matter. To Noah Brooks he said: "I do generally remember a good story
when I hear it, but I never did invent anything original. I am only a
retail dealer." Slightly differing from this, though probably not
contradicting it, is Lincoln's statement to Mr. Chauncey M. Depew: "I
have originated but two stories in my life, but I tell tolerably well
other people's stories."

During the Civil War Lincoln's stories served a special purpose as a
sort of safety valve. To a Congressman, who had remonstrated with him
for his apparent frivolity in combining funny stories with serious
discussion, he said: "If it were not for these stories I should die."
The addresses of the presidential period, however, with the exception
of a few responses to serenades, are entirely without humorous
anecdotes. Although Lincoln never hesitated to clear the discussion of
the most momentous questions through the medium of a funny story, his
sense of official and literary propriety made him confine them to
informal occasions.

The Eulogy of Henry Clay of 1852 is of interest as being the only
address of this kind that Lincoln ever delivered. It might perhaps
better be called an appreciation, and because of its sincerity and deep
sympathy it may be regarded as a model of its kind. Two years later
Lincoln engaged in his first real debate with Douglas on the burning
question of the day, the repeal of the Missouri Compromise. From the
purely literary point of view the Peoria Speech is superior to the
better-known debates of four years later. While it lacks the finish
and poise of the two Inaugurals it is far more imaginative than the
Debates. One of its most striking features is the comparatively large
number of quotations, both from the Bible and from profane writings.
Although as a rule Lincoln quotes sparingly, this one speech contains