973.7L63 Lincoln the Poet: K1940a Poems by A. Lincoln, 1941a compiled by The Poet Hunter. Second Complete Edi'n (1941) LINCOLN ROOM UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS LIBRARY presented by J am es G. a nd Rn f. h Pa inter Randall Collection LINCOLN'S * POEMS* Edited and Embellished by THE POET HUNTER — Second Edition, 1941, 75c — Lincoln Pub. Co., 407 Marine Bldg., New Orleans Argus Book Shop, 16 N. Michigan Ave., Chicago Court Square Book Store, Memphis Isaacs Book Store, Phone 5-5010, 140 N. Main, Memphis Paul Hunter Dodge Bobbs-Merrill Co. '^rtns EfC ^C >fC ^ ^c Second Complete Edition — Dedication — To the Hon. Cecil B. DeMille The World's Greatest Dramatist — The Poet Hunter The Poet Hunter visits New Orleans Times-Picayune Editorial, Feb. 23, 1941 A new and little-known side of Abraham Lincoln — his excursions into the realm of poetry — is ex- amined in the book, "Lincoln the Poet," a volume which recently came off the press in New Or- leans. The book, compiled by an Indi- ana attorney and poet, Paul Hunt- er, contains 27 poems attributed to Abraham Lincoln, many in whose high poetic utterance the author finds similarity to the works of the major poets. The volume, which had its orig- inal printing in Chicago, was brought here for a second print- ing "so that the South can learn to love Lincoln as a truly great poet rather than as war president or emancipator," its author said. He emphasized that though he himself acted as "editor and em- bellisher," in revising some of the poems and in heightening their cadence, the basic thought and rhythm are those of Lincoln him- self. Mr. Hunter in a preface points to Lincoln's love of the great poets, and comments that much of their lofty thought and tech- nique permeated his own works. The first poem, embodying the line, "All that I am, all that I hope to be, I owe to my angel mother," was assembled and rhymed by the compiler from phrases assembled from Lincoln's reported sayings and speeches. In others, particularly those em- bracing the president's most fa- mous sayings, the same procedure has been followed, but much of the rhymed verse is Lincoln's own composition. Falling into the latter category, he continues, is a Lincoln creation titled "The Deserted Village." Ref- erence is made to the last stanza, described as "nearly perfect poe- try." It is: "I range the fields with pensive tread, And pace the hollow rooms, And feel, companion of the dead, I'm living in their tombs." The poem, "The Madman," com- posed by Lincoln in 1844, yields several stanzas of lofty and in- spired poetry. Noteworthy is the 10th: "Air held its breath; trees with the spell Seemed sorrowing angels round; Their swelling tears in dewdrops fell Upon the listening ground." In lighter vein is offered Lin- coln's "The Bear Hunt." Typical of the theme and meter are the second and third stanzas: "When first my father settled here, 'Twas then the frontier line; The panther's scream filled night with fear And bears preyed on the swine." "But woe for Bruin's short-lived fun When rose the squealing cry; Now man and horse with dog and gun For vengeance at him fly." ^ $t ;Jc :f; ^ LINCOLN THE POET * * * THE IMMORTAL ABRAHAM LINCOLN'S POEMS Richly Illustrated with Lincoln Photographs 32 Poems by Abraham Lincoln Liberally Edited and Embellished By THE POET HUNTER Ph. B., J. D. University of Chicago, Editor of Shakesperian Poems, 1907, Author of "Songs of Chivalry," 1914, Co-author of "Poliomyelitis," 1940 Editor of "Domicile," etc., in Cofpus Juris. SEVEN ' K ^^%\. OF LAMPS ^^l POETRY The Seven Lamps of Poetry are Rhyme And Rhythm, tuned to music of the lyre; And Sense and Sentiment, thought and desire; Emotion, passion and true love sublime; Sweet Euphony, like water, fire and air; And Metaphor, that doth all things compare. — Paul Hunter SjS 5J 1 * ^ % Second Complete Edition Copyright 1941, by Paul Hunter Dodge Lincoln Publishing Company 402-7 Marine Building New Orleans, La. MAgnolia 2470 Meridian Street, Indianapolis Copyright 193 7, by Lincoln Nat. Life LINCOLN'S CONSENT TO PUBLICATION OF POEMS Concerning publication of his three rhymed poems, written in 1844, Lincoln also wrote Johnson: "I am not at all displeased with your proposal to publish the poetry, or doggerel, or whatever else it may be called, which I sent you. I consent that it may be done. Whether the prefatory remarks in my letter shall be published with the verses, I leave entirely to your discretion; but let names be suppressed by all means." — A. Lincoln. LINCOLN'S FAVORITE POEM AND POETICAL ASPIRATION Lincoln loved the great poets, Shakespeare, Byron and Burns, and memorized many of their famous pas- sages. But his favorite poem was Knox's humble elegy, which was learned by heart, and often recited to friends. Lincoln did not know the author, William Knox, who wrote nearly as well as Thomas Gray. Oh why should the spirit of mortal be proud? Like a swift-fleeting meteor, a fast flying cloud, A flash of the lightning, a break of the wave, Man passes from life to his rest in the grave, Of this great elegy, Lincoln wrote to his friend, William Johnson: "I would give all I am worth, and go in debt, to be able to write so fine a piece as I think this is." —A. Lincoln. THE TRUNK MYSTERY When Abraham Lincoln's Treasure Chest is opened, in 1946, the gems of literature may outshine all the jewels of state. He was, like many true poets, too modest about his "poetry or doggerel," as evidenced by his request to Johnson: "Let names be suppresed by all means." k * 4 ? 3- 3 I Lincoln's Bovhood U&sm Is Eetitsiek 'My Angel Mother" Copyright, 1934 by Lincoln Nat. Life LINCOLN THE POET PAUL HUNTER He had a Poet's love of Man and Nature, He had a poet's ear, a prophet's stature! He had a sage's sense, a Man's emotion, He had a Father's love and fond devotion, A measured sense of justice, — deep as ocean; He had a poet's love of rhyme and rhythm: He loved the melodies of earth and heaven! He had a poet's sadness and dejection, He had a poet's faults and imperfection, He only lacked our Longfellow's perfection; His genius rivaled Shakespeare and proud Milton: He sang the shores that liberty was built on! His Winged horse may not have soared Parnassus, He trod the earth at Gettysburg, — Manassas, — His hoof -beats felt red soil and sacred ashes! The Savior of our Country was a Poet: He had a Poet's Pen, — the World shall know it! He had a Poet's heart and aspiration, He had a poet's fire and inspiration, He had a poet's theme, — a bleeding nation. 10 LINCOLN THE POET ABRAHAM LINCOLN'S POEMS * * * CONTENTS * * * MY ANGEL MOTHER THE DESERTED VILLAGE THE MAD-MAN THE BEAR HUNT LOST FRIENDS ABE'S INK AND PEN ADAM AND EVE'S WEDDING DAY GETTYSBURG LINCOLN'S PRAYER BEFORE GETTYSBURG A HOUSE DIVIDED — PERPETUAL UNION — WE ARE NOT ENEMIES BUT FRIENDS WITH MALICE TOWARD NONE LINCOLN'S FAREWELL AT SPRINGFIELD THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE AMERICAN FREEDOM PATRIOTISM, PASSION AND REASON THE DANGERS OF DICTATORSHIP TEMPERANCE AND PROHIBITION MAKE AMERICA GREAT ANN RUTLEDGE THE COMMON PEOPLE HONOR THE SOLDIERS LABOR AND CAPITAL THE GOLDEN RULE CHURCH THE SABBATH THE CABINET PAINTER THE INESTIMABLE JEWEL THE PHILOSOPHY OF CANES THE TIGHT-ROPE WALKER MOTHER BIXBY 11 MY ANGEL MOTHER All that I am, all that I hope to be, I owe my angel mother; My hand she guided as I learned to write, My feet she guided in the ways of right, My hopes she cherished, like a flame of light, — God bless her soul, God bless her memory, Nancy, my angel mother. Her weary hands are crumbled into dust, But they shall live in leaves of forest trees; Her tender heart may make sweet flowers I trust, Heaven bless her soul, Earth bless her memories, Nancy, my angel mother. 12 LINCOLN'S MOTHER Nancy Hanks Lincoln died in 1818, when Abraham was in his tenth year. Long afterward, Lincoln said to a friend, with tears in his eyes — as quoted by J. G. Holland: "All that I am, or hope to be, I owe to my angel mother, — Blessings on her memory." JJvF^K 13 LINCOLN'S RHYMED POEMS In a letter to William Johnson, referring to his favorite elegy, Lincoln also wrote: "In the fall of 1844, thinking I might aid Mr. Clay, in Indiana, I went into the neighborhood in that state in which I was raised, where my mother and only sister were buried, and from which I had been absent about fifteen years. "That part of the country is, within itself, as un- poetical as any spot of the earth; but still, seeing it and its objects and inhabitants aroused feelings in me which were certainly poetry; though whether my ex- pression of those feelings is poetry is quite another question. When I got to writing, the change of sub- ject divided the thing into four little divisions or can- tos, the first only of which I send you now, and may send the others hereafter." $100.00 Reward to poet hunters. The editor will pay One Hundred Dollars, ($100.00) reward for discovery of the fourth canto, (probably lost in Southern Indiana or Central Illinois) , duly authenticated, before the next edition. Manuscripts of "The Deserted Village" and "The Madman" The manuscript of "The Deserted Village" and "The Madman," in Abraham Lincoln's own handwriting was recently presented to the Library of Congress by Mary Lincoln Isham of Washington. It shows the original text, and his corrections and revision. In most in- stances the original text is preferable and retained. Copies of the original manuscript, with corrections, are available, through courtesy of Dr. Louis A. Warren, Editor of Lincoln Lore, Lincoln National Life Founda- tion, Fort Wayne, Indiana. Lincoln's "Deserted Village" compares well with Goldsmith's longer poem on the same subject. The second and last verses are nearly perfect poetry, com- parable even to Gray's Elegy. "The Madman" con- tains three verses of the first order, — the eighth, tenth and last; and the whole poem is far superior to Gold- smith's "Mad-Dog." 14 SATIRES AND CHRONICLES Young Abe wrote many "Satires" and "Chronicles" in his late teens, and early twenties, which are only preserved in fragments. Even if we had them in full, Lamon says they are hardly fit for publication. His Chronicles were many, and on a great variety of subjects. They were written in the scriptural style, but they betray a limited acquaintance with their model. Weddings, fights, — "Crawford's Nose," "Sister Gordon's Innocence," "Brother Harper's Wit," — were all served up, fresh and gross, for the amusement of the groundlings. The "Chronicles of Reuben" (Grigsby) were written in vengeance, on the Grigsbys, for failure to invite Abe to a wedding. His poem on Joel and Mary, and Billy and Natty, is a bit of all-spice. (Lamon, p 63.) After disposing of Charles and Reuben, he began on Billy, in rhyme. Abe dropped the "Chronicles" at a point on the road,, where the Grigsbys found them and became infuriated, and a family fight was had, a mile from Gentryville- 15 ■ : fe -'*i ■ lv Home Ib Is4I«&a, LINCOLN'S LETTER ON "THE MADMAN" "Friend Johnson: You remember when I wrote you from Tremont last spring, sending you a little canto of what I called poetry, I promised to bore you with another sometime. I now fulfill the promise. The subject of the present one is an insane man; his name is Matthew Gentry. He is three years older than I, and when we were boys we went to school together. He was rather a bright lad, and the son of the rich man of a very poor neighborhood. At the age of nineteen he unaccountably became furiously mad, from which condition he gradually set- tled down into harmless insanity. When, as I told you in my other letter, I visited my old home in the fall of 1844, I found him still lingering in this wretch- ed condition. In my poetizing mood, I could not for- get the impression his case made upon me. "If I should ever send you another, the subject will be a "Bear Hunt." Yours as ever, A. Lincoln." 16 THE DESERTED VILLAGE Abraham Lincoln, 1 844 My childhood home I see again And gladden with the view, And still as memories crowd my brain There's sadness in it too. O Memory, thou midway world 'Twixt earth and paradise, Where loved ones lost and things decayed In dreamy shadows rise, And freed from all things gross and vile, Seem hallowed, pure and bright, Like scenes of some enchanted isle, Alt bathed in liquid light. As distant mountains please the eye When twilight chases day, — As bugle notes, that passing by, In distance die away; As leaving some grand waterfall, We lingering list its roar, — So memory will hallow all We've known, but know no more. Now twenty years have passed away Since here I bade farewell To woods and field and scenes of play And schoolmates loved so well. Where many were, how few remain Of old familiar things, But seeing these, to mind again The lost and absent brings. 17 / hear the lone survivors tell How naught from death could save, Till every sound seems like a knell, And every spot a grave. I range the fields with pensive tread, And pace the hollow rooms, And feel, companion of the dead, Ym living in their tombs! TIME ******* Time! what an empty vapor t'is! And days how swift they are! Swift as an Indian arrow, — Swift as a shooting -star; The present moment now is here, Then slides away in haste, — So we can never say, they're ours, But only, they are past. (p. 62, Lamon's Life of Lincoln) 18 THE MAD-MAN Abraham Lincoln, 1844 Here is an object of more dread Than aught the grave contains, — A human form with reason fled, While wretched life remains. Poor Matthew, once of genius bright, A fortune-favored child, Now locked for aye in mental night, A haggard madman wild. Poor Matthew, I have ne'er forgot When first with maddened will Yourself you maimed, your father fought, Your mother strove to kill. And terror spread and neighbors ran Your dangrous strength to bind, And soon, a howling crazy man, Your limbs were fast confined. How then you writhed and shrieked aloud Your bones and sinews bared, And fiendish on the gaping crowd With burning eye-balls glared, And begged and swore, and wept and prayed With maniac laughter joined; How painful were these signs displayed By pangs that kill the mind. 19 And when at length, though drear and long, Time soothed your fiercer woes, How plaintively your mournful song Upon the still night rose. Yve heard it oft as if I dreamed, Far distant, sweet and lone, The funeral dirge it ever seemed Of reason dead and gone. To drink its strains Yve stole away, All silently and still, Ere yet the rising god of day Had streaked the eastern hill. Air held its breath; trees with the spell Seemed sorrowing angels round; Their swelling tears in dewdrops fell Upon the listening ground. But this is past, and naught remains That raised you o'er the brute; Your maddening shrieks and soothing strains, Are like, forever mute. Now fare thee well! More thou the cause Than subject now of woe; All mental pangs by time's kind laws, Hast lost the power to know. O death! Thou awe-inspiring prince That keeps t the world in fear, Why dost thou tear more blest ones hence, And leave him lingering here! 20 THE BEAR HUNT Abraham Lincoln, 1844 A wild bear chase didst never see? Then hast thou lived in vain — Thy richest bump of glorious glee Lies desert in thy brain. When first my father settled here, 'Twas then the frontier line; The panther s scream filled night with fear And bears preyed on the swine. But woe for bruin s short-lived fun When rose the squealing cry; Now man and horse, with dog and gun For vengeance at him fly, A sound of danger strikes his ear; He gives the breeze a snuff; Away he bounds, with little fear, And seeks the tangled rough. On press his foes, and reach the ground Where s left his half -munched meal; The dogs, in circles, scent around And find his fresh made trail. 21 With instant cry, away they dash, And men as fast pursue; O'er logs they leap, through water splash And shout the brisk halloo. Now to elude the eager pack Bear shuns the open ground, Through matted vines he shapes his track, And runs it, round and round. The tall, fleet cur, with deep-mouthed voice Now speeds him, as the wind; While half-grown pup, and short-legged fice Are yelping far behind. And fresh recruits are dropping in To join the merry corps; With yelp and yell, a mingled din — The woods are in a roar — And round and round the chase now goes, The world's alive with fun; Nick Carter's horse his rider throws, And Mose Hill drops his gun. 22 Now, sorely pressed, bear glances back, And lolls his tired tongue, When as, to force him from his track An ambush on him sprung. Across the glade he sweeps for flight, And fully is in view — The dogs, new fired by the sight, Their cry and speed renew. The foremost ones now reach his rear; He turns, they dash away, And circling now the wrathful bear, They have him full at bay. At top of speed the horsemen come, All screaming in a row — 'Whoop 1 / 'Take him, Tiger!' 'Seize him, Drum!' Bang — bang! the rifles go! And furious now, the dogs he tears And crushes in his ire — Wheels right and left, and upward rears, With eyes of burning fire. But leaden death is at his heart — Vain all the strength he plies, And, spouting blood from every part, He reels, and sinks, and dies! And now a dinsome clamor rose, — 'Rut who should have his skin?' Who first draws blood, each hunter knows This prize must always win. 23 But, who did this, and how to trace What's true from what's a lie, — Like lawyers in a murder case They stoutly argufy. Aforesaid fice, of blustering mood, Behind, and quite forgot, Just now emerges from the wood, Arrives upon the spot, With grinning teeth, and up- turned hair, Brim full of spunk and wrath, He growls, and siezes on dead bear And shakes for life and death — And swells, as if his skin would tear, And growls, and shakes again, And swears, as plain as dog can swear That he has won the skin! Conceited whelp! we laugh at thee, Nor mind that not a few Of pompous, two-legged dogs there be Conceited quite as you. LINCOLN'S BEAR HUNT AND SCOTT'S CHASE Lincoln sent his friend Johnson these twenty-two verses, which he called "The Bear Hunt," mixing back- woods slang with fine phrases of standard English poets. Lincoln had undoubtedly read Scott's Lady of the Lake, which begins with the classic chase of the stag. Lincoln's diction and treatment of his subject is just as appropri- ate, and fully as interesting and exciting, if not as elegant as Scott's. 24 m LOST FRIENDS How miserable we are in this sad world; We have no pleasures, if we have no friends; If we have friends, we lose them, and joy ends, And we are doubly pained by gain and loss! ABE'S INK AND PEN Lincoln's First Poem written at age of seven Abraham Lincoln, his hand and pen; He will be good, but God knows when! Pope-berry ink, — goose-quill pen, Abe 11 be a good writer, But God knows when! (p. 248 Lamon's Life of Lincoln) 25 ADAM AND EVE'S WEDDING DAY Written by Abe Lincoln, at seventeen as a folk-song for his sister's wedding. When Adam was created, He dwelt in Eden 's shade, As Moses has recorded; And then sweet Eve was made! Ten thousand times ten thousand Of creatures swarmed around, And all in pairs were browsing, — Before a bride was found. The Lord then was not willing That Man should be alone, But caused a sleep upon him, — And took from him a bone. He closed the wound He opened, And took the flesh and bone, And of it made a Woman, For Adam's garden home. Then Adam was rejoiced much, To see his loving bride, — A part of his own body, — The product of his side. This Woman was not taken From Adam's feet, we see; So he must not abuse her, — The meaning seems to be. This Woman was not taken From Adam's head, we know, — To show, she must not rule him, — 'TVs evidently so. This Woman, she was taken From under Adam's arm, So She must be protected From injuries and harm. Sweet Eve was taken near his heart, And so it seems quite clear, Adam must always love her, And she must hold him dear. 26 LINCOLN'S FIRST SPEECH At New Salem, about 183 2 You all know who I am, — / am the humble Abraham Lincoln, — / have been solicited By many friends, to be a candidate For our State Legislature. You all vote. My politics are short and sweet, you know, — Like the old woman's dance. I am in favor Of a new national bank; and Ym in favor Of better roads and water-ways, out West, And general improvements in the States, — A/50 a high and strong protective tariff, For all our industries and agriculture. If Ym elected, I shall sure be thankful, — If not, my friends, it will all be the same. LINCOLN'S POETIC ADDRESSES Although Lincoln probably wrote nothing in rhymed verse after 1846, he developed in his speeches a rhythm- ical and lofty style, rich in metaphor, which is poetical in the truest sense of that term. His utterances and writings possess the true classic quality of Greek literature. Lincoln had a profound sense of the fitness of things, born of solitary reflection and communion with nature, a keen analysis of human thought and feeling, that could give poetic justice to any noble theme. 27 THE GETTYSBURG ADDRESS A Shakespearian Poem The first three lines of the Gettysburg address have the same lofty rhythm and majesty of Hamlet's soli- loquy, of Milton's Paradise Lost, or Bryant's Than- otopsis. All lovers of Shakespeare will note that Lincoln, consciously or unconsciously, adopts exactly the same deliberative, reflective meter, for his soliloquy on the suicide of his nation, as Shakespeare used for Hamlet's soliloquy on the suicide of the Prince of Denmark, — both feminine, elastic, pentameter: "To be or not to be, that is the question, Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune, Or to take arms against a sea of troubles, And by opposing, end them." Compare the identical meter of Lincoln, the Poet: "Four score and seven years ago our fathers Brought forth upon this continent a new nation, Conceived in liberty and dedicated" — And then Lincoln the lawyer uses a lawyer's word, "proposition", or thing to be proved, concerning an equality that could not be proved, where the poet would speak of an "ideal." So let Lincoln's worshipers and critics remember he was a poet at heart, but a lawyer in diction, and this editor's revision strives to get the heart-beats of Lincoln the Poet. — Paul Hunter. 28 The Dedication of GETTYSBURG A New Birth of Freedom A Poem by A. Lincoln, Edited by Paul Hunter Four score and seven years ago, our fathers Brought forth upon this continent a new nation, Conceived in liberty and dedicated To the ideal that all are free and equal. But now we are engaged in civil war, Testing the proposition, whether that nation, Or any nation so conceived or dedicated, Can long endure. Here we are met Upon that wars most costly battlefield. We come to dedicate a portion of that field As a memorial and final resting place To those who here gaves up their willing lives, That our beloved nation might still live. It is a fitting act that we do this. But in a larger sense, we cannot dedicate, We cannot consecrate this hallowed ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here Have consecrated it too far above Our humble power to add or to detract. 29 The world will little note nor long remember What we have said upon this sacred field, But it cannot forget what they did here. It is for us, the living, to be dedicated To the unfinished work which they who fought here Have thus so nobly and so well advanced. It is for us to here be dedicated To that great task remaining still before us; That from these honored dead we take increased Devotion to the cause for which they gave The last full measure of their life's devotion; That we should here highly resolve, these dead Shalt not have died in vain; and that this Nation, Under God's hand, shall have another birth Of freedom; and that this our government Of all the people, by the people, for the people, Shalt live, — and never perish from the earth! 30 LINCOLN'S PRAYER BEFORE GETTYSBURG Unless Great God shall be with me and aid me, I know that I must fait; bat if the same Omniscient and almighty arm of God Shall guide me and support me, then I know I shall not fail, and our cause shall succeed. Upon my knees, I prayed Almighty God For victory at Gettysburg; I felt This was His country, and this was His war; We could not stand another Fredericksburg Or Chancellor sville. I made a solemn vow Before my Maker, that if He would stand Beside our boys at Gettysburg, that I Would stand by Him. He did; and so I will! And after this I felt that God Almighty Had taken the whole thing into His hands. 31 A HOUSE DIVIDED Springfield, June, 1858 A house divided thus against itself Cannot long stand. This Government Of outs cannot endure, half slave, half free. But I do not expect this noble Union To be dissolved; and I do not expect The house to fall; but this I do expect That it will cease to be divided long. It will become all one thing, or the other. Either opponents against slavery Will now arrest its further spread And give just confidence in its extinction, Or its own advocates will push it forward, Tilt it is lawful in all of the states, In old and new, in North as well as South, 32 — PERPETUAL UNION — From the First Inaugural, March, 1861 Under the universal Law of Nations, Under our Constitution and our Laws, The Union of these States was made And is perpetual. Such perpetuity Must be implied, if not by words expressed As the first fundamental law of nations. No government in all the world has ever Provided in the law of its creation For its extinction, its own termination. The Union will endure, secure forever, If we but execute express provisions Of our first law, the National Constitution. Speaking of lands, we cannot separate. We cannot move our valleys or our mountains; We cannot separate adjoining sections, Nor build a wall impassable between them. Husband and wife may be divorced and go Beyond the reach and presence of each other. But parts of this one country cannot do this. They always must remain here, face to face, And intercourse, as friends or enemies, Must still continue. Is it possible then, To make that intercourse more advantageous, Or satisfactory, after a war. Can aliens make treaties, or make trade, As well as friends and neighbors in one nation? 33 Suppose you go to war, you cannot fight Forever. When you cease, after great loss On both sides, and no gain on either, The same old questions as to terms of trade And intercourse are all again upon you. In your hands, not in mine, my countrymen, Is the momentous issue of civil war. The Government will not assail you, no! You have no conflict but as the aggressors. You have no oath, youve registered in heaven To ruthlessly destroy the government ; But I have sworn a firm and solemn oath, — One to preserve, protect, and to defend it! WE ARE NOT ENEMIES BUT FRIENDS Now I am loath to close. We are not enemies, But friends; we must not be as enemies. Though passion may have strained, it must not break The bonds of our affection. Mystic chords Of memory, from every battle-field And patriot grave, to every living heart And hearthstone, over all this broad free land, Will join the swelling chorus of the Union, When they again are touched, as they will be By fairer angels of our better nature. 34 WITH MALICE TOWARD NONE Lincoln's Second Inaugural Address, March, 1865 Four years ago, upon this same occasion, Our thoughts and fears foreboded civil war; All dreaded it, and all sought to avert it. Then were our words devoted altogether Toward saving of the Union without war. But even then the agents of secession Were in our capitol, seeking disunion, Plotting without war to divide the nation. Both parties depricated civil war; But rather than to let the nation live One party would wake war; reluctantly, The North accepted war, rather than let The nation perish. And so war came. The magnitude and long duration which The war attained, neither anticipated. Each looked for easy triumph and results Less fundamental and astounding. 35 Fondly we hope, and fervently we pray — This mighty scourge of war way pass away. Yet, if God wills, may it continue till All the piled wealth of bondsmens hundred years Of unrequited toil shall be sunk down, — Till every drop of blood drawn by the lash Shall be paid by another with the sword. As it was said three thousand years ago, It still must be: ( 'The judgments of the Lord Are true and righteous altogether/' With malice held toward none, with charity For all, — with faith and firmness in the right, As God may give us power to see the right, — Let us strive on to finish this great work, To bind the nations wounds, to help the maimed, To care for him who bore the brunt of battle, To help the widow and the fatherless, — To do all toward a just and lasting peace Among ourselves and nations of the world. 36 THE TIGHT ROPE WALKER Gentlemen of the West, you all seem troubled About commissions and omissions of The President and his Administration. Suppose, — my friends, that all your property Were in two bags of gold, and you had put All in the hands of Blondin, the rope-walker, To carry safe across Niagara river On a tight rope, — would you then shake the cable, Or shout to him at every step he took: (< Blondin, stand up a little straighter, — Blondin, Stoop down a little more, a little faster, — Or, lean a little further to the North, — Or, lean a little further to the South? No! you would hold your breath, and hold your tongues, And keep your hands off, till your bags of gold Were safely over. Now the Government Is carrying a weight, immense and hard To balance, untold treasures, o'er rough waters. We do the best we can. Don't badger us. Keep silence, and we'll get you safe across. 37 TO DROWN, TO DIE, TO SLEEP! When Abe Lincoln was hunting pheasants, at. the age of nine, with his boyhood friend Austin Gore, along Knob Creek, he fell into deep water, and was nearly drowned, but was rescued by Austin, with a fishing pole. All Men and Boys must die, and I have heard It is a pleasant way to die, — to drown. — To sink into oblivion, to swoon Into Eternity. But a strong boy Loves life too well, to die a willing death. A little water is most sweet to life, But too much water is life's enemy, — Water that presses in on every side, Water that drowns the very breath of life, Water that chokes the throat! O, give me air! 38 THE LINCOLN POETS Other Lincolns than Abraham have written fine poetry. In his Cape Cod Ballads, Joe Crosby Lincoln has a first class civil war poem, "The old Sword on the Wall," ranking with Pbe's Raven in meter, sentiment and euphony. His "Story Book Boy" and "College Training" have the same homely humor as James Whitcomb Riley. Rexford Lincoln has written some fine lyrics, in- cluding a gem on "Love," as brilliant as Herrick or Lovelace. LOVE Rexford Lincoln Love's desires are bright and gay, Love, his heart is made of rose, Love, his breath is sweet as dew, Love, like sunlight, comes and goes. Love, his home is everywhere, Love, he aims at high and low, Love is fickle, love is true, Love at random shoots his bow. Love with music and with song, Fills he all our days with bliss, Purges life from passions vile, Seals it with his dying kiss. 39 Courtesy of Colliers PERRY'S COMMENT Many of Lincoln's addresses, as said by Professor James Raymond Perry, of Chicago, are surcharged with poetry. Ever and again, the careful observer will dis- cover whole lines, perhaps a succession of lines, in the iambic pentameter form, like the blank verse of Shakespeare, which Lincoln read and re-read, and often memorized. (North American Review, February, 1911, p. 213). THE FAREWELL ADDRESS The richly poetical quality of Lincoln's Farewell ad- dress, its sublime sincerity and devout humility must be apparent to every one. When he wrote the Gettysburg and Farewell Ad- dresses, Lincoln was plainly in a highly exalted and poetical mood, for the language used clearly reflects in- spiration and exaltation. The frequent metrical forms in his prose highly contributes to its poetical quality. Its chief poetical charm of course, lies in the deep poetical feeling back of both form and words, the result of which is a poetical quality in his expression. 40 LINCOLN'S FAREWELL AT SPRINGFIELD February 11, 1861 No one who has not said a like farewell Can understand my feelings at this hour, Nor the oppressive sadness of this parting. More than a quarter century, Yve lived with you, Receiving every kindness at your hands. Here I have lived among you from my youth, Till now I am an old man, somewhat weary. Here were assumed the most sacred ties of earth. My children here were born; one here lies buried. To you, dear friends, I owe all that I have, All that I am. All the strange checkered past Now crowds upon my mind. Today I leave you* I must assume a task more difficult Than that which once devolved on Washington. Unless the Great God who inspired him then, Shall be with and inspire me, I must fail; But if the same Omniscient Mind shall guide me, The same Almighty Arm of God support me, Which once directed and protected him, I shall not fail, — / know I shall succeed. Let us all pray that our forefather's God Shall not forsake us now. To his safe watch Let me commend you all. Likewise permit me, With equal faith and true sincerity, To ask that you will too invoke His wisdom And guidance for me. With these words I leave you, How long I know not. So, friends, one and all, I bid you an affectionate farewell. 41 THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE Address at Independence Hall With deep emotion, here I find myself Standing where stood the fathers of our country, — The wisdom, patriotism, and beloved devotion To principle and justice, from which sprang The institutions under which we live. Politically, I never had a feeling That did not spring out of the sentiments Embodied in this oath of Independence. And often have I pondered o'er the dangers Incurred by those brave men assembled here To frame and to adopt this Declaration. And I have pondered o'er the toils endured By officers and soldiers of the army, Who fought for and achieved that independence. And often have I asked myself what cause, What noble principle or great ideal Kept this confederacy so long together. 42 It could not merely be the separation Of colonies weaned from the motherland; But that sweet sentiment of Liberty, Found in the Declaration of Independence, Which gave the hope of Freedom not alone To people of this country, but held forth The olive branch to all the world, forever. This document it was, that gave the promise That in due time, the burden would be lifted From shoulders of all men, the shackles broken, And all should have an equal chance to live. This is the sentiment embodied in The Declaration of our Independence. And now, my friends, what think you? Can this Country Be saved upon this principle? If so, I, for myself, will be the happiest man In all the world, if I can help to save it. If it cannot be saved, upon this basis, It will be truly awful. If our country Cannot be saved, with freedom and equality, Without surrendering that principle, — / was about to say, — Yd rather die, Assassinated on this sacred spot. 43 AMERICAN FREEDOM The Perpetuity of our Free Institutions Lincoln's Speech at Springfield, January, 1837 In the great journal of things happening Beneath the sun, we free Americans Now find ourselves in peaceful ownership Of this, the fairest portion of the earth, First in fertility and favored climate. We find ourselves under a government And institutions more essentially Conducing to the ends of liberty, Both civil and religious, more benign, Than any of which history can tell us. We find ourselves legal inheritors Of these our fundamental blessings. We toiled not to acquire or to establish These cherished rights; they are a legacy Bequeathed to us by a once hardy, brave, And patriotic race of ancestors. Theirs was the task, and nobly they performed it, To win themselves and us this goodly land, And to uprear upon its hills and valleys An edifice of liberty and justice. Our task is to transmit them unprofaned By foot of an intruder, undecayed By lapse of time, untorn by usurpation, To future generations of our people. 44 PATRIOTISM, PASSION AND REASON Lincoln's Speech at Springfield, January, 1837 The patriotic fervor which once was, — The powerful influence and inspiring awe Our Revolution had upon the people, — Long helped maintain our noble institutions, But that was passion, rather than sound judgment. These histories are gone. They can be read No more forever. Once a tower of strength, Their walls are leveled, not by an invader, But by times silent sure artillery. They were a forest of gigantic oaks, But now despoiled of verdue, shorn of foliage, They were the pillars of our liberty, Crumbled away now; and the temple falls, Unless we, as descendants, fill their places With pillars hewn from out the solid quarry Of sober reason. Passion helps no more. Cold, calculataing, unimpassioned reason Must furnish all material for our temple. Let those materials be molded well Into a general intelligence, A sound morality, and reverence For our loved constitution and the laws. Then shall our country evermore improve, And Washington's proud nation, honestly Revering his great name, shall not permit A hostile foot to pass or desecrate His resting place, till the last trump Shalt blow and waken our loved Washington. Upon these pillars, reason, law, and justice, Let the proud fabric of our freedom rest, As stands the Rock of Ages on its basis; And as was said of that one greater institution, <( The gates of hell shall not prevail against it. 45 )> THE DANGERS OF DICTATORSHIP Lincoln's Speech at Springfield, January, 1837 Where then shall we expect approach of danger? Shall we expect some trans- Atlantic giant, Some military power to cross the ocean And crush our freedom at a single blow? Never! Not all the armies of all Europe, Asia and Africa combined, with all The treasures of the earth, — our own excepted, — Within their fulsome military chest, And with a Bonaparte for a commander, — Could take one drink, by force, from the Ohio, Or make a black track upon our blue ridge, — Even if they should try a thousand years! At what point, then, is this approach of danger To be expected? I must answer thus, — If ever it shall reach us, it must spring Here, up amongst us! Never from abroad! If such destruction be our lot, ourselves Must be its author and its finisher. As a great nation of free men, we live Throughout all time, or die by suicide! 46 There are in this land many great good men, Well qualified for any task of state, Whose fair ambition would aspire to nothing Beyond a seat in Congress, or perhaps A governor's, or presidential chair. But such belong not to the family Of the wild lion, or the eagle's tribe! What! Think you that these honored public places Would satisfy an Alexander's pride, A Caesar's or Napoleon's ambition? No, never! Towering genius still disdains A beaten path, but seeks the unexplored. It scorns to tread the footpaths of another; It will not serve under a greater chief. It thirsts for glory, and burns for distinction; And it will have it, whether at expense Of freeing slaves, or of enslaving freemen! 4/ TEMPERANCE AND PROHIBITION Teach all men temperance and moderation, Bat let Man have his freedom and his Conscience! The cause of temperance can bat be injured By prohibition, which is but a form Of harsh intolerance, — intemperance! It goes beyond the bounds of law and reason, When it attempts to seek a firm control Of free mens appetites, by legislation, And makes a crime of things that are not crimes. Such prohibition strikes a traitor's blow Against the very principle of freedom, Whereon our law and government were founded. I always have been found upon the side Of weaker classes, laboring to protect Them from the stronger. Never can I give Consent to such oppressive lawless laws! Until my tongue is silenced by cold death, I will forever fight for rights of Man, For tolerance, and freedom for all people! 48 LINCOLN'S POEMS Richly Illustrated, with Lincoln Photographs Second Edition, February, 1941, $1.00, $60.00 per 100. Lincoln The Poet Limited First Edition, 50 pp., February 12, 1940, $5.00, rare (out of print) ******************* First Complete Edition 27 Poems by Abraham Lincoln Liberally Edited and Embellished By THE POET HUNTER Ph. D., J. D. University of Chicago, Author of "Songs of Chivalry," 1914, Editor of Shakesperian Poems, 1907, Editor of "Domicile", etc., in Corpus Juris ****** CONTENTS ****** My Angel Mother The Deserted Village The Mad-Man The Bear Hunt Golden Rule Church Gettysburg Lincoln's Prayer Before Gettysburg A House Divided Perpetual Union We Are Not Enemies But Friends With Malice Toward None The Declaration of Independence American Freedom The Inestimable Jewel The Dangers of Dictatorship Lincoln's Farewell at Springfield Patriotism, Passion and Reason Temperance and Prohibition Labor and Capital The Common People Honor The Soldiers and Bless the Women of America Ann Rutledge The Cabinet Painter The Philosophy of Canes The Tight-Rope Walker The Sabbath Mother Bixby P. H. DODGE, 7425 S. Jeffrey Ave. Phone Willis, FAI. 2039 Chicago, 111. PAUL HUNTER DODGE, 233 Ricou Bldg., Care of Atty. Phillips, Shreveport, La. MAKE AMERICA GREAT Abraham Lincoln Springfield, Feb. 12, 1841 The destiny of our beloved Country Now rests with you, good people; cherish it; This Government is yours! Your Senators And Representatives are but your servants; Your President is but your servant, too! George Washington foresaw this rugged race Might spread across this Western Continent; And Jefferson bought all that fertile Valley, That has become the heart of this great Nation. America must grow in peace and honor; Our land must grow by treaty and fair purchase. And all new peoples, joining with our own, Must have an equal voice in all our laws. This is your Country; it will be your children's Make America Great, Make America Strong, Make America Independent, Make America Continental! Not by force, not by threats, Not by arms, not by wars — But by true Friendship And Benevolence, By Faith in Right, and Charity To all Mankind, By honest dealing and fair trade, By keeping Faith and Treaties, And above all, by fair Example In good and honest Government. 49 Gloria Libert as Mary Owens Let every Man and Woman have a voice In every major policy of state, If we must have elections every year. Let us have Representatives Who truly represent the People; Let us send Men of Honor, Men of Trust, Men of Ability to serve, — Men who think only of their people, And Men who love their Country over all! We have good Neighbors to the North and South. Canadians, you know, are like our brothers; We want no barrier, no wall, no fence; They are our kinsmen, a good hardy race. The Mexicans are not far distant cousins; They come from a once mighty race of Spain And from the first and true Americans; They are a noble race, but long oppressed, But now they know the honeyed fruit of freedom, And we can help them to maintain its blessings; They need our aid. We need their trade and friendship. And now, good friends, farewell, — God bless you, God bless our Country, and our friendly neighbors. 50 HOW LONG By Anne Rutledge, 1829 — Unauthentic — There was a boy, called Honest Abe, Who grew and grew and grew, — His arms and legs were three feet long, His frame was six-feet-two! There was no bed in Illinois Would let him sleep or rest; In Springfield and in Sangamon, He slept North-East, South-West. When he had grown more North and South, And measured six-feet-four, — "How long had ought a mans legs be?" They asked him at the store. The cracker-bar' I philosophers They argued round and round, — Tilt Abe said, "Long enough to reach From-his-body-to-the- ground." POETRY ABOUT LINCOLN A hundred poems eulogizing Abraham Lincoln have been collected in "The Poet's Lincoln," by Osborn Olroyd. (Chappie, Boston, 1915). Foremost of these is Walt Mason's "The Eyes of Lincoln." 51 Ann Rutledge, portrayed by Joyce Blanchet of Lafayette LINCOLN'S WORDS ON ANN RUTLEDGE After Lincoln's election to the Presidency, an old friend, Isaac Cogsdale, asked him if it was true that he loved and courted Ann Rutledge, and Lincoln replied: "It is true — true; indeed I did. I have loved the name of Rutledge to this day. It was my first. I loved the woman dearly. She was a handsome girl; would have made a good, loving wife; was natural and quite intel- lectual, though not highly educated. I did honestly and truly love the girl, and think often, often of her now." — Lamon's Life of Lincoln, p. 169. Osgood ft Co., Boston, 1872. Ann's father was one of the famous South Carolina families, who had emigrated to Kentucky and Illinois, founding the village of New Salem. Lincoln's rival, McNamara, described Ann as a love- ly, refined girl, with golden hair, cherry-red lips, and a bonnie blue eye. 52 ANN RUTLEDGE / truly loved the girl, so sweet and gay, I loved the woman dearly; to this day I love the name of Rutledge. Sweet and fair Was Ann, with sunny streaming golden hair, With cherry lips and bonny bright blue eye, — A comely girl to make a lover sigh. She had a loving heart, a lofty mind, A gentle spirit, natural and kind. I loved her rosy cheek and lily brow. I truly loved her, and I love her now. She would have made a good and gracious wife, Had not a fever coveted her life. The snow and rains and storms beat on her grave, And in her grave my heart lies buried. Let me rave! Remember her in sunlight, — not the shroud; O, why should Mortal Spirit eer be proud! 53 THE COMMON PEOPLE God must have loved the Common People much, Or he would not have made so many of them. Let me appeal to you again, good people, To bear in mind, the Union rests with you. Not with the politicians, not with presidents, Nor yet with office-seekers, but with you, Remains the question, — Shall the Union live, And shall the liberties of this our country Survive, and be preserved for generations? HONOR THE SOLDIERS AND BLESS THE WOMEN OF AMERICA Washington Fair, March, 1864 This extraordinary war, wherein We are so long engaged, falls heavily Upon all classes of our people, yet Most hard and heavily upon the soldiers. You know it has been said, all a man hath He will surrender freely for his life. And while you all contribute of your substance, The soldier puts his very life at stake, And often yields it up for love of country. The highest merit then is due the soldier. In the relief of soldiers and their families, The Women of America stand foremost. In art of eulogy and compliment I am not well accustomed. But if all That has been said by orators and poets, Since Eves creation in the world of Man, In praise of Women, were applied to ours, It would not half do justice to the Women Of our America, for their good conduct In this hard war. Now let me close by saying, God bless the Women of America! 54 LABOR AND CAPITAL ^ ^ jjl 2ft JJC ?K J|S Labor and Laborers are not a class Divorced from Capital, nor are they servants Induced by others owning capital, To work unwillingly alone for hire. The fruit of labor, known as capital, Could not exist without the laborer. Capital has its rights, along with labor, Both worthy of protection. Their relation Is mutual, with mutual benefits. In small communities, where both commingle, The great mass of our thrifty rural workers Mingle their labor with their capital; They labor with their hands and many tools And implements, and hire some other hands To labor for them. Theirs is a mixed class, And not a separate, distinct, or yet Divided group of capital and labor. Your property is but the fruit of labor. It is desirable; it is a positive good; And it is capital, and every owner Though he may labor, is a capitalist. That some should be rich, only shows that others May too become rich. Riches is a just Encouragement to enterprise and labor. Let all then work together, and be just. Let not him that is houseless enviously Pull down the house his thrifty neighbor built, But let him work himself as diligently, And build himself a house, thus by example, Assuring that his house be safe from violence. 55 THE GOLDEN RULE CHURCH $ $ $ $ $ $ $ There is a Golden Rule of Love to God, And love and kindness to our fellowmen, Engraved by Jesus, on the Rock of Ages. When any Church inscribes above its altar, As its sole faith and creed for fellowship, The Savior's statement of the law and gospel, In simple words of faith and charity And kindness: (( Thou shalt love the Lord thy God With all thy heart, and all thy soul and mind, And Thou shalt love thy Neighbor as thyself/' — That Church will I then join, With all my heart and soul! THE SABBATH As we shall keep or break the Sabbath Day, We nobly save, or meanly lose The last best hope for which we pray, The rest and peace, and time to muse Of friends away from home and hearth, And hopes and loves beyond this earth. 56 LINCOLN'S CHURCH Lincoln's simple faith was quoted as follows, before the Connecticut General Assembly by Harry C. Dem- ing, a lawyer, and close friend of Lincoln: "When any church will inscribe above its altar, as its sole qualification for membership the Savior's con- densed statement of the substance of both law and Gospel, — -'Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and thy neighbor as thyself!' — that church will I join with all my heart and all my soul." The Golden Rule Church of America, founded upon Lincoln's creed and Jefferson's abridged Gospel, known as "The Morals and Teachings of Jesus," was organ- ized in 1930, at Louisville and Indianapolis, and may be the beginning of a very popular national church. WILLIE LINCOLN'S POEM In 1862, Lincoln's son Willie, aged about 12, wrote a child's poem on the death of Colonel Edward Baker Mjjt ■ (first stanza follows) "There was no patriot like Baker, So noble and so true; He fell as a soldier on the field, His face to the sky of blue." THE EYES OF LINCOLN — Walt Mason * * * * * >js ^ Sad eyes, that were patient and tender, Sad eyes, that were steadfast and true, And warm with the unchanging splendor Of courage no ills could subdue! Eyes dark with the dread of the morrow, And woe for the day that was gone, The sleepless companions of sorrow, The watchers that witnessed the dawn. Eyes tired from the clamor and goading, And dim from the stress of the years, And hollowed by pain and foreboding, And stained by repression of tears. Sad eyes that were weary and blighted, By visions of sieges and wars, Now watch o'er « country united, From the luminous slopes of the stars! 57 THE CABINET PAINTER ^ ^c sf; ^c jJ: % ^ "Oft t/es, / /enotx^ i/ou Mr. Carpenter, — You are the painter of our Cabinet, When the Emancipation Proclamation Was issued by us, not so long ago. You painted all of us quite as we were. Now, Mr. Carpenter, do you not think That you could make a handsome picture of me? I reckon you may see me in my study, And mayhap find a twinkle in my eye." THE INESTIMABLE JEWEL — Address to the 166th Ohio Regiment It is not merely for today we struggle, But for all time to come, for our own lives, And for our children's children, down the ages, We must perpetuate this great free government, Which we ourselves enjoy. Remember this, I beg you, not for my sake, but for yours. I happen, now, to occupy this White House. I am a living witness, your own children May look to come here, like my father's child. It is so ordered that each one of you May have, through this free government of ours, An open field, a fair and equal chance For your own industry and enterprise; That you may all have equal privileges And equal aspirations, in life's race. It is for this the struggle is maintained, That we may not forever lose our birthright. Surely our nation is worth fighting for, To keep such an inestimable jewel. THE PHILOSOPHY OF CANES / always liked a cane. Even as a boy, It was a freak of mine, — my favorite one A knotted beech stick, hand-carved by myself. Rough dog -wood clubs were favorite canes with boys. Perhaps they use them yet. Tough hickory seemed A bit too heavy, — save from a young sapling. Some canes may serve two uses. You have heard Of school-masters and canes. But have you seen These fishing-poles that fit into a cane? Well, that cane was an old idea of mine. There is a strength of character in canes. Have you not often noticed how a stick In hand will change ones whole appearance? Old women, even witches, would not look So menacing, without their sticks. Old Meg Merrolies understands that too. Anthony Lennon, as Abe at nine 59 Fataitttfle jwe«e»t«t by Tha l*»<»te n*14o»aJ Ute insarano© Coaa^any. Fort Wayn$> tnditm* GILDER'S COMMENT Mr. R. W. Gilder, in his masterly "Lincoln the Leader," speaking of Lincoln's literary style, says: Lincoln's style might have had all these qualities and yet not carried as it did. Beyond these traits comes the miracle — the poetical cadence of his prose and its traits of pathos and imagination. Lincoln's prose, at is height and when his spirit was stirred by aspiration and re- solve, affects the soul like noble music. Indeed, there may be found in all his great utterances a strain which is like the leading motif in musical drama, a strain of mingled pathos, heroism and resolution. That is the strain in the two inaugurals, in the "Gettysburg Address," and in his letter of consolation to a bereaved mother, which moves the hearts of generation after generation. 60 MOTHER BIXBY Lincoln's Letter to a War Mother of Five Sons Among the records of the War Department, I have been shown a paper full of grief But full of pride and honor to a Mother Of Massachusetts sons whose names are Bixby. You are the Mother of five noble Sons Who all died gloriously on the field of battle. I feel how weak and altogether fruitless Must be these words, or any words of mine Which even would endeavor to beguile you To stay a grief and loss so overwhelming. But I cannot refrain from tendering you Whatever consolation you may find In thanks of a republic which they died to save. I pray Our Heavenly Father may assuage The anguish of your heart, and leave you only The cherished memory of the loved and lost, The solemn pride that must be yours forever, To have laid upon the altar-stone of freedom So costly and so dear a sacrifice, 61 SHAKESPEARE LINCOLN'S APPRECIATION — MACBETH In a letter to the famous actor, James K. Hackett, August 17, 1863, Lincoln wrote as follows: "For one of my age I have seen very little of the drama. Some of Shakespeare's plays I have never read, while others I have gone over perhaps as frequently as any unprofessional reader. Among the latter are "Lear", "Richard III", "Henry VIII", "Hamlet", and especially "Macbeth". I think nothing equals "Macbeth." It is wonderful." Lord Carlisle was one of the few Shakespearian critics who voiced the same praise of "Macbeth." Dr. Warren, Editor of Lincoln Lore, says that Lin- coln probably understood Shakespeare, so far as he had read him, far better than many men who set them- selves up for critical authorities. In 1907, at Stratford on Avon, the editor of this booklet published a readable abridgement of "Macbeth", in sixteen pages, illustrated from the old Casell prints, with the intervening story in blank verse, composed almost entirely of Shakespeare's own phrases. "Macbeth" was chosen as the most interesting and thrilling drama, for the first of a series, entitled, "The Royal Road to Shakespeare" by Paul Hunter Dodge This abridgement found an eager reception among Eton, Rugby, Cambridge and Oxford students, and was republished in America, under the title, Shakes- pearean Poems, in 1907. "Hamlet", "Othello", "Lear", "Caesar", "Romeo and Juliet" and the "Merchant of Venice" still wait in manuscript. POETRY — POESY — PROSERY We need more exact words for literary forms. The word Poetry should be confined to true rhymed lyric poetry, as the public mind knew poetry in Tennyson, Shelley and Keats, in Longfellow, Whittier and Poe, Let blank verse be called Poesy, in which the poetic thought is paramount, and the unrhymed but elastic rhythmical form secondary. But let us call mere orna- mental or metaphorical prose, Prosery, which would cover most of Whitman's exclamations, and most of his followers' ornate works. 62 Abe Lincoln visited New Orleans in his late teens, about 18 21 bringing a raft and cargo down the Mississippi from Indiana. Zoe Matthews, as Lincoln's foster Mother 63 Willie Lincoln, at eleven admiring Col. Baker • — Price ■ — Chicago, 1940 Edn. Second Edition, Bound, 48 pp. $25.00 Pamphlet, 48 pp. $3.00 New Orleans, 1941 Edn. Feb., Mar., Apr., $1.00 May, June, July, $1.25 64 pp. 75c Unexpurgated — Third Edition, Red Binding . . $5.00 Fourth Edition, For Children . 50c Sf£ 3|C 3JC SfC 3|C 5jC 3fC For Sale at LINCOLN BOOKSHOP. 3 3 N. LaSalle, Chicago ARGUS BOOKSTORE, 16 N. Michigan Ave., Chicago LINCOLN PUBLISHING COMPANY 303~4&?- Marine Bldg., New Orleans HARMANSON'S, 333 Royal Street, RA. 4072 SILER'S, 111 University Place, RA. 7606 64 UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS-URBANA 973.7L63K1940A1941A C001 LINCOLN THE POET 2D COMPLETE ED NEWO 3 0112 031830653