WHY LINCOLN LAUGHED
Books by
RUSSELL H. CONWELL
WHY LINCOLN LAUGHED EFFECTIVE PRAYER ACRES OF DIAMONDS
HOW A SOLDIER MAY SUCCEED AFTER THE WAR
or The Corporal with the Book
OBSERVATION: EVERY MAN HIS OWN UNIVERSITY WHAT YOU CAN DO WITH YOUR WILL POWER HARPER & BROTHERS, NEW YORK
Established 1817
ABRAHAM LINCOLN
WHY
LINCOLN LAUGHED
By
RUSSELL H. CONWELL Author of
"ACRES OF DIAMONDS"
Harper & Brothers Publishers New York and London MCMXXII
Why Lincoln Laughed
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Copyright, 1922, by Harper & Brothers Printed in the United States of America A-W
[Pg v] CONTENTS
CHAP. PAGE Foreword vii
I. When Lincoln Was Laughed At 1
II. President and Pilgrim 24
III. Lincoln Reads Artemus Ward Aloud 38
IV. Some Lincoln Anecdotes 51
V. What Made Him Laugh 64
VI. Humor in the Political Situation 82
VII. Why Lincoln Loved Laughter 115
VIII. Lincoln and John Brown 127 [Pg vi]
[Pg vii] FOREWORD
Abraham Lincoln wrote to his law partner, William Henry Herndon, that "the physical side of Niagara Falls is really a very small part of that world's wonder. Its power to excite reflection and emotion is its great charm." That statement might fittingly be applied to Lincoln himself. One who lived in his time, and who has read the thousand books they say have been written about him in the half century since his death, may still be dissatisfied with every description of his personality and with every analysis of his character.
He was human, and yet in some mysterious degree superhuman. Nothing in philosophy, magic, superstition, or religion furnishes a satisfactory explanation to the thoughtful devotee for the inspiration he gave out or for the transfiguring glow[Pg viii] which at times seemed to illumine his homely frame and awkward gestures.
The libraries are stocked with books about Lincoln, written by historians, poets, statesmen, relatives, and political associates. Why cumber the shelf with another sketch?
The answer to that reasonable question is in the expressed hope that great thinkers and sincere humanitarians may not give up the task of attempting to set before the people the true Lincoln. One turns away from every volume, saying, "I am not yet acquainted with that great man." Hence, books like this simple tale may help to keep the attention of readers and writers upon this powerful character until at last some clear and satisfactory portrayal may be had by the interested readers among all nations.
Neither bronze nor canvas nor marble can give the true image. Perhaps the more exact the portrait or statue in respect to his physical appearance the less it will[Pg ix] exhibit the real personality. All pictures of Abraham Lincoln fail to represent the man as he was. The appearance and the reality are at irreconcilable variance.
Heredity may be a large factor in the making of some great men, and education may be the chief cause for the influence of other great men. But there are only a few great characters in whose lives both of those advantages are lost to sight in the view of their achievements.
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Genius is often defined with complacent assurance as the ability and disposition to do hard work. That is frequently the truth; but it is not always the truth. Abraham Lincoln did much of many kinds of hard work, but that does not account for his extraordinary genius. He had the least to boast of in his family inheritance. His school education was of the most meager kind, and he had more than his share of hard luck. His most difficult task was to overcome his awkward manners and ungainly physique. His life, therefore, [Pg x]presents a problem worthy the attention of philanthropic scientists.
Can he be successfully imitated? Why did his laugh vibrate so far, and why was his humor so inimitable? If the suggestions made in this book will aid the investigator in finding an answer to these questions it will justify the venturesomeness of this volume in appearing upon the shelf with such a great company of the works of greater authors.
Russell H. Conwell. Philadelphia, January, 1922.
[Pg 1]
WHY LINCOLN LAUGHED
Chapter I: When Lincoln Was Laughed At
LINCOLN loved laughter; he loved to laugh himself and he liked to hear others laugh. All who knew him, all who have written
of him, from John Hay, years ago, to Harvey O'Higgins in his recent work, tell how, in the darkest moments our country has ever known, Lincoln would find time to illustrate his arguments and make his points by narrating some amusing story. His humor never failed him, and through its help he was able to bear his great burden.
I first met Lincoln at the White House[Pg 2] during the Civil War. To-day it seems almost impossible that I shook his hand, heard his voice, and watched him as he laughed at one of his own stories and at the writings of Artemus Ward, of which he was so fond. Yet, as I remember it, I did not feel at that time that I was in the presence of a personality so extraordinary that it would fascinate men
for centuries to come. I was a young man, and it was war time; perhaps that is the reason. On the contrary, he seemed a very simple man, as all great men are--I might almost say ordinary, throwing his long leg over the arm of the chair and using such common-place, homely language. Indeed, it was hard to be awed in the presence of Lincoln; he seemed so approachable, so human, simple, and genial.
Did he use his humor to disarm opposition, to gain good will, or to throw a mantle around his own melancholy thoughts? Did he
believe, as Mark Twain said, that "Everything human is[Pg 3] pathetic; the secret source of humor is not joy, but sorrow?" I am sure
I cannot say. I only know that humor to Lincoln seemed to be a safety valve without which he would have collapsed under the crushing burden which he carried during the Civil War.
Until he was twenty-four and was admitted to the bar, he was a quiet, serious, brooding young fellow, but apparently he discovered the effectiveness of humor, for he began using it when he was arguing before the court. Some of his contemporaries say that he was humorous in the early part of his life, but that, as time went on and he gained confidence through success, he used humor less and less in his public utterances. This is partly true, for there is no trace of humor in his presidential addresses. But that he was humorous in his daily life and that he continued to read and laugh over the many jokes he read is too obvious to deny. You cannot think of Lincoln without thinking[Pg 4] at the same time of that very American trait which he possessed and which seems to spring from and within the soil of the land--homely humor.
One day when I was at the White House in conversation with Lincoln a man bustled in self-importantly and whispered something to him. As the man left the room Lincoln turned to me and smiled.
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"He tells me that twelve thousand of Lee's soldiers have just been captured," Lincoln said. "But that doesn't mean anything; he's
the biggest liar in Washington. You can't believe a word he says. He reminds me of an old fisherman I used to know who got such a reputation for stretching the truth that he bought a pair of scales and insisted on weighing every fish in the presence of witnesses.
"One day a baby was born next door, and the doctor borrowed the fisherman's scales to weigh the baby. It weighed forty-seven
pounds."
Lincoln threw back his head and[Pg 5] laughed; so did I. It was a good story. Now what do you think of this? Only recently I picked
up a newspaper and read that