Often Mr. and Mrs. Lincoln discussed the relations of Cabinet officers, and gentlemen prominent in politics, in my presence. I soon learned that the wife of the President had no love for Mr. Salmon P. Chase, at that time Secretary of the Treasury. She was well versed in human character, was somewhat suspicious of those by whom she was surrounded, and often her judgment was correct. Her intuition about the sincerity of individuals was more accurate than that of her husband. She looked beyond, and read the reflection of action in the future. Her hostility to Mr. Chase was very bitter. She claimed that he was a selfish politician instead of a true patriot, and warned Mr. Lincoln not to trust him too far. The daughter of the Secretary was quite a belle in Washington, and Mrs. Lincoln, who was jealous of the popularity of others, had no desire to build up her social position through political favor to her father. Miss Chase, now Mrs. Senator Sprague, was a lovely woman, and was worthy of all the admiration she received. Mr. Lincoln was more confiding than his wife. He never suspected the fidelity of those who claimed to be his friends. Honest to the very core himself, and frank as a child, he never dreamed of questioning the sincerity of others.
"Father, I do wish that you would inquire a little into the motives of Chase," said his wife one day.
The President was lying carelessly upon a sofa, holding a newspaper in his hands. "Mother, you are too suspicious. I give you credit for sagacity, but you are disposed to magnify trifles. Chase is a patriot, and one of my best friends."
"Yes, one of your best friends because it is his interest to be so. He is anything for Chase. If he thought he could make anything by it, he would betray you to–morrow."
"I fear that you are prejudiced against the man, mother. I know that you do him injustice."
"Mr. Lincoln, you are either blind or will not see. I am not the only one that has warned you against him."
"True, I receive letters daily from all parts of the country, telling me not to trust Chase; but then these letters are written by the political enemies of the Secretary, and it would be unjust and foolish to pay any attention to them."
"Very well, you will find out some day, if you live long enough, that I have read the man correctly. I only hope that your eyes may not be opened to the truth when it is too late." The President, as far as I could judge from his conversation with his wife, continued to confide in Mr. Chase to the time of his tragic death.
Mrs. Lincoln was especially severe on Mr. Wm. H. Seward, Secretary of State. She but rarely lost an opportunity to say an unkind word of him.
One morning I went to the White House earlier than usual. Mr. Lincoln was sitting in a chair, reading a paper, stroking with one hand the head of little Tad. I was basting a dress for Mrs. Lincoln. A servant entered, and handed the President a letter just brought by a messenger. He broke the seal, and when he had read the contents his wife asked:
"Who is the letter from, father?"
"Seward; I must go over and see him today."
"Seward! I wish you had nothing to do with that man. He cannot be trusted."
"You say the same of Chase. If I listened to you, I should soon be without a Cabinet."
"Better be without it than to confide in some of the men that you do. Seward is worse than Chase. He has no principle."
"Mother, you are mistaken; your prejudices are so violent that you do not stop to reason. Seward is an able man, and the country as well as myself can trust him."
"Father, you are too honest for this world! You should have been born a saint. You will generally find it a safe rule to distrust a disappointed, ambitious politician. It makes me mad to see you sit still and let that hypocrite, Seward, twine you around his finger as if you were a skein of thread."
"It is useless to argue the question, mother. You cannot change my opinion."
Mrs. Lincoln prided herself upon her ability to read character. She was shrewd and far–seeing, and had no patience with the frank, confiding nature of the President.
When Andrew Johnson was urged for military Governor of Tennessee, Mrs. Lincoln bitterly opposed the appointment.
"He is a demagogue," she said, almost fiercely, "and if you place him in power, Mr. Lincoln, mark my words, you will rue it some day."
General McClellan, when made Commander–in–Chief, was the idol of the soldiers, and never was a general more universally popular. "He is a humbug," remarked Mrs. Lincoln one day in my presence.
"What makes you think so, mother?" good–naturedly inquired the President.
"Because he talks so much and does so little. If I had the power I would very soon take off his head, and put some energetic man in his place."
"But I regard McClellan as a patriot and an able soldier. He has been much embarrassed. The troops are raw, and the subordinate officers inclined to be rebellious. There are too many politicians in the army with shoulder–straps. McClellan is young and popular, and they are jealous of him. They will kill him off if they can."
"McClellan can make plenty of excuse for himself, therefore he needs no advocate in you. If he would only do something, and not promise so much, I might learn to have a little faith in him. I tell you he is a humbug, and you will have to find some man to take his place, that is, if you wish to conquer the South."
Mrs. Lincoln could not tolerate General Grant. "He is a butcher," she would often say, "and is not fit to be at the head of an army."
"But he has been very successful in the field," argued the President.
"Yes, he generally manages to claim a victory, but such a victory! He loses two men to the enemy's one. He has no management, no regard for life. If the war should continue four years longer, and he should remain in power, he would depopulate the North. I could fight an army as well myself. According to his tactics, there is nothing under the heavens to do but to march a new line of men up in front of the rebel breastworks to be shot down as fast as they take their position, and keep marching until the enemy grows tired of the slaughter. Grant, I repeat, is an obstinate fool and a butcher."
"Well, mother, supposing that we give you command of the army. No doubt you would do much better than any general that has been tried." There was a twinkle in the eyes, and a ring of irony in the voice.
I have often heard Mrs. Lincoln say that if Grant should ever be elected President of the United States she would desire to leave the country, and remain absent during his term of office.
It was well known that Mrs. Lincoln's brothers were in the Confederate army, and for this reason it was often charged that her sympathies were with the South. Those who made the hasty charge were never more widely mistaken.
One morning, on my way to the White House, I heard that Captain Alexander Todd, one of her brothers, had been killed. I did not like to inform Mrs. Lincoln of his death, judging that it would be painful news to her. I had been in her room but a few minutes when she said, with apparent unconcern, "Lizzie, I have just heard that one of my brothers has been killed in the war."
"I also heard the same, Mrs. Lincoln, but hesitated to speak of it, for fear the subject would be a painful one to you."
"You need not hesitate. Of course, it is but natural that I should feel for one so nearly related to me, but not to the extent that you suppose. He made his choice long ago. He decided against my husband, and through him against me. He has been fighting against us; and since he chose to be our deadly enemy, I see no special reason why I should bitterly mourn his death."
I felt relieved, and in subsequent conversations learned that Mrs. Lincoln had no sympathy for the South. "Why should I sympathize with the rebels," she would say; "are they not against me? They would hang my husband to–morrow if it was in their power, and perhaps gibbet me with him. How then can I sympathize with a people at war with me and mine?" She always objected to being thought Southern in feeling.
Mr. Lincoln was generous by nature, and though his whole heart was in the war, he could not but respect the valor of those opposed to him. His soul was too great for the narrow, selfish views of partisanship. Brave by nature himself, he honored bravery in others, even his foes. Time and again I have heard him speak in the highest terms of the soldierly qualities of such brave Confederate generals as Lee, Stonewall Jackson, and Joseph E. Johns[t]on. Jackson was his ideal soldier. "He is a brave, honest Presbyterian soldier," were his words; "what a pity that we should have to fight such a gallant fellow! If we only had such a man to lead the armies of the North, the country would not be appalled with so many disasters."
As this is a rambling chapter, I will here record an incident showing his feeling toward Robert E. Lee. The very morning of the day on which he was assassinated, his son, Capt. Robert Lincoln, came into the room with a portrait of General Lee in his hand. The President took the picture, laid it on a table before him, scanned the face thoughtfully, and said: "It is a good face; it is the face of a noble, noble, brave man. I am glad that the war is over at last." Looking up at Robert, he continued: "Well, my son, you have returned safely from the front. The war is now closed, and we soon will live in peace with the brave men that have been fighting against us. I trust that the era of good feeling has returned with the war, and that henceforth we shall live in peace. Now listen to me, Robert: you must lay aside your uniform, and return to college. I wish you to read law for three years, and at the end of that time I hope that we will be able to tell whether you will make a lawyer or not." His face was more cheerful than I had seen it for a long while, and he seemed to be in a generous, forgiving mood.
背景介绍和作者介绍
这段文字摘自与亚伯拉罕·林肯及其家人有关的历史回忆录或记述，内容涉及美国内战时期。作者很可能是当时的同代人或密切观察者，提供了对林肯家庭内部个人和政治动态的深入见解。亚伯拉罕·林肯是美国第16任总统，在他任职期间，国家经历了最具挑战性的时期——内战（1861–1865），他努力维护联邦统一并废除奴隶制。他的妻子玛丽·托德·林肯在这里被描绘成一个有洞察力、有时多疑的女人，她深深地参与政治事务，并保护着她的丈夫。
详细解读和意义
这段文字揭示了在战时，即使在政府的最高层也弥漫着紧张和猜疑。林肯夫人对内阁重要成员（如萨蒙·P·蔡斯和威廉·H·西沃德）的不信任反映了政治、忠诚和个人野心之间复杂的相互作用。她敏锐的判断与林肯的信任和宽容的性格形成了鲜明对比，突出了不同的领导方式和对人性的看法。
林肯对勇敢的尊重，即使是在他的敌人中，也突显了他的宽宏大量和对和解的愿景。他对罗伯特·E·李和斯通沃·杰克逊等邦联将军的钦佩，表明他有能力超越冲突，并承认无论站在哪一边，都有勇气和价值。林肯在被暗杀的当天讨论和平和他的儿子未来的感人时刻，为叙述增添了强烈的情感色彩。
给学生的教训和见解
-
理解领导力和信任： 这个故事告诉我们，领导力既需要信任，也需要谨慎。林肯的开放使他能够建立牢固的关系，但林肯夫人的警惕提醒我们，对他人动机进行批判性思考至关重要。
-
人性的复杂性： 人是多方面的。林肯夫人的猜疑、林肯的诚实以及其他人的政治野心表明，理解他人需要超越第一印象。
-
宽恕和尊重的价值： 林肯尊重他的敌人并希望和平的能力，是宽恕与和解的有力典范，这在个人和社会冲突中至关重要。
-
战争对家庭的影响： 这个故事也触及了战争的个人代价，因为林肯夫人的兄弟们为对立的阵营而战，说明了国家冲突如何深深地影响家庭。
在日常生活、学习和社会情境中的应用
-
批判性思维： 学生应该学会仔细评估信息，就像林肯夫人建议对政治人物保持谨慎一样。这项技能在学习和社交互动中很有用，可以避免被误导。
-
同情心和尊重： 像林肯一样，学生可以练习尊重他人的观点，即使他们不同意，从而培养更好的友谊和团队合作。
-
韧性和宽恕： 在冲突之后能够宽恕并继续前进，有助于在家庭、学校或社区中维持人际关系的和平。
-
对后果的意识： 了解决策如何影响他人，正如这里所见的政治和家庭动态，鼓励负责任的行为。
从故事中培养积极的特质
-
培养直觉和判断力： 学生可以练习仔细观察人们的行动和言语，以更好地理解他们的意图，就像林肯夫人所做的那样。
-
平衡信任和怀疑： 学习何时信任和何时质疑，有助于建立强大、健康的关系。
-
诚实和正直： 效仿林肯的诚实和坦率，可以建立一个人的声誉和自尊。
-
勇气和领导力： 林肯在领导一个分裂的国家时的勇气，鼓励学生坚定自己的价值观，并在具有挑战性的情况下勇敢行动。
结论
这个历史叙事不仅让人们得以一窥美国最伟大的总统之一及其家人的生活，而且还提供了关于信任、领导力、人性与和解的永恒教训。阅读此书的学生可以深入了解如何应对复杂的社会和个人挑战，培养批判性思维，并培养将在他们一生中受益的品质。