story-tellingyokel——intellectualonlyastheartistisintellectual，inhismethodsofhandling——tothemanofideas，arewhollylost。Andinthisfactwehaveaprophecyofalltheyearstocome。AlwaysweshallseekinvainfortheearlystagesofLincoln’sideas。

　　Hismindwillneverrevealitselfuntilthemomentatwhichitengagestheworld。Nowonder，inlatertimes，hiscloseassociatespronouncedhimthemostsecretiveofmen；thatoneofthekeenestofhisobserverssaidthatthemoreyouknewofLincoln，thelessyouknewofhim。[5]

　　Exceptforthehandicapofhissurroundings，hisintellectualstartwouldseembelated；evenallowingforhishandicap，itwascertainlyslow。Hewasnowtwenty-eight。Prettywellontorevealforthefirsttimeintellectualpower!Anothercharacteristichere。Hismindworkedslowly。Butitisworthobservingthattheideasoftheprotestwereneverabandoned。

　　Stillathirdcharacteristic，mentaltenacity。Totheendofhisdays，helookedaskanceatthetemperofabolitionism，regardediteverasoneofthechiefevilsofpoliticalscience。Andquiteassignificantwasanotherideaoftheprotestwhichalsohaddevelopedfromwithin，whichalsoheneverabandoned。

　　Onthequestionofthepowerofthenationalgovernmentwithregardtoslavery，hetookapositionnotinaccordwitheitherofthepoliticalcreedsofhisday。TheDemocratshadalreadyformulatedtheirdoctrinethatthenationalgovernmentwasathingofextremelylimitedpowers，the“glorifiedpoliceman“ofacertainschoolofpublicistsreducedalmosttoaminusquantity。TheWhigs，thoughamiablyvagueonmostthingsexceptmoney-makingbystateaid，weresupposedtostandfora“strongcentralgovernment。Abolitionismhadforcedonbothpartiesatroublesomequestion，“WhataboutslaveryintheDistrictofColumbia，wherethenationalgovernmentwassupreme？“TheDemocratswerepromptintheirreply：Lettheglorifiedpolicemankeepthepeaceandleaveprivateinterests，suchasslave-holding，alone。TheWhigsevaded，triednottoapplytheirtheoryof“strong“government；theywerefearfullesttheyoffendonepartoftheirmembershipiftheyassertedthatthenationhadnorighttoabolishslaveryintheDistrict，fearfulofoffendingothersiftheydidnot。

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