E-text prepared by David Edwards and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team (http://www.pgdp.net) from page images generously made available by Internet Archive (http://www.archive.org) Note: Project Gutenberg also has an HTML version of this file which includes the original illustration. See 38423-h.htm or 38423-h.zip: (https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/38423/pg38423-images.html) or (https://www.gutenberg.org/files/38423/38423-h.zip) Images of the original pages are available through Internet Archive. See http://www.archive.org/details/whylincolnlaughe00conw WHY LINCOLN LAUGHED * * * * * BOOKS BY RUSSELL H. CONWELL WHY LINCOLN LAUGHED EFFECTIVE PRAYER ACRES OF DIAMONDS HOW A SOLDIER MAY SUCCEED AFTER THE WAR OR THE CORPORAL WITH THE BOOK OBSERVATION: EVERY MAN HIS OWN UNIVERSITY WHAT YOU CAN DO WITH YOUR WILL POWER HARPER & BROTHERS, NEW YORK ESTABLISHED 1817 * * * * * [Illustration: ABRAHAM LINCOLN] WHY LINCOLN LAUGHED by RUSSELL H. CONWELL Author of "Acres of Diamonds" Harper & Brothers Publishers New York and London MCMXXII WHY LINCOLN LAUGHED Copyright, 1922, by Harper & Brothers Printed in the United States of America A-W CONTENTS CHAP. PAGE FOREWORD vii I. WHEN LINCOLN WAS LAUGHED AT 1 II. PRESIDENT AND PILGRIM 24 III. LINCOLN READS ARTEMUS WARD ALOUD 38 IV. SOME LINCOLN ANECDOTES 51 V. WHAT MADE HIM LAUGH 64 VI. HUMOR IN THE POLITICAL SITUATION 82 VII. WHY LINCOLN LOVED LAUGHTER 115 VIII. LINCOLN AND JOHN BROWN 127 FOREWORD Abraham Lincoln wrote to his law partner, William Henry Herndon, that "the physical side of Niagara Falls is really a very small part of that world's wonder. Its power to excite reflection and emotion is its great charm." That statement might fittingly be applied to Lincoln himself. One who lived in his time, and who has read the thousand books they say have been written about him in the half century since his death, may still be dissatisfied with every description of his personality and with every analysis of his character. He was human, and yet in some mysterious degree superhuman. Nothing in philosophy, magic, superstition, or religion furnishes a satisfactory explanation to the thoughtful devotee for the inspiration he gave out or for the transfiguring glow which at times seemed to illumine his homely frame and awkward gestures. The libraries are stocked with books about Lincoln, written by historians, poets, statesmen, relatives, and political associates. Why cumber the shelf with another sketch?