ances at an advanced age
has drawn the name of Hinton Rowan Helper for a brief hour from
its long obscurity.

"Dred, a Tale of the Dismal Swamp," by the author of "Uncle Tom's
Cabin," served, if such service were at all needed, to keep fresh
in all civilized lands the name of Harriet Elizabeth Beecher Stowe.
The British Museum has a long shelf filled with different translations,
editions, and versions of her greatest literary work.

In the month of September Mr. Lincoln delivered a speech at
Cincinnati, in reply to Mr. Douglas. In that speech he addressed
himself to the citizens of Kentucky, and advocated the nomination
of Mr. Douglas to the Presidency, upon the ground that he was more
devoted to the South than were the Southern leaders themselves,
and that he was wiser in methods for defending their rights.

This was a form of attack which Douglas had not anticipated, and
which he could neither resent nor answer. As the event proved,
the seed thus sown was to bear fruit abundantly in results at the
ensuing National Democratic conventions, and at the Presidential
election two years later. Until June, Mr. Lincoln was unknown
outside of Illinois and Indiana. Judge Douglas had already taken
a high place among the able men of his time of national and
international reputation. In September, Lincoln's character was
understood and his ability was recognized in all the non-slaveholding
States of the Union. His mastery over Douglas had been complete.
His logic was unanswerable, his ridicule fatal; every position
taken by him was defended successfully. At the end Douglas had
but one recourse. He misstated Lincoln's positions, and then
assailed them.

But Lincoln was ever on the alert to expose his opponent's fallacies,
and to hold up the author to the derision or condemnation of his
hearers.

Mr. Lincoln's first fame rests, therefore, on that great debate.
Judge Douglas had long been famous as an experienced politician
and an exceptionally skilful debater. As lawyers both ranked high
in their State at a time when the bar of Illinois could boast of
exceptionally brilliant and able forensic talent.

As it is my purpose to treat of both these great men in some detail
in subsequent pages of this work, devoting at least a full chapter
to Mr. Lincoln, so long my admired and never failing friend, I
shall now proceed to give some personal recollections concerning
certain other of the distinguished characters of that day