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Show CHARACTER. Emerson said: "We think our civilization near its meridian, but we are only at the cock-crow-ing and the morning star. In our barbarous so-ciety so-ciety the influence of character is in its infancy. As a political power, as the rightful lord who is H to tumble all rulers from their chairs, its presence is hardly suspected." HI That was written after Washington lived, but Hf we suspect that Emerson nev.r sought to know Hf the secret springs of Washington's power. It H; was written before Lincoln's last four years of H; life, and the pathos of the tragedy of his death, Hi but had it not been we suspect that Emerson H' lived a generation too soon to be impressed with the real majesty of the character of Abraham Lin-H: Lin-H: coin. But unwittingly he describes the character of the uncouth man. "The rightful lord, to tumble H. all rulers from their chairs." The few in New England who believed that because of birth and training and education they were the elect and Hj were shocked when they first saw Mr. Lincoln as president, all figuratively "tumbled from their j chairs" when they read his Gettysburg speech. They realized that the uncouth man, who told stories and made jokes when they were excited and alarmed over the country's prospects, was after all deeper than they, profounder than they, more human than they, and that no matter what might be his everyday contact with his fellow men, his real soul rested serene on a higher plane than . If in his time there was an occupant of anv chy throne who was himself gifted and undci .ood the interpretation of high natures through their uttered words, there was not one but felt himself "tumbled from his chair" by the words that man who had not one grace of per-son, per-son, who had emerged from obscurity and in Bj four short years had made clear that he was the Bj foremost man of all the earth, fl; There were brighter men all around Washin- B'' ton than was the Father of his country, but they HH' all paid deference to him, and now after a cen- B tury has unwound its years and men think of B that era, while all the other great souls of that B; time are shadowed more or less under the mists Bi of the years, Washington stands out in perfect, B' 'form in his niche of the ages. There was many a more scholarly man than Lincoln around him, great statesmen, great soldiers, sol-diers, great scholars, but the fame of not one of the shining band disturbs the homely majesty of the memory of Lincoln. And what Emerson meant when he said: "We think our civilization near to its meridian, but we are only at the cock-crowing and the morning star," was that we are yet so lost in the darkness of ignorance and selfishness, that we cannot discern dis-cern character and give it its merited influence. Still we do not believe that we are not further advanced than Emerson thought. It required almost al-most four years for the scholarly men around Mr. Lincoln at least all but Seward to understand their inferiority in his presence, but the masses of the men of Illinois understood him. It is only a little more than a year since a great portion of the press of the country referred to Theodore Roosevelt as "The Broncho Buster," but a good many of them feel now like "tumbling "tum-bling off their chairs" before him. Some will tell you that his charm is courage, others that it is his clear judgment, others that it is manifest integrity in-tegrity of purpose. All are right and all wrong. He is brave sure enough, but that is characteristic of thousands around him ; he has clear judgment, but it is not infallible; that he is honest goes without with-out saying; but that does not single him out for especial fame. His life to him is a trust and he knows if he fails in any particular to perform his duty to his country and to his fellow men, so high is his soul attuned that he would carry a quiver full of self-reproaches to his pillow at night and that would be more of a terror to him than an "army and banners." It is that devotion to duty, no matter what obstacle may invade his path, that makes his character, and it is the contemplation of that which causes men of less high souls to recognize recog-nize in him "the rightful lord," and to figuratively "tumble from their chairs" before him. The combination com-bination of attributes that make the perfect man is character. The nearer perfect that combination the nearer is perfect character in men. " |