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.
背景和作者介紹
這段文字摘自與亞伯拉罕·林肯及其家人在美國內戰期間相關的歷史回憶錄或記述。作者很可能是當時的人物或密切的觀察者，提供了對林肯家庭內部個人和政治動態的深入見解。亞伯拉罕·林肯，美國第16任總統，帶領國家度過了最具挑戰性的時期——內戰（1861–1865），努力維護聯邦並廢除奴隸制。他的妻子瑪麗·托德·林肯在這裡被描繪成一位有洞察力、有時多疑的女性，她深深地參與政治事務並保護她的丈夫。
詳細闡釋和意義
這段文字揭示了戰爭時期甚至在政府最高層都瀰漫著的緊張和猜疑。林肯夫人的不信任，例如對薩爾蒙·P·蔡斯和威廉·H·西沃德等重要內閣成員的不信任，反映了政治、忠誠和個人野心之間複雜的相互作用。她尖銳的判斷與林肯的信任和寬容的性格形成鮮明對比，突出了不同的領導方式和對人性的看法。
林肯對勇敢的尊重，即使是在他的敵人中，也突顯了他的寬宏大量和對和解的願景。他對羅伯特·E·李和石牆·傑克遜等邦聯將軍的欽佩，表明他有能力超越衝突，並承認勇氣，無論立場如何。林肯在被暗殺的當天討論和平和他的兒子未來的那一刻，為敘述增添了強烈的情感色彩。
給學生的教訓和見解
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理解領導力和信任： 故事告訴我們，領導力既需要信任，也需要謹慎。林肯的坦誠使他能夠建立牢固的關係，但林肯夫人的警惕提醒我們，對他人的動機進行批判性思考至關重要。
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人性的複雜性： 人是多方面的。林肯夫人的猜疑、林肯的誠實以及其他人的政治野心表明，理解他人需要超越第一印象。
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寬恕和尊重的價值： 林肯尊重他的敵人並希望和平的能力，是寬恕與和解的有力典範，這是在個人和社會衝突中至關重要的品質。
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戰爭對家庭的影響： 故事也觸及了戰爭的個人代價，因為林肯夫人的兄弟為反對派作戰，說明了國家衝突如何深深地影響家庭。
在日常生活、學習和社交場合中的應用
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批判性思維： 學生應該學會仔細評估信息，就像林肯夫人建議對政治人物保持謹慎一樣。這項技能在學業和社交互動中很有用，可以避免被誤導。
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同情心和尊重： 像林肯一樣，學生可以練習尊重他人的觀點，即使他們不同意，從而促進更好的友誼和團隊合作。
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韌性和寬恕： 在衝突後寬恕並繼續前進的能力，有助於維持人際關係的和平，無論是在家、學校還是社區。
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對後果的意識： 了解決策如何影響他人，就像這裡的政治和家庭動態所看到的那樣，鼓勵負責任的行為。
從故事中培養積極的特質
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培養直覺和判斷力： 學生可以練習仔細觀察人們的行為和言辭，以更好地理解他們的意圖，就像林肯夫人所做的那樣。
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平衡信任和懷疑： 學習何時信任和何時質疑，有助於建立牢固、健康的關係。
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誠實和正直： 效仿林肯的誠實和坦率，可以建立一個人的聲譽和自尊。
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勇氣和領導力： 林肯在領導一個分裂的國家時的勇氣，鼓勵學生堅守自己的價值觀，並在充滿挑戰的情況下勇敢行事。
結論
這個歷史敘事不僅提供了對美國最偉大的總統之一及其家人的生活的瞥見，而且還提供了關於信任、領導力、人性與和解的永恆教訓。閱讀此書的學生可以深入了解如何應對複雜的社會和個人挑戰，培養批判性思維，並培養將在他們一生中為他們服務的美德。