abraham lincoln-第3章

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party　with　whose　more　extreme　opinions　he　was　not　in　sympathy。　

It　might　well　be　feared　that　a　man　past　fifty；　against　whom　the

ingenuity　of　hostile　partisans　could　rake　up　no　accusation；　must　be

lacking　in　manliness　of　character；　in　decision　of　principle；　in

strength　of　will；　that　a　man　who　was　at　best　only　the　representative

of　a　party；　and　who　yet　did　not　fairly　represent　even　that；　would　fail

of　political；　much　more　of　popular；　support。　　And　certainly　no　one

ever　entered　upon　office　with　so　few　resources　of　power　in　the

past；　and　so　many　materials　of　weakness　in　the　present；　as　Mr。

Lincoln。　　Even　in　that　half　of　the　Union　which　acknowledged　him　as

President；　there　was　a　large；　and　at　that　time　dangerous；　minority；

that　hardly　admitted　his　claim　to　the　office；　and　even　in　the　party

that　elected　him　there　was　also　a　large　minority　that　suspected　him

of　being　secretly　a　communicant　with　the　church　of　Laodicea。（1）　

All　he　did　was　sure　to　be　virulently　attacked　as　ultra　by　one　side；　all

that　he　left　undone；　to　be　stigmatized　as　proof　of　lukewarmness　and

backsliding　by　the　other。　　Meanwhile　he　was　to　carry　on　a　truly

colossal　war　by　means　of　both；　he　was　to　disengage　the　country

from　diplomatic　entanglements　of　unprecedented　peril　undisturbed

by　the　help　or　the　hindrance　of　either；　and　to　win　from　the　crowning

dangers　of　his　administration；　in　the　confidence　of　the　people；　the

means　of　his　safety　and　their　own。　　He　has　contrived　to　do　it；　and

perhaps　none　of　our　Presidents　since　Washington　has　stood　so　firm

in　the　confidence　of　the　people　as　he　does　after　three　years　of

stormy　administration。



（1）　See　*Revelation；*　chapter　3；　verse　15。



Mr。　Lincoln's　policy　was　a　tentative　one；　and　rightly　so。　　He　laid

down　no　programme　which　must　compel　him　to　be　either

inconsistent　or　unwise；　no　cast…iron　theorem　to　which

circumstances　must　be　fitted　as　they　rose；　or　else　be　useless　to　his

ends。　　He　seemed　to　have　chosen　Mazarin's　motto；　*Le　temps　et

moi。*（1）　　　The　*moi；*　to　be　sure；　was　not　very　prominent　at　first；

but　it　has　grown　more　and　more　so；　till　the　world　is　beginning　to　be

persuaded　that　it　stands　for　a　character　of　marked　individuality　and

capacity　for　affairs。　　Time　was　his　prime…minister；　and；　we　began　to

think；　at　one　period；　his　general…in…chief　also。　　At　first　he　was　so

slow　that　he　tired　out　all　those　who　see　no　evidence　of　progress　but

in　blowing　up　the　engine；　then　he　was　so　fast；　that　he　took　the

breath　away　from　those　who　think　there　is　no　getting　on　safety

while　there　is　a　spark　of　fire　under　the　boilers。　　God　is　the　only

being　who　has　time　enough；　but　a　prudent　man；　who　knows　how　to

seize　occasion；　can　commonly　make　a　shift　to　find　as　much　as　he

needs。　　Mr。　Lincoln；　as　it　seems　to　us　in　reviewing　his　career；

though　we　have　sometimes　in　our　impatience　thought　otherwise；

has　always　waited；　as　a　wise　man　should；　till　the　right　moment

brought　up　all　his　reserves。　　*Semper　nocuit　differre　paratis；*（2）　is

a　sound　axiom；　but　the　really　efficacious　man　will　also　be　sure　to

know　when　he　is　*not*　ready；　and　be　firm　against　all　persuasion

and　reproach　till　he　is。



（1）　Time　and　I。　　　Cardinal　Mazarin　was　prime…minister　of　Louis

XIV。　of　France。　　Time；　Mazarin　said；　was　his　prime…minister。

（2）　　It　is　always　bad　for　those　who　are　ready　to　put　off　action。



One　would　be　apt　to　think；　from　some　of　the　criticisms　made　on

Mr。　Lincoln's　course　by　those　who　mainly　agree　with　him　in

principle；　that　the　chief　object　of　a　statesman　should　be　rather　to

proclaim　his　adhesion　to　certain　doctrines；　than　to　achieve　their

triumph　by　quietly　accomplishing　his　ends。　　In　our　opinion；　there　is

no　more　unsafe　politician　than　a　conscientiously　rigid　*doctrinaire；*

nothing　more　sure　to　end　in　disaster　than　a　theoretic　scheme　of

policy　that　admits　of　no　pliability　for　contingencies。　　True；　there　is　a

popular　image　of　an　impossible　He；　in　whose　plastic　hands　the

submissive　destinies　of　mankind　become　as　wax；　and　to　whose

commanding　necessity　the　toughest　facts　yield　with　the　graceful

pliancy　of　fiction；　but　in　real　life　we　commonly　find　that　the　men

who　control　circumstances；　as　it　is　called；　are　those　who　have

learned　to　allow　for　the　influence　of　their　eddies；　and　have　the　nerve

to　turn　them　to　account　at　the　happy　instant。　　Mr。　Lincoln's　perilous

task　has　been　to　carry　a　rather　shaky　raft　through　the　rapids；

making　fast　the　unrulier　logs　as　he　could　snatch　opportunity；　and

the　country　is　to　be　congratulated　that　he　did　not　think　it　his　duty　to

run　straight　at　all　hazards；　but　cautiously　to　assure　himself　with　his

setting…pole　where　the　main　current　was；　and　keep　steadily　to　that。　

He　is　still　in　wild　water；　but　we　have　faith　that　his　skill　and　sureness

of　eye　will　bring　him　out　right　at　last。



A　curious；　and；　as　we　think；　not　inapt　parallel；　might　be　drawn

between　Mr。　Lincoln　and　one　of　the　most　striking　figures　in　modern

history；Henry　IV。　of　France。　　The　career　of　the　latter　may　be　more

picturesque；　as　that　of　a　daring　captain　always　is；　but　in　all　its

vicissitudes　there　is　nothing　more　romantic　than　that　sudden

change；　as　by　a　rub　of　Aladdin's　lamp；　from　the　attorney's　office　in　a

country　town　of　Illinois　to　the　helm　of　a　great　nation　in　times　like

these。　　The　analogy　between　the　characters　and　circumstances　of

the　two　men　is　in　many　respects　singularly　close。　　Succeeding　to　a

rebellion　rather　than　a　crown；　Henry's　chief　material　dependence

was　the　Huguenot　party；　whose　doctrines　sat　upon　him　with　a

looseness　distasteful　certainly；　if　not　suspicious；　to　the　more

fanatical　among　them。　　King　only　in　name　over　the　greater　part　of

France；　and　with　his　capital　barred　against　him；　it　yet　gradually

became　clear　to　the　more　far…seeing　even　of　the　Catholic　party　that

he　was　the　only　centre　of　order　and　legitimate　authority　round

which　France　could　reorganize　itself。　　While　preachers　who　held　the

divine　right　of　kings　made　the　churches　of　Paris　ring　with

declamations　in　favor　of　democracy　rather　than　submit　to　the

heretic　dog　of　Bearnois；（1）much　as　our　*soi…disant*　Democrats

have　lately　been　preaching　the　divine　right　of　slavery；　and

denouncing　the　heresies　of　the　Declaration　of　Independence；

Henry　bore　both　parties　in　hand　till　he　was　convinced　that　only　one

course　of　action　could　possibly　combine　his　own　interests　and　those

of　France。　　Meanwhile　the　Protestants　believed　somewhat

doubtfully　that　he　was　theirs；　the　Catholics　hoped　somewhat

doubtfully　that　he　would　be　theirs；　and　Henry　himself　turned　aside

remonstrance；　advice　and　curiosity　alike　with　a　jest　or　a　proverb　（if

a　little　*high；*　he　liked　them　none　the　worse）；　joking　continually　as

his　manner　was。　　We　have　seen　Mr。　Lincoln　contemptuously

compared　to　Sancho　Panza　by　persons　incapable　of　appreciating

one　of　the　deepest　pieces　of　wisdom　in　the　profoundest　romance

ever　written；　namely；　that；　while　Don　Quixote　was　incomparable　in

theoretic　and　ideal　statesmanship；　Sancho；　with　his　stock　of

proverbs；　the　ready　money　of　human　experience；　made　the　best

possible　practical　governor。　　Henry　IV。　was　as　full　of　wise　saws　and

modern　instances　as　Mr。　Lincoln；　but　beneath　all　this　was　the

thoughtful；　practical；　humane；　and　thoroughly　earnest　man；　around

whom　the　fragments　of　France　were　to　gather　themselves　till　she

took　her　place　again　as　a　planet　of　the　first　magnitude　in　the

European　system。　　In　one　respect　Mr。　Lincoln　was　more　fortunate

than　Henry。　　However　some　may　think　him　wanting　in　zeal；　the

most　fanatical　can　find　no　taint　of　apostasy　in　any　measure　of　his；

nor　can　the　most　bitter　charge　him　with　being　influenced　by　motives

of　personal　interest。　　The　leading　distinction　between　the　policies　of

the　two　is　one　of　circumstances。　　Henry　went　over　to　the　nation；

Mr。　Lincoln　has　steadily　drawn　the　nation　over　to　him。　　One　left　a

united　France；　the　other；　we　hope　and　believe；　will　leave　a　reunited

America。　　We　leave　our　readers　to　trace　the　further