Reminiscences about Abraham Lincoln . tation that every one has experienced, when some illustrious person is mentioned, to brag about, and to enlarge to the utmost, ones acquaintance witlt the celebrity. Many of Lincolns biographies have been written in this spirit. Often the enlargement has been carried into the realm of the imagination. One of the most im-pressive things about Mr. Rankin is ! his conscientiousness in regard to | this. He seems to have pruned down his memories to the very heart of the facts instead of enlarg-ing upon them. He has avoided reading many of the books about Lincol
Reminiscences about Abraham Lincoln . tation that every one has experienced, when some illustrious person is mentioned, to brag about, and to enlarge to the utmost, ones acquaintance witlt the celebrity. Many of Lincolns biographies have been written in this spirit. Often the enlargement has been carried into the realm of the imagination. One of the most im-pressive things about Mr. Rankin is ! his conscientiousness in regard to | this. He seems to have pruned down his memories to the very heart of the facts instead of enlarg-ing upon them. He has avoided reading many of the books about Lincoln just in orde/- that his own impressions will remain first hand. When he quotes another person, it for the pur-pose of substantiating or illustrating a point that he himself had ob-served. Mr. Rankins first hand knowledgeof Lincoln* dates back to his boy-hood, when Lincoln periodically vis-ited the home of Rankins parents inPetersburg, and is further based on[his association with Lincoln in theIlatters law office in Springfield from. 1858 to 1861. lvir. ttanian 3 motnerwas before her marriage MissArminda Rogers, daughter of one ofthe earliest settlers near Salem. Lin-coln, and her brothers were friends;Anne Rutledge and she were was she who coached Anne Rut-ledge for entrance into the Seminaryat Jacksonville. Thus from hismother, Rankin, received fresh andauthentic information about theSalem period of Lincolns life; as aboy he saw Lincoln the young law-yer and embryo politician; as n,young man he associated daily withLincoln the president-elect. Mr. Rankin pictures Lincoln al-ways as a gentleman in the bestsense of the word; always self-pos-sessed, always at ease, never roughor uncouth. He pictures him as aman of God; he pictures him as aman of moods, and analysizes thesemoods as no other writer has done;he pictures Mrs. Lincoln as a wom-ni\ of culture, of practical ability, ofpolitical foresight, and gives hermuch of the credit for Lincolns po-litical success. He p
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