was so conspicuous. But in spite of these physical difficulties he was
acknowledged by Douglas to be the man whom he most feared in debate;
and Lincoln was able to sway the critical, unfamiliar audience
assembled in Cooper Union as readily as the ruder crowds gathered about
the Illinois stump.

On the subject of Lincoln's religious belief, about which such varying
opinions have been held, it is sufficient to state that, although he
was not a member of any religious body, he had a firm conviction of the
protecting power of Providence and the efficacy of special prayer.
This latter characteristic seems to have been especially developed
during the presidential period. Both in his proclamations and in many
private interviews and communications he expresses himself clearly and
emphatically upon this subject. It is probable, too, that Lincoln read
more deeply and more frequently in the Bible during the storm and
stress of the Civil War than at any other period of his life. There
seems to be no authority for the statement sometimes made that after
the death of his son Willie, Lincoln showed a tendency to believe in
the doctrines of spiritualism. He was not free, however, from a belief
in the significance of dreams as portending important events. He was
also not a little of a fatalist, as he himself once stated to his
friend Arnold.

Perhaps the most striking characteristic of Lincoln's personality apart
from his honesty and sincerity was his perfect simplicity and
naturalness. Frederick A. Douglass, the great leader of the colored
race, once remarked that President Lincoln was the only white man that
he had ever met who never suggested by his manner a sense of
superiority. Not that Lincoln was lacking in personal dignity.
Neither as a practising lawyer nor as President of the United States,