Lincolns Inaugurals, Addresses and Letters | Page 3

a
practising lawyer nor as President of the United States, would he permit
anyone to take what he regarded as liberties with him. But, on the other
hand, he did not allow his elevated position to change his personal
relations. His old Illinois friends found in the White House the same
cordial welcome and simple manners to which they had been
accustomed in the pleasant home at Springfield.
During the first few weeks of the administration it was believed by
many persons, including Mr. Seward himself, that President Lincoln
would be greatly influenced in his policy by the superior experience in
public affairs of his Secretary of State. Mr. Seward even went so far as
to draw up a plan of action, which he submitted to his chief. Lincoln
soon showed, however, that he was not a follower, but a leader of men,
beneath whose good nature and kindly spirit was a power of initiative
that has rarely been equalled among the statesmen of the world. Even
the dictatorial Secretary of War found it necessary to yield to the
President on all points that the latter regarded as being fundamental.
Few other presidents have been so bitterly attacked and so cruelly
misrepresented as Lincoln, but nothing could turn him from his purpose
when that was once formed. Like the wise man that he was, Lincoln
was always ready to listen to the suggestions of others, but the
conclusion finally reached by him was always his own. He applied to
questions of state the same methods of careful, impartial inquiry that
had served him so well as a lawyer on the Illinois circuit, and if, being
human, he did not always avoid committing errors, he never acted from
impulse or prejudice. Lincoln was a strong leader, but he was at the
same time a wise leader.
Turning now from the man to his works, we note first that the
development of Lincoln's style was slow. One might almost be tempted
to say that Lincoln developed several different styles in succession.
This, however, is hardly true, for in spite of the numerous marked
changes and improvements in Lincoln's manner of writing, certain
fundamental qualities remained, the real expression of his personality,

that is, the real style of Lincoln. From the beginning to the end we find
an effort to say something and to say it in as clear a manner as possible,
an effort without which there can be no real success in writing. After a
practice in public speaking of over thirty years Lincoln as President
could still say: "I believe I shall never be old enough to speak without
embarrassment when I have nothing to talk about."
The first specimen of Lincoln's writings that has been preserved is a
communication to the voters of Sangamon County in 1832, when
Lincoln was for the first time a candidate for the State legislature. It is
significant of Lincoln's imperfect command of English at that time that
"some of the grammatical errors" were corrected by a friend before the
circular was issued. Although this circumstance makes it impossible for
us to judge exactly what his style was at this period, we may be sure
that the changes were comparatively slight and that the general form at
least was Lincoln's. The question naturally arises whether there is
anything in this first specimen of Lincoln's writing that suggests,
however remotely, the Gettysburg Address and the Second Inaugural.
A little study will discover suggestions at least of the later manner, just
as in the uncouth and awkward young candidate for the Illinois State
Legislature, we can note many traits, intellectual and moral, that
distinguish the mature and well-poised statesman of thirty years later. It
is the same man, but developed and strengthened, it is the same style,
strengthened and refined. If Nicolay and Hay go too far when they say
of the address: "This is almost precisely the style of his later years," it
would be quite as wrong to deny any likeness between the two. In the
first place, we have the same severely logical treatment of the subject
matter, from which Lincoln, a lawyer and public speaker, never
departed. Lincoln's grammar may not have been impeccable at this time,
but his thinking powers were already little short of masterly. This, then,
is the first element in the makeup of Lincoln's style, the ability to think
straight and consequently to write straight. His legal training, which
was then very meagre, cannot account for his logical thinking; it is
more correct to say that he later became a successful lawyer because of
the logical bent of his mind.
Closely connected with this early development of the form of thinking

was Lincoln's interest in words, and his desire always to use words with
a perfect understanding of their meaning.