The Words of Abraham Lincoln, for Use in Schools

of to-day, who can know him in an historical way only. But in what he was and in what he did the last seven years of his life, he belongs to his country and to all the world.

In choosing examples of Mr. Lincoln's work the limits of the book allowed the choice of only a certain amount of material, so that the editor was compelled to exercise self-denial to a very high degree. And since he was thereby precluded from much interesting matter, the greater care had to be taken in order that the speeches, state papers, etc., chosen, might be representative of their author in the highest and best sense. This task was made a good deal easier by the fact that Lincoln's public life and service mainly centered in the struggle against, and for the extinction of, slavery in the United States.

The speeches that have been chosen include nearly all, if not quite all, the arguments Mr. Lincoln used in the discussion of slavery and the other questions of his day, if, indeed, there can be said to have been other questions. And to the reader of all his great speeches, it is astonishing how few those arguments were.

The state papers, messages and proclamations and the public letters all bear upon the same subject—the salvation of the Union with the extinction of slavery. In the choice of these, the editor has been guided by his desire to present connectedly Mr. Lincoln's progress to the perception that the extinction of slavery was necessary to the salvation of the Union. In these is shown also his wonderful political sagacity in refusing to move forward faster than the support of the people would warrant, and in knowing just the right time for the next move.

The letters are of two sorts, public and private. In

the public letters Mr. Lincoln defends, explains or vindicates his public action. Written to private individuals, to committees, and to men in public position, they are in reality addressed to the public, to the people, to debate with them questions of public importance and to prepare their minds for his next action. In the purely private letters Mr. Lincoln is seen in another light entirely. His sympathy, his thoughtfulness, his kindness, his gentleness and his fidelity to his duty all come before us. All his speeches, state papers, letters and addresses are so plain, so simple, as to need only a reading to be understood. The editor, therefore, has been careful to add a note here and there only.

In addition to Mr. Lincoln's own words, some of the best things that have been written about him and his words have been put into the book. These serve (1) to present a view of him not possible to be obtained from his own writings, given, as it is, by his contemporaries; (2) to call attention to some special characteristic of his speeches, letters and papers, and in this way to make clearer their object and the nature of the work which he was doing; (3) to show to the youth of our schools what friends, eminent public men, and poets have said of him; (4) to bind together the book into a connected whole and so give a more nearly complete portrait of 'Mr. Lincoln; and (5) to induce both teacher and pupil to read more widely and study more carefully the words of the "first American."

In the arrangement of the material selected, the greatest care has been taken so that the picture might grow as the reading proceeded from the beginning to the end. The editor believes this part of his work will commend itself to any who will examine it carefully. Lastly, the purpose of the book is to present a con

necled piece of history covering the question of slavery in the United States as only Mr. Lincoln has covered. it, and giving an exposition of the war for the Union. nade by a master hand. The words and example of Lincoln, rightly understood by our young people, cannot fail of good in bringing them to see more clearly what true patriotism is as set forth in the sayings and deeds of "the kindly-earnest, brave, foreseeing man, who gave his life also to the cause for which so many others died, "that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth."

BURLINGTON, Vt., September, 1898.

I. T.

PUBLISHERS' NOTE.

Acknowledgments are due for permission to use copyright selections in this volume as follows: To Horace L. Traubel, for "My Captain;" to the Independent of New York, for the stories taken From "Six Months at the White House;" to D. Appleton & Co., fc the selections from "Herndon's Life of Lincoln" and for the poc ns by Bryant which are taken by their special permission from the Poetical Works of Wm. Cullen Bryant, edited by Parke Godw n. The selections by Whittier, Holmes, Lowell, Taylor, Schur and Phoebe Cary are used by permission of and by special arrangment with Houghton, Mifflin & Co.

PUBLISHERS.

CONTENTS.

Chronological list of events in the life of Abraham Lincoln .

Lincoln's favorite poem

William Knox.

Page

ΙΟ

Speech in reply to Senator Douglas-July 10, 1858

Wm. H. Herndon.

First Inaugural Address-March 4, 1861

Joshua F. Speed.

Speech at Cooper Union, New York-February 27, 1860
Extract from speech at Hartford, Conn.-March 5, 1860
Some characteristics of Lincoln
Farewell speech at Springfield, Illinois-February 11, 1861.
Extract from speech at Pittsburg-February, 1861
Speech at Philadelphia—February 21, 1861
The situation in 1861

Estimate of Lincoln

Lincoln's management of men

A proclamation-April 15, 1861.

Message to congress in special session-July 4, 1861

Lincoln's mode of life at the White House

Message to congress recommending compensated emancipa

Message to congress—April 16, 1862