A. Lincoln 2

I will be jumping around with Lincoln because there is just too much to tell, and many times I forget something from his life that I should have included.

There are 16,000+ books on Lincoln and I think probably every one of them is trying to figure him out. I think that one of the reasons that Lincoln is so popular is not only what incredible success he had as a patient president, but also the fact that no one can figure him out.

I must say that the best any book could receive for its efforts on Lincoln, would be very good. Yes this is all. The reason, there are no hard facts on every time of Lincoln's life. Lincoln's "Speeches and Writings" is the closest anyone will be able to delve into the mind of Lincoln. Or if one is lucky enough to run across something he said from a reliable source.

Personally my favorite summary of what Lincoln was like in the White House comes from Harriet Beecher Stowe. I can't quote it, for I haven't the book in front of me, but at a later date I certainly will.

My personal favorite quote of Lincoln's:
"...and yet the human instrumentalities working just as they do are of the best adaptation to effect His purpose..."
This came from one of his personal writings, and was found after he was dead.

Lincoln if anything was a genius. I do not think that anyone else in the secular world even remotely achieved what he did (and with so little). On second thought he probably could be considered for Sainthood, although he became Christian late in life (more on this later).

What I will do, is not try to figure him out, but display the facts (that I know and will learn) about him. This will give the man the true measure of character without any theatrics.