Honest Abe: A Study in Integrity Based on the Early Life of Abraham Lincoln

Nonfiction, Religion & Spirituality, New Age, History, Fiction & Literature
Cover of the book Honest Abe: A Study in Integrity Based on the Early Life of Abraham Lincoln by Alonzo Rothschild, Library of Alexandria
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Alonzo Rothschild ISBN: 9781465622532
Publisher: Library of Alexandria Publication: March 8, 2015
Imprint: Language: English
Author: Alonzo Rothschild
ISBN: 9781465622532
Publisher: Library of Alexandria
Publication: March 8, 2015
Imprint:
Language: English

He who seeks to understand the character and achievement of Abraham Lincoln must begin with a study of the man’s honesty. At the base of his nature, in the tap-root and very fiber of his being, pulsed a fidelity to truth, whether of thought or of deed, peculiar to itself. So thoroughgoing was this characteristic that it seems to have begun in him where in other men it generally leaves off. Politicians without number have yielded a work-a-day obedience to the rules of honor, but there is record of no other public leader in recent times who, among the vicissitudes of a trying career, has endeavored to balance actions and principles with such painstaking nicety. To trace these efforts from Lincoln’s early years is to pass with him, pace for pace, over part of the road that led to distinction. As we go we shall have to take account of happenings, little as well as big; for every man is the sum of all his parts, and in no other way may we hope to comprehend how the esteem that began with a few rustic neighbors grew until it filled the heart of a nation. To what extent, if any, Lincoln inherited his uprightness of mind from remote ancestors will probably never be known. The bare lines of the genealogical chart afford no clues to the characters of the men and women whose names appear there. If any of the threads spun out of their several lives met and twined in the broad strand of blue that enriched his, there is no way of identifying the spinners. Less obscure, though perhaps of only passing interest, is what may be gleaned under this head about two of Lincoln’s nearer relations. His father’s brothers, Mordecai and Josiah, appear to have enjoyed general respect on account of their probity. “They were excellent men,” said one who claimed to know them intimately, “plain, moderately educated, candid in their manners and intercourse, and looked upon as honorable as any men I have ever heard of.” Their younger brother Thomas, however, cannot be so readily portrayed. He has, like his illustrious son, been, in turn, depreciated and idealized to such a degree that the inquirer, who would reach safe conclusions in respect to him, must tread warily through a maze of contradictions.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

He who seeks to understand the character and achievement of Abraham Lincoln must begin with a study of the man’s honesty. At the base of his nature, in the tap-root and very fiber of his being, pulsed a fidelity to truth, whether of thought or of deed, peculiar to itself. So thoroughgoing was this characteristic that it seems to have begun in him where in other men it generally leaves off. Politicians without number have yielded a work-a-day obedience to the rules of honor, but there is record of no other public leader in recent times who, among the vicissitudes of a trying career, has endeavored to balance actions and principles with such painstaking nicety. To trace these efforts from Lincoln’s early years is to pass with him, pace for pace, over part of the road that led to distinction. As we go we shall have to take account of happenings, little as well as big; for every man is the sum of all his parts, and in no other way may we hope to comprehend how the esteem that began with a few rustic neighbors grew until it filled the heart of a nation. To what extent, if any, Lincoln inherited his uprightness of mind from remote ancestors will probably never be known. The bare lines of the genealogical chart afford no clues to the characters of the men and women whose names appear there. If any of the threads spun out of their several lives met and twined in the broad strand of blue that enriched his, there is no way of identifying the spinners. Less obscure, though perhaps of only passing interest, is what may be gleaned under this head about two of Lincoln’s nearer relations. His father’s brothers, Mordecai and Josiah, appear to have enjoyed general respect on account of their probity. “They were excellent men,” said one who claimed to know them intimately, “plain, moderately educated, candid in their manners and intercourse, and looked upon as honorable as any men I have ever heard of.” Their younger brother Thomas, however, cannot be so readily portrayed. He has, like his illustrious son, been, in turn, depreciated and idealized to such a degree that the inquirer, who would reach safe conclusions in respect to him, must tread warily through a maze of contradictions.

More books from Library of Alexandria

Cover of the book Letter to the Reverend Mr. Cary Containing Remarks Upon His Review of the Grounds of Christianity Examined by Comparing the New Testament to the Old by Alonzo Rothschild
Cover of the book International Language: Past, Present and Future With Specimens of Esperanto and Grammar by Alonzo Rothschild
Cover of the book Nightmare Abbey by Alonzo Rothschild
Cover of the book A Study of Shakespeare by Alonzo Rothschild
Cover of the book My Disillusionment in Russia by Alonzo Rothschild
Cover of the book The Great Painters' Gospel: Pictures Representing Scenes and Incidents in the Life of Our Lord Jesus Christ by Alonzo Rothschild
Cover of the book Light, Life, and Love: Selections From the German Mystics of the Middle Ages by Alonzo Rothschild
Cover of the book Day Symbols of The Maya Year by Alonzo Rothschild
Cover of the book A Greek Primer for Beginners in New Testament Greek by Alonzo Rothschild
Cover of the book The Book of the Feet: A History of Boots and Shoes by Alonzo Rothschild
Cover of the book Symphonies and Their Meaning by Alonzo Rothschild
Cover of the book In the Foreign Legion by Alonzo Rothschild
Cover of the book The Latin & Irish Lives of Ciaran Translations of Christian Literature: Lives of The Celtic Saints by Alonzo Rothschild
Cover of the book The United States and Latin America by Alonzo Rothschild
Cover of the book The Life, Letters and Work of Frederic Leighton (Complete) by Alonzo Rothschild
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy