appeared in the opposition press and in the English newspapers. Even
as late as 1863 newspaper writers not opposed to him did not hesitate
to refer to the plainness of the President's public speaking.

The Messages to Congress are distinguished from most documents of that
class by their frequent purple patches. To the enumeration of dry
facts furnished by the various departments they add an elevation and
breadth of thought of the first order.

In a class by themselves are the various proclamations, some of them of
a purely formal character, such as those announcing blockades, others
of a distinctly literary character, like the announcements of fasts and
feasts. Midway between these two classes is the most important of all,
the Emancipation Proclamation of January 1, 1863, which, with the
exception of the concluding sentence, is entirely free from ornament.
Perhaps Lincoln felt here, as with the Debates, that the occasion was
too serious, not only for jesting but even for attempting the mere
graces of language.

Finally, mention should be made of the letters and telegrams written by
President Lincoln. Although many letters have been preserved from
earlier times, none make special claims to attention outside of the
information that they furnish. But during the last four years of his
life Lincoln wrote some of the most beautiful letters that have ever
been composed. One of these, the letter to Mrs. Bixby, has been given
a place on the walls of one of the Oxford colleges, as a model of noble
English. The Conkling letter and the letter to Horace Greeley are
among the most important statements of Lincoln's policy and are really
short political tracts.