I heard a lecture on Abraham Lincoln at Corydon, Indiana, March 17, 1899, by Henry Watterson, the talented editor of the Louisville Courier-Journal and ex-Confederate, in which he said, "If Lincoln was not inspired of God, then there is no such thing on earth as special providence or the interposition of divine power in the affairs of men."
In 1903, the State of Mississippi, the second State to pass an ordinance of secession, and the home of Jefferson Davis, President of the Southern Confederacy, requested Honorable Robert T. Lincoln to furnish a picture of his father to hang in the new capitol building at Jackson. The request was as follows:
"We of the South now realize the greatness and the goodness of the character of Abraham Lincoln, and would honor his memory. Nothing that we could do would add to his fame. We can, however, show our respect and love for him. Permit me, therefore, in the name of the State, to invite you to place a portrait of President Lincoln in the new capitol of Mississippi; that it may symbolize his love for his country, his devotion to duty, and his heartfelt sympathy for the Southern people."
Abraham Lincoln loved the South. He was Southern born. At his last cabinet meeting, on the date of his death, he advised that forbearance, clemency, and charity should be the controlling principles in dealing with difficult problems awaiting practical solution.
What a rich inheritance we have in the example and deeds, the pen and voice of Abraham Lincoln. What an inspiration his noble life should be to struggling young men who trace the footsteps in his eventful history, and learn the motives that prompted him in all his actions.
Not long since I received a communication from a stranger, a poor orphan boy in far-away Turkey. He lives in Konia, the ancient Iconium, mentioned in the New Testament. He says: "I have read in some books about Lincoln. I love and admire him as one of the greatest men that ever have been lived on earth." His appeal for an opportunity to know more about Lincoln was pathetic.
Many years ago a young man said:
"I was only a child when Abraham Lincoln died, but I cannot think of his death without feeling the same pain I would feel if it had been my father. I never saw him, and yet it seems that I knew him and loved him personally. I am sure I am a better man because Lincoln lived. His straightforward, simple, truthful life puts all meaner lives to shame."