WHY WE LOVE LINCOLN [Illustration: From “The Life of Abraham Lincoln.” Copyright 1900, The McClure Co. Lincoln early in 1861. This is supposed to be the first, or one of the first, portraits made of Lincoln after he began to wear a beard ] WHY WE LOVE LINCOLN BY JAMES CREELMAN Author of “On the Great Highway” “As, in spite of some rudeness, republicanism is the sole hope of a sick world, so Lincoln, with all his foibles, is the greatest character since Christ.”--_John Hay._ [Illustration] NEW YORK THE OUTING PUBLISHING COMPANY MCMIX Copyright, 1909, by THE OUTING PUBLISHING CO. Copyright, 1908, by THE PEARSON PUBLISHING CO. _All Rights Reserved._ To MY SON ASHMERE AND TO ALL AMERICAN BOYS YOUNG OR OLD I ADDRESS THIS LITTLE VOLUME _Acknowledgements are due to the excellent books on Lincoln by Herndon and Weik, Hay and Nicolay, Ida Tarbell, Mr. Lamon, Mr. Stoddard, and others._ ILLUSTRATIONS Lincoln early in 1861 _Frontispiece_ FACING PAGE The Kentucky log cabin in which Lincoln was born 12 Lincoln debating with Douglas in 1858 24 The Globe Tavern, Springfield, where Lincoln lived 36 Lincoln in 1857 48 Senator Stephen A. Douglas, Lincoln’s great rival 60 Abraham Lincoln (in about 1860) 72 A rare photograph of Lincoln in 1860 84 Carpenter’s picture of Lincoln’s cabinet 98 Fac-simile of Lincoln’s Letter of Acceptance 102 Mrs. Abraham Lincoln 108 St. Gauden’s statue, Lincoln Park, Chicago 120 Head of Lincoln, by Gutzon Borglum 132 Life mask of Lincoln while President 142 Autograph Copy of Lincoln’s speech at Gettysburg 148 Lincoln statue, E. Capitol and Thirteenth Street, Washington 154 One of the last photographs of Lincoln 166 WHY WE LOVE LINCOLN I While our great battleship fleet thundered peace and friendship to the world, as it moved from sea to sea, stinging pens and voices in one country after another answered that America had suddenly passed from blustering youth to cynical old age, and that the harmless effrontery of our nationality in the past was not to be confounded with the cold-brained, organized, money-worshipping greed of the new generation of Americans.