"His musket falls slack; his face, dark and grim, Grows gentle with memories tender, As he mutters a prayer for the children asleep, For their mother, may Heaven defend her." Washington's struggle and patience against adversities and confusions, through his long career as leader in the making of the Union, was doubtless an ever present example and consolation to Lincoln in the no less stupendous task of preserving the Union. Laboulaye, the French Statesman says, "History shows us the victory of force and stratagem much more than of justice, moderation and honesty. It is too often only the apotheosis of triumphant selfishness. There are noble and great exceptions; happy those who can increase the number, and thus bequeath a noble and beneficent example to posterity. Mr. Lincoln is among these. He would willingly have repeated, after Franklin, that 'falsehood and artifice are the practice of fools, who have not wit enough to be honest.' All his private and all his political life was inspired and directed by his profound faith in the omnipotence of virtue." VI. SOME HUMAN INTERESTS MAKING LIGHTER THE BURDENS OF THE TROUBLED WAY Great minds always see a ridiculous aspect in the midst of every human crisis, even as Franklin did in the signing of the Declaration of Independence when he said, "We must all hang together or we will all hang separately." The President on a certain occasion was feeling very ill and he sent for the doctor, who came and told him that he had a very mild form of smallpox. "Is it contagious?" he asked. "Yes, very contagious," replied the doctor. A visitor was present who was very anxious to be appointed to a certain office. On hearing what the doctor said, the visitor hastily arose. "Don't be in a hurry, sir," said Lincoln, as if very well intentioned toward him. "Thank you, sir, I'll call again," said the retreating office seeker, as he vanished through the door. "Some people," said Lincoln, laughing at the hurried exit of his friend, "do not take kindly to my Emancipation Proclamation, but now I am happy to believe I have something that everybody can take." Once, when Charles Sumner called upon him, he found Lincoln blacking his boots. "Why, Mr. President," he exclaimed, "do you black your own boots?" With a vigorous rub of the brush, the President replied, "Whose boots did you think I blacked?" The way Lincoln answered unjustified people is illustrated in his response to a delegation asking the appointment of a certain man to be commissioner to the Sandwich Islands. After praising his qualifications for the place, they urged the plea of his bad health. The President said, "Gentlemen, I am sorry to say that there are eight other applicants for that place, and they are all sicker than your man."