"I am much indebted to the good Christian people of the country for their constant prayers and consolations; and to no one of them, more than to yourself."
Abraham Lincoln, September 4, 1864 - Letter to Eliza Gurney
Eliza Gurney, the widow of the English Quaker Joseph J. Gurney, visited President Lincoln about two years earlier, assuring him of her prayers during a difficult period in the Civil War. About this time, Lincoln also had written an unpublished memorandum relating the war to will of God. His 1864 reply to Mrs. Gurney reveals a continuing thread of interest in that topic, which would reach its height in his Second Inaugural Address the next spring.
I certainly agree with you there. I think part of it is that policians have gotten burned so many times by their opponents or the 24-hour media parsing every sound bite that they sanitize their language to avoid any sense of controversy (unless, of course, it is controversy they are trying to stimulate). It would be nice to have some elegant flourishes in writings and speeches. Though I have to say that we are seeing some of that this year.
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http://showcase.netins.net/web/creative/lincoln/speeches/gurney.htm
I certainly agree with you there. I think part of it is that policians have gotten burned so many times by their opponents or the 24-hour media parsing every sound bite that they sanitize their language to avoid any sense of controversy (unless, of course, it is controversy they are trying to stimulate). It would be nice to have some elegant flourishes in writings and speeches. Though I have to say that we are seeing some of that this year.