They were not such
questions as enlisted and engaged his best thoughts; they did not take
hold of his great nature, and had no tendency to develop it. At times
he discussed the questions of the time in a logical way, but much
time was devoted to telling stories to illustrate some phase of his
argument, though more often the telling of these stories was resorted
to for the purpose of rendering his opponents ridiculous. That was a
style of speaking much appreciated at that early day. In that kind
of oratory he excelled most of his contemporaries--indeed, he had no
equals in the State. One story he told on that occasion was full of
salient points, and well illustrated the argument he was making. It
was not an impure story, yet it was not one it would be seemly to
publish; but rendered, as it was, in his inimitable way, it contained
nothing that was offensive to a refined taste. The same story might
have been told by another in such a way that it would probably have
been regarded as transcending the proprieties of popular address. One
characterizing feature of all the stories told by Mr. Lincoln, on the
stump and elsewhere, was that although the subject matter of some of
them might not have been entirely unobjectionable, yet the manner of
telling them was so peculiarly his own that they gave no offence
even to refined and cultured people.
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