and in that faith let us, to the end, dare to do our duty, as we uuderstand it."

Slavery, discomretired from the

The subsequent nomination of Mr. Lincoln as the Republican candidate for the Presidency, and his election, are still fresh in ' the memories of us all. The campaign of 1860 marked an epoch in American history. The "irrepressible conflict," as a political combat, culminated, and for the first time since the fires of the revolution expired, Slavery went down, and Freedom triumphed. The forces had been marshaled again and again, but the chains of party, the rule of cotton, and the reign of a so-called conservatism, were too strong to be broken and overcome at the first or even the second onset. The devotees of slavery were vigilant and defiant. Their passive subjects at the North rallied their energies sufficient to raise the cry of excitement and agitation, and called out for "a little more sleep, a little more slumber, a little more folding of the hands to sleep." But the fiat had gone forth. The time had come for an exhibition of the omnipotence of truth. fitted at the ballot-box, moodily and menacingly contest, to plan and scheme its machinations, to destroy that which it could no longer rule. The long, anxious days that intervened between the election and inauguration were filled up by the outgoing administration, excepting two members of the cabinet, in vacillation," imbecility and I had almost said-treason. The flag! was ignominiously insulted; the forts and arsenals scized; the gov eriment property stolen; a government vessel fired into from at rebel battery. States had proclaimed themselves absolved from their Federal allegiance; had raised the ensign of rebellion, and their people, with shouts of defiance and derision towards the old, creaking, heavily laboring ship, buckled on the armor of war. Dur- ' ing this exhibition of revolution and treason, the poor old President, who had truckled and pandered to these powers of disorgan-" ization, had neither the courage nor the strength to snap the cords with which he was bound, and with a brave heart and firm hand, seize and grapple with the embryo treason, but begged, prayed and whimpered. The Treasury was plundered and bankrupt; the Navy was scattered to the four corners of the globe; the Army' was poisoned with the virus of treason; the people were anxious,"

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excited and confused; and there stood a portion of the old Demoeratic party, smarting under its recent defeat, waiting, watching for some pretext to strike hands with the South, and obtain control of the government. Chaos, uncertainty, demoralization reigned everywhere. It was under such auspices, that Mr. Lincoln, on the 11th day of February, 1861, left his quiet, pleasant home at Springfield, to take in his hands the Executive reins of the nation. No wonder his great heart was sad, and almost quailed at the task before him. No wonder that at this eventful hour he should invoke the prayers and sympathies of his old friends and neighbors. What a volume of meaning in that simple, tender, little speech at the Springfield depot, when he was leaving it forever. "My friends," said he, "no one not in my position can appreciate the sadness I feel at this parting. To this people, I owe all that I am. Here I have lived more than a quarter of a century. Here my children were born, and here one of them lies buried. I know not how soon I shall see you again. A duty devolves upon me, which is perhaps greater than that which has devolved upon any other man since the days of Washington. He never would have succeeded except for the aid of Divine Providence, upon which he at all times relied. I feel that I cannot succeed without the same Divine aid which sustained him, and in the same Almighty Being I place my reliance for support, and I hope you, my friends, will all pray that I may receive that Divine assistance, without which I cannot succeed, but with which success is certain. Again, I bid you all an affectionate farewell." Men, women and children shed great tears of sorrow as the great and good man, with streaming eyes and choked utterances, said the last farewell. Does any one doubt that Abraham Lincoln carried with him the prayers of every pious heart in that multitude, that were to receive him back, a dead, but mighty conqueror? His eventful journey to the Federal Capital-the homage paid to him—the lying in wait of would-be assassins, are familiar to all my hearers. His speeches were every where received by the people as the hopeful harbingers of a early reconciliation of the national troubles, and the dissipation of the dark, portentous clouds that hung over the Republic. They breathed such a spirit of justice, of kindness, and, above all,

such a reliant faith upon the all-sustaining arm of Jehovah, that, wherever he went, he raised the desponding spirits, and soothed the troubled fears of the anxious, excited crowds that every where flocked to see and hear him. Serious apprehensions were entertained that an outbreak might occur at his inauguration; but thanks to the foresight and preparations of that old veteran and chieftain, General Scott, they were not realized. On the 4th of March, 1861, he was inaugurated as President of the United States. His address was of the most extraordinary character, profound, statesman-like, but unique. As one possessing but little imagination, Mr. Lincoln was remarkable for approaching so near the domain of the poetic world, and yet not stepping in. He illustrated this aptly upon this occasion. He plead with the Southern insurgents with all the soothing tenderness of a father persuading a wayward boy to return to his home. His closing remarks are already historic:

I am loth to close. We are not enemies, but friends. We must not be enemies. Though passion may have strained, it must not break our bonds of affection..

The mystic chords of memory, stretching from every battlefield and patriotic grave, to every living heart and hearthstone all over this broad land, will yet swell the chorus of the Union, when again touched, as surely they will be, by the better angels of our nature."

Thus, we have followed the humble, untutored youth from his simple cabin of logs, until he is seated in the Executive chair of the mightiest Republic on the globe, and one of the great, leading powers among the nations of the earth; unaided, save by the powers that God gave him, he now sits down among Kings and Princes. What a glorious commentary upon our free institutions! What an incentive for the humble youth in whose heart is excited the undefinable aspiring after position and honor? Not that all may be Presidents, or Senators, or Congressmen, or-even members of the Legislature-but that every young man, whatever his situation, however untoward circumstances may be, can fit himself, if he have the will, to fill the measure of an honorable, useful manhood. The desire for education, for high attainments, as means to an end,

and that end preferment, personal or political fame and distinction, is certainly commendable, but he, who would rise above such considerations, and strike for such attainments for the sake of his own manhood, will find a continual well-spring of joy and satisfaction that will render his life a blessing to himself and society. The man that is born, lives and dies without making the world better and happier for having lived in it, fails to perform the mission which his Maker intrusted to him, and for such unfaithfulness to his trust, must answer-yonder. There is a host of heroes unknown to fame, who will stand up there and say, "Lord, here is the ten talents thou gavest me, behold it has gained other ten talents." Heroes of whom it may be said, as of the noble Lincoln,

"His life was gentle, and the elements

So mixed in him that nature might stand up
And say to all the world,-this was a man.

The momentous, thrilling events that transpired during Mr. Lincoln's presidency, have a lasting impression upon the memory of every American, and no detailed recital is necessary here. At the commencement of his term, he labored earnestly, patiently, forbearingly for peace without the shedding of blood. His great noble heart yearned over the misguided, malignant spirits of the South, that were determined upon a disruption of the Union of the States. He reasoned, he plead, he wept, he prayed, but trea son was red-hot, reason hushed and conscience stifled. The first gun that awakened the echoes in the harbor of Charleston, and sent its leaden messenger against the walls of the now classic Sumter, stirred to its lowest depth the patriotism and indignation of a loyal people. Mr. Lincoln was amazed at the atrocity and wickedness of the crime. His great, generous nature had not yet fully comprehended the ultimate purpose that animated the leaders of the Southern rebellion. He issued his call for 75,000 militia from the States. The response was quick and overwhelming from the loyal people of the North. An extra session of Congress was called, and every measure put in execution to place the nation on a war footing. In a single day the doors of the temple of Janus were thrown open, Peace dethroned, and grim-visaged War enter.

ing, seized the scepter. Amid the dark anxious days of the Baltimore blockade, the suppression of intercourse with the patriotic demonstrations and loyal acclamations of the people of the North and Northwest, the President stood calm and unmoved; but when the glorious old Sixth, of glorious old Massachusetts, cutting its way through the howling mobs of treason, reached the Capital, and marched in proud, defiant phalanx, to salute the nation's chief, the stout heart broke down in tenderness and gratitude, and could only pronounce the brief benediction, "God bless you!" "God bless you!" The still darker hours that followed, when the Capital manifested its open sympathy with treason and rebels, and the communications of loyal troops coming to the rescue, suspended, when rebellion shouted its defiance into the teeth of the President and the nation, the spirit that moved calmly and cheerfully around in that critical hour was Abraham Lincoln. Then followed the concentration of the national militia, the preparation for the march into Virginia, the meeting of Congress, and the heart-rending, humiliating disaster at Bull Run. Rebellion laughed in derision, and mocked at both the overtures of reconciliation and the preparations for war. Mr. Lincoln, separated somewhat from the people to whom he looked for support, became depressed and a little desponding. He had not yet felt the strong, rapid beatings of the national heart, and the good man, always reliant upon the popular voice and will, doubted. The Governors of the loyal States met him in the Executive mansion. There were the gallant Curtin, and Morton, Buckingham, Andrew, Sprague, and others. Shall we call for 500,000 men?. Will the people respond? These were the important questions discussed at that eventful meeting. Curtin stands with anxious countenance looking from the window, moodily tapping the glass with his fingers. He hears the matter discussed. A burdened anxiety sits upon every countenance. The salvation of the nation is in the balance. Some shake their heads ominously. Curtin wheels sharply around, and his clear, ringing voice breaks the spell, and electrifies them all with, the emphatic declaration, "Mr. President, the people of Pennsylvania WILL respond." "So will Indiana," says Morton. "Massachusetts will . do her whole duty," says Andrew; and "So will Connecticut,"