The Men of our Time-Lincoln Foremost-The War was the Working-Man's Revoltion-Abraham Lincoln's Birth and Youth-The Books he readThe Thirty Thousand Dollars for Tender-The Old Stocking of Government Money-A Just Lawyer; Anecdotes-His First Candidacy and SpeechGoes to Legislature and Congress-The Seven Debates and Campaign against Douglas in 1858-Webster's and Lincoln's Language Compared-The Cooper Institute Speech-The Nomination at Chicago-Moral and Physical Courage -The Backwoodsman President and the Diplomatists-Significance of his Presidential Career-Religious Feelings-His Kindness-"The Baby Did It"-The First Inaugural―The Second Inaugural, and other State PapersThe Conspiracy and Assassination-The Opinions of Foreign Nations on Mr. Lincoln.
OUR TIMES have been marked from all other times as the scene of an immense conflict which has not only shaken to its foundation our own country, but has been felt like the throes of an earthquake through all the nations of the earth.
Our own days have witnessed the closing of the great battle, but the preparations for that battle have been the slow work of years.
The "Men of Our Times," are the men who indirectly by their moral influence helped to bring on this great final crisis, and also those who, when it was brought on, and the battle was set in array, guided it wisely, and helped to bring it to its triumphant close.
In making our selection we find men of widely dif ferent spheres and characters. Pure philanthropists, who, ignoring all selfish and worldly politics, have