
 the overtures of Louisiana as, with a contrite heart, she 
 approached her old home, suing for readmission to the 
 Family of States. Even South-Carolina might have 
 trusted to his generosity, had she, pointing to her
 
 26 
 
 desolated fields and ruined homes, but acknowledged 
 with sorrow her great offence. And we can imagine 
 with ^vliat tender compassion he would have welcomed 
 back to the Union Virginia — that venerable mother of 
 American commonwealths — as, movinc; in the errand 
 procession of returning States, she neared the family 
 circle, still pressing to her bosom the form of Wash- 
 in o-ton. 
 
 Alas for him, cut off in his jorime ! Alas for us, so 
 suddenly bereaved ! Alas for his sorrowing country, 
 he is gone ! 
 
 He is ours no longer, except in his good deeds and 
 the force of his virtuous example. 
 
 We may not penetrate the veil which hides the 
 future from our sight. We may long look in vain for 
 the special designs of Providence in permitting him at 
 this time to be thus torn awav. Yet even now we 
 see that our Great Affliction is not without its blessed 
 lesson. 
 
 We see a truce to faction. We see a unanimity of 
 sentiment that astonishes and delio-hts all sfood men. 
 
 Millions, lately in some degree opposed, are now 
 united in feeling, and vie with each other, not only in 
 honoring his memory, but in a ^^atriotic determination 
 to lay aside all minor ol)jects and employ the energies 
 of the whole people in unremitting efforts to restore 
 harmonious relations to all parts of the Republic. The 
 spectacle thus presented is full of hope for the nation. 
 It will strike the statesmen of the old world with 
 amazement, and dissipate many doubts concerning the
 
 27 
 
 stability of our institutions, when tliey learn tluit the 
 shock utterly failed to weaken our political system. 
 To them the novel and instructive scene will be pre- 
 sented of a great Nation losing its Chief Magistrate by 
 violence, yet continuing undisturbed on its majestic 
 course. 
 
 Nor is this the only lesson which the Gi'eat Calamity 
 
 presents. 
 
 With filial love the people gently place upon his 
 earthly part their choicest flowers, and tenderly bear it 
 onward to the tomb, through one long triumphal arch, 
 heavy with the mournful emblems of a Nation's grief. 
 Reverently drawing near, they gaze upon his lifeless 
 form and silently renew their vows of allegiance to 
 their country. They look upon his gentle fiice, and all 
 angry passions are subdued. Vindictiveness and Ha- 
 tred and Malice melt away when they think of his 
 great heart, in Avhicli all men still found some drop ot 
 sympathy, and from which sprang the loving senti- 
 ment — '^Malice toward none — charity for alV 
 
 Like him, let us discourage the low contentions and 
 petty intrigues of partisan warfare. Let us study the 
 principles upon which our Republic is based, in a s^^irit 
 of candor, and discuss them with feelings of kind- 
 ness. Let us remember the great truths which History 
 teaches us, that fire and sword may sul)due rebellions 
 by destroying the elements of their strength, but will 
 not cure political heresies ; that in politics as in reli- 
 gion, heretics may be persuaded l)y reason, but cannot 
 be con\'inced by persecution ; that violence transforms
 
 28 
 
 igiioriuice into fanaticism, and stul>l)ornness into des- 
 peration, and that tlie Intelligence and Virtue of tlie 
 people are the pillars on which our Political Fabric 
 must ever rely for support. 
 
 Governed by these truths, and guided by the Gold- 
 en Rule, it was President Lincoln's earnest endeavor 
 to discharge the duties of liis great office by learning 
 hoAV to perform them, by calling to his aid the expe- 
 rience of the wise and the good, by bringing to his 
 task the noblest qualities of a mind and the cardinal 
 virtues of a heart that expanded with the growing 
 emergencies of the times, and by tempering all his 
 thouglits and actions with Justice, Mercy, Charity, and 
 Good Will. 
 
 In adversity he was firm, in j^ros^^erity modest, in 
 victory magnanimous. His faith was ardent, his zeal 
 enlightened, his integrity undeviating, his morality 
 pure, his courage heroic. Patriotism led all his 
 afteetions. 
 
 We can present no more beautiful tribute to his 
 memory, we can place no more fragrant garland on his 
 tomb, than the solemn promise to emulate his bright 
 example.
 
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