CHAPTER XIII.

TWO THINGS THAT LINCOLN MISSED.


Lincoln's intimate friends have noted that he seemed to be under the
impression that he was a man of destiny. This phrase was a favorite
with Napoleon, who often used it of himself. But the two men were so
widely different in character and career, that it is with reluctance
that one joins their names even for the moment that this phrase is
used. Napoleon was eager to sacrifice the whole of Europe to satisfy
the claims of his personal ambition; Lincoln was always ready to stand
aside and sacrifice himself for the country. The one was selfishness
incarnate; the other was a noble example of a man who never hesitated
to subordinate his own welfare to the general good, and whose career
came to its climax in his martyrdom. Whether the presidency was or was
not, Lincoln's destiny, it was certainly his destination. Had anything
occurred to thrust him one side in this career, it would have prevented
his complete development, and would have been an irreparable calamity
to his country and to the world.

Twice in his life he earnestly desired certain offices and failed to
get them. Had he succeeded in either case, it is not at all probable
that he would ever have become President. One therefore rejoices in the
knowledge that he missed them.