Lincoln。EveninthathalfoftheUnionwhichacknowledgedhimasPresident，therewasalarge，andatthattimedangerous，minority，thathardlyadmittedhisclaimtotheoffice，andeveninthepartythatelectedhimtherewasalsoalargeminoritythatsuspectedhimofbeingsecretlyacommunicantwiththechurchofLaodicea。（1）
Allhedidwassuretobevirulentlyattackedasultrabyoneside;allthatheleftundone，tobestigmatizedasproofoflukewarmnessandbackslidingbytheother。Meanwhilehewastocarryonatrulycolossalwarbymeansofboth;hewastodisengagethecountryfromdiplomaticentanglementsofunprecedentedperilundisturbedbythehelporthehindranceofeither，andtowinfromthecrowningdangersofhisadministration，intheconfidenceofthepeople，themeansofhissafetyandtheirown。Hehascontrivedtodoit，andperhapsnoneofourPresidentssinceWashingtonhasstoodsofirmintheconfidenceofthepeopleashedoesafterthreeyearsofstormyadministration。
（1）See*Revelation，*chapter3，verse15。
Mr。Lincoln\'spolicywasatentativeone，andrightlyso。Helaiddownnoprogrammewhichmustcompelhimtobeeitherinconsistentorunwise，nocast—irontheoremtowhichcircumstancesmustbefittedastheyrose，orelsebeuselesstohisends。HeseemedtohavechosenMazarin\'smotto，*Letempsetmoi。*（1）The*moi，*tobesure，wasnotveryprominentatfirst;
butithasgrownmoreandmoreso，tilltheworldisbeginningtobepersuadedthatitstandsforacharacterofmarkedindividualityandcapacityforaffairs。Timewashisprime—minister，and，webegantothink，atoneperiod，hisgeneral—in—chiefalso。Atfirsthewassoslowthathetiredoutallthosewhoseenoevidenceofprogressbutinblowinguptheengine;thenhewassofast，thathetookthebreathawayfromthosewhothinkthereisnogettingonsafetywhilethereisasparkoffireundertheboilers。Godistheonlybeingwhohastimeenough;butaprudentman，whoknowshowtoseizeoccasion，cancommonlymakeashifttofindasmuchasheneeds。Mr。Lincoln，asitseemstousinreviewinghiscareer，thoughwehavesometimesinourimpatiencethoughtotherwise，hasalwayswaited，asawisemanshould，tilltherightmomentbroughtupallhisreserves。*Sempernocuitdifferreparatis，*（2）isasoundaxiom，butthereallyefficaciousmanwillalsobesuretoknowwhenheis*not*ready，andbefirmagainstallpersuasionandreproachtillheis。
（1）TimeandI。CardinalMazarinwasprime—ministerofLouisXIV。ofFrance。Time，Mazarinsaid，washisprime—minister。
（2）Itisalwaysbadforthosewhoarereadytoputoffaction。
Onewouldbeapttothink，fromsomeofthecriticismsmadeonMr。Lincoln\'scoursebythosewhomainlyagreewithhiminprinciple，thatthechiefobjectofastatesmanshouldberathertoproclaimhisadhesiontocertaindoctrines，thantoachievetheirtriumphbyquietlyaccomplishinghisends。Inouropinion，thereisnomoreunsafepoliticianthanaconscientiouslyrigid*doctrinaire，*
nothingmoresuretoendindisasterthanatheoreticschemeofpolicythatadmitsofnopliabilityforcontingencies。True，thereisapopularimageofanimpossibleHe，inwhoseplastichandsthesubmissivedestiniesofmankindbecomeaswax，andtowhosecommandingnecessitythetoughestfactsyieldwiththegracefulpliancyoffiction;butinreallifewecommonlyfindthatthemenwhocontrolcircumstances，asitiscalled，arethosewhohavelearnedtoallowfortheinfluenceoftheireddies，andhavethenervetoturnthemtoaccountatthehappyinstant。Mr。Lincoln\'speriloustaskhasbeentocarryarathershakyraftthroughtherapids，makingfasttheunrulierlogsashecouldsnatchopportunity，andthecountryistobecongratulatedthathedidnotthinkithisdutytorunstraightatallhazards，butcautiouslytoassurehimselfwithhissetting—polewherethemaincurrentwas，andkeepsteadilytothat。
Heisstillinwildwater，butwehavefaiththathisskillandsurenessofeyewillbringhimoutrightatlast。
Acurious，and，aswethink，notinaptparallel，mightbedrawnbetweenMr。Lincolnandoneofthemoststrikingfiguresinmodernhistory，——HenryIV。ofFrance。Thecareerofthelattermaybemorepicturesque，asthatofadaringcaptainalwaysis;butinallitsvicissitudesthereisnothingmoreromanticthanthatsuddenchange，asbyarubofAladdin\'slamp，fromtheattorney\'sofficeinacountrytownofIllinoistothehelmofagreatnationintimeslikethese。Theanalogybetweenthecharactersandcircumstancesofthetwomenisinmanyrespectssingularlyclose。Succeedingtoarebellionratherthanacrown，Henry\'schiefmaterialdependencewastheHuguenotparty，whosedoctrinessatuponhimwithaloosenessdistastefulcertainly，ifnotsuspicious，tothemorefanaticalamongthem。KingonlyinnameoverthegreaterpartofFrance，andwithhiscapitalbarredagainsthim，ityetgraduallybecamecleartothemorefar—seeingevenoftheCatholicpartythathewastheonlycentreoforderandlegitimateauthorityroundwhichFrancecouldreorganizeitself。WhilepreacherswhoheldthedivinerightofkingsmadethechurchesofParisringwithdeclamationsinfavorofdemocracyratherthansubmittothehereticdogofBearnois，（1）——muchasour*soi—disant*Democratshavelatelybeenpreachingthedivinerightofslavery，anddenouncingtheheresiesoftheDeclarationofIndependence，——
HenryborebothpartiesinhandtillhewasconvincedthatonlyonecourseofactioncouldpossiblycombinehisowninterestsandthoseofFrance。MeanwhiletheProtestantsbelievedsomewhatdoubtfullythathewastheirs，theCatholicshopedsomewhatdoubtfullythathewouldbetheirs，andHenryhimselfturnedasideremonstrance，adviceandcuriosityalikewithajestoraproverb（ifalittle*high，*helikedthemnonetheworse），jokingcontinuallyashismannerwas。WehaveseenMr。LincolncontemptuouslycomparedtoSanchoPanzabypersonsincapableofappreciatingoneofthedeepestpiecesofwisdomintheprofoundestromanceeverwritten;namely，that，whileDonQuixotewasincomparableintheoreticandidealstatesmanship，Sancho，withhisstockofproverbs，thereadymoneyofhumanexperience，madethebestpossiblepracticalgovernor。HenryIV。wasasfullofwisesawsandmoderninstancesasMr。Lincoln，butbeneathallthiswasthethoughtful，practical，humane，andthoroughlyearnestman，aroundwhomthefragmentsofFranceweretogatherthemselvestillshetookherplaceagainasaplanetofthefirstmagnitudeintheEuropeansystem。InonerespectMr。LincolnwasmorefortunatethanHenry。Howeversomemaythinkhimwantinginzeal，themostfanaticalcanfindnotaintofapostasyinanymeasureofhis，norcanthemostbitterchargehimwithbeinginfluencedbymotivesofpersonalinterest。Theleadingdistinctionbetweenthepoliciesofthetwoisoneofcircumstances。Henrywentovertothenation;
Mr。Lincolnhassteadilydrawnthenationovertohim。OneleftaunitedFrance;theother，wehopeandbelieve，willleaveareunitedAmerica。Weleaveourreaderstotracethefurtherpointsofdifferenceandresemblanceforthemselves，merelysuggestingageneralsimilaritywhichhasoftenoccurredtous。Oneonlypointofmelancholyinterestwewillallowourselvestotouchupon。ThatMr。Lincolnisnothandsomenorelegant，welearnfromcertainEnglishtouristswhowouldconsidersimilarrevelationsinregardtoQueenVictoriaasthoroughlyAmericaninthewantof*bienseance。*Itisnoconcernofours，nordoesitaffecthisfitnessforthehighplacehesoworthilyoccupies;butheiscertainlyasfortunateasHenryinthematterofgoodlooks，ifwemaytrustcontemporaryevidence。Mr。LincolnhasalsobeenreproachedwithAmericanismbysomenotunfriendlyBritishcritics;but，withalldeference，wecannotsaythatwelikehimanytheworseforit，orseeinitanyreasonwhyheshouldgovernAmericansthelesswisely。
（1）OneofHenry\'stitleswasPrinceofBearn，thatbeingtheoldprovinceofFrancefromwhichhecame。
Peopleofmoresensitiveorganizationsmaybeshocked，butwearegladthatinthisourtruewarofindependence，whichistofreeusforeverfromtheOldWorld，wehavehadattheheadofouraffairsamanwhomAmericamade，asGodmadeAdam，outoftheveryearth，unancestried，unprivileged，unknown，toshowushowmuchtruth，howmuchmagnanimity，andhowmuchstatecraftawaitthecallofopportunityinsimplemanhoodwhenitbelievesinthejusticeofGodandtheworthofman。Conventionalitiesareallverywellintheirproperplace，buttheyshrivelatthetouchofnaturelikestubbleinthefire。Thegeniusthatswaysanationbyitsarbitrarywillseemslessaugusttousthanthatwhichmultipliesandreinforcesitselfintheinstinctsandconvictionsofanentirepeople。