Meanwhile，despiteallthissemblanceofindecision，offeebleness，thereweresignsthattherealinnerLincoln，howeverclouded，wasstillalive。Bywayofoffsettohisfatuousutterances，theremighthavebeenset，hadtheCountrybeeninamoodtoweighwithcare，severalstrongandclearpronouncements。Andthesewerenotmerelytellingphraseslikethatcharacteristiconeaboutthebookkeepingofthefrontdoor。Hismindwasstrugglingoutofitsshadow。Andthemodeofitsreappearancewassignificant。Hisreasoninguponthetruemeaningofthestrugglehewasabouttoenter，reachedasignificantstageinthespeechhemadeatHarrisburg。[8]
“Ihaveofteninquiredofmyself，“hesaid，“whatgreatprincipleorideaitwasthatkeptthisConfederacy[theUnitedStates]solongtogether。Itwasnotthemerematteroftheseparationofthecoloniesfromthemotherland，butthatsentimentintheDeclarationofIndependencewhichgavelibertynotalonetothepeopleofthecountrybuthopetoalltheworldforallfuturetime。Itwasthatwhichgavepromisethatinduetimetheweightswouldbeliftedfromtheshouldersofallmenandthatallshouldhaveanequalchance。ThisisthesentimentembodiedintheDeclarationofIndependence。Now，myfriends，canthiscountrybesavedonthatbasis？Ifitcan，I
willconsidermyselfoneofthehappiestmenintheworld，ifI
canhelptosaveit。Ifitcannotbesaveduponthatprinciple，itwillbetrulyawful。Butifthiscountrycannotbesavedwithoutgivingupthatprinciple，IwasabouttosayI
wouldratherbeassassinatedonthisspotthansurrenderit。
Now，inmyviewofthepresentaspectofaffairs，thereisnoneedofbloodshedandwar。ThereisnonecessityforitIamnotinfavorofsuchacourse，andImaysayinadvancethattherewillbenobloodshedunlessitisforceduponthegovernment。Thegovernmentwillnotuseforceunlessforceisusedagainstit。“
Thetwoideasunderlyingthisutterancehadgrowninhisthoughtsteadily，consistently，eversincetheirfirstappearanceintheProtesttwenty-fouryearsprevious。Thegreatissuetowhichallelse——slavery，“dominionstatus，“
everything——wassubservient，wasthepreservationofdemocraticinstitutions；themeanstothatendwasthepreservationoftheFederalgovernment。Now，asin1852，hisparamountobjectwasnotto“disappointtheLiberalpartythroughouttheworld，“toprovethatDemocracy，whenappliedonagreatscale，hadyetsufficientcoherencetoremainintact，nomatterhowpowerful，norhowplausible，weretheforcesofdisintegration。
DominatedbythispurposehecametoWashington。TherehemetSeward。Itwasthestrokeoffateforbothmen。Seward，indeed，didnotknowthatitwas。Hewasstillfirmlybasedinthedelusionthathe，notLincoln，wasthegeniusofthehour。
Andhehadthisexcuse，thatitwasalsothecountry’sdelusion。TherewasprettygeneralbeliefbothamongfriendsandfoesthatLincolnwouldberuledbyhisCabinet。Inacouncilthatwascertaintoincludeleadersofacceptedinfluence——Seward，Chase，Cameron——whatchanceforthisuntriednewcomer，whoseprestigehadbeenrearednotonmanagingmen，butonutteringwords？InSeward’sthoughtstheanswerwasasinevitableasthetableofaddition。Equallymathematicalwastheconclusionthatonlyoneunitgavevaluetothecombination。And，ofcourse，theleaderoftheRepublicansintheSenatewastheunit。AsevereexperiencehadtobelivedthroughbeforeSewardmadehispeacewithdestiny。Lincolnwasthequickertoperceivewhentheycametogetherthatsomethinghadhappened。Almostfromtheminuteoftheirmeeting，hebegantoleanuponSeward；butonlyinacertainway。ThiswasnotthesamethingasthatyieldingtothepracticaladviserswhichbeganatPhiladelphia，whichwassubsequentlytobethecauseofsomuchconfusion。HisresponsetoSewardwasintellectual。Itwasoftheinnermanandrevealeditselfinhisstyleofwriting。
Hitherto，Lincoln’sprogressinliteraturehadbeenmarkedbythedevelopmentoftwocharacteristicsandbythelackofathird。Thetwothathepossessedweretasteandrhythm。Atthestarthewasfreefromtheprevalentviceofhistime，rhetoricality。His“AddresstotheVotersofSangamonCounty“
whichwashisfirststatepaper，wasasdirect，asfreefrombombast，asthegreatestofhislaterachievements。Almostanyotheryouthwhohadasmuchofthesenseoflanguageaswasthereexhibited，wouldhavebeenledastraybythestandardsofthehour，wouldhavemountedthespread-eagleandflappeditswingsinrhetoricalclamor。ButLincolnwasnotprecocious。
Inart，asineverythingelse，heprogressedslowly；theliterarypartofhimworkeditswayintothematter-of-factpartofhimwiththegradualnessofthedaylightthroughashadowywood。Itwasnotconstantinitsdevelopment。Formanyyearsitwaslittlemorethananirregulardeepeningofhistwooriginalcharacteristics，tasteandrhythm。Histaste，fedonBlackstone，Shakespeare，andtheBible，ledhimmoreandmoreexactinglytosayjustwhathemeant，toeschewthewilesofdecoration，tobeutterlynon-rhetorical。Hissenseofrhythm，beginningsimply，nomoreatfirstthanagoodearforthesoundofwords，deepenedintokeenperceptionofthecharacteroftheword-march，ofthatextrasignificancewhichisaddedtoanideabythewayitconductsitself，movinggrandlyorfeeblyasthecasemaybe，fromtheunknownintotheknown，andthenceacrossaperiloushorizon，intomemory。Onthebasisofthesetwocharacteristicshehadacquiredastylethatwasarichblendofsimplicity，directness，candor，joinedwithaclearnessbeyondpraise，withadelightfulcadence，havingalwaysasplendidlyorderedmarchofideas。
ButtherewasthethirdthinginwhichtheearlierstyleofLincoln’swaswanting。Marvelouslyaptforthepurposeofthemoment，hiswritingspreviousto1861arevanishingfromtheworld’smemory。Themorenotablewritingsofhislateryearshavebecomeclassics。Andthedifferencedoesnotturnonsubject-matter。Alltheideasofhislatewritingshadbeenformulatedintheearlier。Thedifferenceispurelyliterary。
Theearlierwritingswerekeen，powerful，fullofcharacter，melodious，impressive。Thelaterwritingshaveallthesequalities，andinaddition，thatconstantpowertoawakentheimagination，tocarryanideabeyonditsownhorizonintoaboundlessworldofimperishableliterarysignificance，whichpowerinargumentativeproseisbeauty。AndhowdidLincolnattainthis？Thathehadbeenmaturingfromwithinthepowertodothis，oneiscompelledbytheanalogyofhisothermentalexperiencestobelieve。Atthesametime，therecanbenodoubtwhotaughthimthetrick，whotouchedthesecretspringandopenedthenewdoortohismind。ItwasSeward。LongsinceithadbeenagreedbetweenthemthatSewardwastobeSecretaryofState。[9]Lincolnaskedhimtocriticizehisinaugural。Sewarddidso，andLincoln，inthemain，acceptedhiscriticism。ButSewardwentfurther。Heproposedanewparagraph。HewasnotagreatwriterandyethehadsomethingofthatthirdthingwhichLincolnhithertohadnotexhibited。
However，inpursuingbeautyofstatement，heoftencamedangerouslyneartomererhetoric；histastewasneversure；
hissenseofrhythmwasinferior；thedefectsofhisqualitieswereevident。Nonetheless，LincolnsawataglancethatifhecouldinfuseintoSeward’swordshisownmorerobustqualities，theresult——’wouldbearicherproductthanhadeverissuedfromhisownqualitiesashithertohehadknownthem。
Heeffectedthistransmutationandindoingsoraisedhisstyletoanewrangeofeffectiveness。ThegreatLincolnofliteratureappearedinthefirstinauguralandparticularlyinthatnoblepassagewhichwastheworkofLincolnandSewardtogether。InawayitsaidonlywhatLincolnhadalreadysaid——especiallyinthespeechatHarrisburg——butwithwhatadifference!
“Inyourhands，mydissatisfiedfellowcountrymen，andnotinmine，isthemomentousissueofcivilwar。Thegovernmentwillnotassailyou。Youcanhavenoconflictwithoutbeingyourselvestheaggressors。YouhavenooathregisteredinHeaventodestroythegovernment，whileIshallhavethemostsolemnonetopreserve，protectanddefendit。
“Iamloathtoclose。Wearenotenemiesbutfriends。Thoughpassionmayhavestrained，itmustnotbreakourbondsofaffection。Themysticchordsofmemorystretchingfromeverybattle-fieldandpatriotgrave，toeverylivingheartandhearthstonealloverthisbroadland，willyetswellthechorusoftheUnionwhenagaintouchedassurelytheywillbe，bythebetterangelsofournature。“*
*LincolnVI，184；N。&H。，III，343。Sewardadvisedtheomissionofpartoftheoriginaldraftofthefirstofthesetwoparagraphs。After“defendit，“Lincolnhadwritten，“Youcanforbeartheassaultuponit。Icannotshrinkfromthedefenseofit。Withyouandnotwithmeisthesolemnquestion’Shallitbepeaceorasword？’“Havingstruckthisout，heacceptedSeward’sadvicetoadd“somewordsofaffection——someofcalmandcheerfulconfidence。“
TheoriginalversionoftheconcludingparagraphwaspreparedbySewardandreadasfollows：“Iclose。Wearenot，wemustnothealiensorenemies，butfellow-countrymenandbrethren。
Althoughpassionhasstrainedourbondsofaffectiontoohardly，theymustnot，Iamsure，theywillnot，bebroken。
Themysticchordswhich，proceedingfromsomanybattlefieldsandsomanypatriotgraves，passthroughalltheheartsandallhearthsinthisbroadcontinentofours，willyetagainharmonizeintheirancientmusicwhenbreatheduponbytheguardianangelofthenation。“
Thesewords，nowsofamous，werespokenintheeastporticooftheCapitolon“oneofourdisagreeable，clear，windy，Washingtonspringdays。“[10]Mostoftheparticipantswereagitated；manywerealarmed。ChiefJusticeTaneywhoadministeredtheoathcouldhardlyspeak，soneartouncontrollablewashisemotion。GeneralScottanxiouslykepthiseyeuponthecrowdwhichwascommandedbycannon。Cavalrywereinreadinesstoclearthestreetsincaseofriot。
Lincoln’scarriageonthewaytotheCapitolhadbeencloselyguarded。Hemadehiswaytotheporticobetweenfilesofsoldiers。Sointent——overintent——werehisguardiansuponhissafetythattheyhadbeencarelessofthesmallermatterofhiscomfort。Therewasinsufficientroomforthelargecompanythathadbeeninvitedtoattend。ThenewPresidentstoodbesidearicketylittletableandsawnoplaceonwhichtoputhishat。SenatorDouglassteppedforwardandrelievedhimoftheburden。Lincolnwas“paleandverynervous，“andtowardthecloseofhisspeech，visiblyaffected。Observersdifferpoint-blankastothewaytheinauguralwasreceived。The“PublicMan“saysthattherewaslittleenthusiasm。Theoppositeversionmakestheeventanoratoricaltriumph，withthecrowd，attheclose，completelyunderhisspell。[11]
Onthewhole，theinaugurationandthefestivitiesthatfollowedappeartohaveformedadismalevent。WhileLincolnspoke，thetopmostpeakoftheCapitol，farabovehishead，wasanidlederrick；thepresentdomewasinprocessofconstruction；workonithadbeenarrested，andwhocouldsaywhen，ifever，theworkwouldberesumed？Thedayclosedwithaninauguralballthatwasanythingbutbrilliant。“Thegreattawdryballroom……nothalffull-andsuchanassemblageofstrangecostumes，maleandfemale。Veryfewpeopleofanyconsiderationwerethere。ThePresidentlookedexhaustedanduncomfortable，andmostungainlyinhisdress；andMrs。Lincolnallinblue，withafeatherinherhairandahighlyflushedface。[12]
ThebrilliantSecretary，whosopromptlybegantoinfluencethePresidenthadverysurefoundationsforthatinfluence。Hewasinuredtotheroleofgreatman；hehadarichexperienceofpubliclife；whileLincoln，painfullyconsciousofhisinexperience，wasperhapsthehumblest-mindedrulerthatevertookthehelmofashipofstateinperiloustimes。
Furthermore，Sewardhadsomepricelessqualitieswhich，forLincoln，werestilltoseek。Firstofall，hehadaudacity——personally，artistically，politically。Seward’sinstantaneousgifttoLincolnwasbywayofthrowingwidethedoorofhisgatheringliteraryaudacity。ThereiseveryreasontothinkthatSeward’spersonalaudacitywenttoLincoln’sheartatonce。Tobesure，hewasnotyetcapableofgoingalongwithit。ThebasalcontrastofthefirstmonthofhisadministrationliesbetweenthePresident’scautionandtheboldnessoftheSecretary。Nevertheless，toasensitivemind，seekingguidance，surroundedbylessoriginaltypesofpoliticians，thesplendidfearlessnessofSeward，whetherwiseorfoolish，musthaverunglikeatrumpetpealsoaringovertheheadsofacrowdwhoseteethwerechattering。WhiletherestoftheCabinetpressedtheirearstotheground，Sewardthoughtoutapolicy，madeaforecastofthefuture，andofferedtostakehisheadonthecorrectnessofhisreasoning。
Thismayhavebeenrashness；itmayhavebeenfolly；but，intellectuallyatleast，itwasvalor。AmongLincoln’sotheradvisers，valoratthatmomentwaslacking。Contrast，however，wasnotthesole，northesurestbasisofSeward’sappealtoLincoln。Theircharactershadacommonfactor。Foralltheirimmeasurabledifferenceinexternals，bothatbottomwerevoidofmalice。Itwasthischaracteristicaboveallothersthatgavethemspirituallycommonground。InSeward，thisqualityhadbeenunderfireforalongwhile。Thepoliticalfuriesof“thatirontime“hadfailedtorouseechoesinhissereneandsmilingsoul。Therefore，manymenwhoacceptedhimasleaderbecause，indeed，theycouldnotdowithouthim——becausenoneotherintheircamphadhisgeniusformanagement，fortheglorificationofpoliticalintrigue——thesesamemenfollowedhimdoubtfully，withbadgrace，willingtoshifttosomeotherleaderwheneverhemightarise。ThecluetotheirdistrustwasSeward’s