amusementatthefurious。CouldamanwholaughedwhenyoupreachedonthebeautyofthehewingofAgag，couldsuchamanbesincere？AndthatSewardinsomerespectswasnotsincere，historygenerallyadmits。Helovedtopokefunathisopponentsbyappearingtosneerathimself，byridiculingtheideathathewaseverserious。Hisscaleofpoliticalvalueswasdifferentfromthatofmostofhisfollowers。Nineteentimesoutoftwenty，hewouldtreatwhattheytermed“principles“asmerepoliticalcounters，aslegitimatesubjectsofbargain。Ifbyanydealhecouldtradeoffanyorallofthesenineteeninordertosecurethetwentieth，whichforhimwastheonlyvitalone，heneverscrupledtodoso。Againstaluridbackgroundofpoliticalferocity，thisamused，ironicfigurecametoberatedbytheextremists，bothinhisownandintheenemycampasMephistopheles。
NoqualitycouldhaveendearedhimmorecertainlytoLincolnthantheveryonewhichthebigotsmisunderstood。FromhisearliestyouthLincolnhadbeengovernedbythissamequality。
Withhisnon-censoriousmind，whichacceptedsomuchoflifeashefoundit，whichwasforeverstrippingprinciplesoftheiraccretions，whatcouldbemoreinevitablethanhiswarmingtotheonegreatmanatWashingtonwholikehimheldthatsuchapointofviewwastheonlyrationalone。Seward’sironicpeacefulnessinthemidstofthestormgainedinlusterbecauseallabouthimragedatempestofferocity，mitigated，atleastsofarasthedistractedPresidentcouldsee，onlybyself-
interestorpacifism。
AsLincolncameintooffice，hecouldseeandhearmanysignsofarisingfiercenessofsectionalhatred。HissecretaryrecordswithdisgustaproposaltoconquertheGulfStates，expeltheirwhitepopulation，andreducetheregiontoagiganticstatepreserve，wherenegroesshouldgrowcottonundernationalsupervision。[1]“WeoftheNorth，“saidSenatorBakerofOregon，“areamajorityoftheUnion，andwewillgovernourUnioninourownway。“[2]AttheotherextremewasthehystericalpacifismoftheAbolitionists。PartofLincoln’sabidingquarrelwiththeAbolitionistswastheirlackofnationalfeeling。Theirpeculiarformofintrospectionhadinjectedintopoliticstheideaofpersonalsin。Theirpersonalresponsibilityforslavery——theybeingpartofacountrythattoleratedit——wastheirbasalinspiration。