I usually read only one at a time, but almost every day I am reading some of Carl Sandburg’s immense biography of Abraham Lincoln, plus for Lent I am rereading The Other Side of Christ by Father Robert D. Smith, and when I want something in short bits to read, I am rereading Strange and Fascinating Facts About the Civil War.
In libertarian circles, Lincoln is not seen in a great light. Why might this be? I have not really leaned a lot about him, other than what was taught in school (which often is not real history).
In a biography about John A. Bingham (1815-1900 — yesterday was the anniversary of his passing) that I read, it is said that Lincoln told Bingham not to be so outspoken against slavery, because the newly forming Republican Party was divided on this issue and it would be in the best interest of the Party to remain neutral. But Bingham was an outspoken abolitionist (Presbyterian) who could not in good conscience remain neutral on such a moral issue as slavery. Representative Bingham was the author of the 14th Amendment, which is the longest of all of the Amendments (John was a Lawyer and could get a little wordy). In fact, if you take the 14th Amendment and past it in it’s own document, it is almost as long as all of the other Amendments combined! Conservative libertarians do not speak kindly of the 14th Amendment, because of it’s wordiness, it has allowed others to misinterpret it to push nonsense. Bingham also supported straying from the gold standard in time of war (which libertarians would also view as a big mistake). There are a lot of things that I respect about him, but some big things that I think, had he seen how it has been abused, he might have done differently. When people ask, “Who is one person from History, dead or alive, that you would like to sit and have dinner with,” he is one of them. I have a lot of questions. Another individual I would like to have a conversation with would be Frédéric Bastiat (1802-1850 — died on Christmas Eve), but I would need to learn to speak better French : )
Lincoln strikes me as a decent, generous man. He also was a politician. In the 1850s, Southern leaders were hoping, through a law or court decision, to make it impossible for any state or territory to ban or restrict slavery. Lincoln hated slavery, but when the Republican party was founded in the late 1850s, eliminating slavery was deemed politically impossible, whereas stopping its expansion, which appeared to be a real threat, was considered not only possible but imperative. I’ve read more than 800 pages but am only up to 1860. I know a lot of what happens next, and Sandburg’s biography isn’t flawless, but I’ve learned a lot already.
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I am reading “Song of Nagasaki “ written by Paul Glynn, as a supplement to the Lent podcast on Hallow. My friends, if you have never read this book or anything by Takashi Nagai, please do! It is heart wrenching and will make you want to fall in your knees in praise to our Lord of Lords. It is about the conversation of a Japanese doctor in Nagasaki circa WWII and his subsequent survival of the A bombing of Nagasaki. It is about forgiveness and the beauty of suffering for our Lord. Please read this book if you read nothing else this Lent!
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I am on Chapter 3. I’ve been sharing what I have read in this book with a Japanese pen-pal who is not a Christian. You might enjoy this discussion I’ve been having on Board Game Geek : )
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Just read your discussion on the board game forum with great interest! I was thinking as I read this incredible book that I would love to go on a pilgrimage to Nagasaki and visit the monuments to the 26 (28?) Martyrs, and the home of Takashi Nagai. If you are on the third chapter, just wait! I’m almost through and I was on my knees with tears in my eyes in praise the other night! It is THAT POWERFUL .
FYI my nephew just got back from Japan - he has taken Japanese for years and wanted to become proficient in the language. May try to bum along next time he goes!
But alas he is a lapsed catholic. I don’t think I could interest him in going to Nagasaki. What would be VERY COOL would be a church organized pilgrimage. I may say something to my priest about this . .
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If you do, my daughter and I would be extremely interested in joining you guys (seriously). I am terrified to take my daughter by myself.
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Will do! Thanks! Will look for an ebook. I love ebooks because I can blow the print up and it’s easier to see!
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My sister in law is reading it too. I image she would really be interested in a trip. She and her husband travel a lot and it might be a way to bring her son back into the fold. It would be great to get a trip through the church. Would be much cheaper and an incredible experience! And safer. Today’s world is really scary. Going to email him today. Will let you know what he says!
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I’m also reading Meditations by Marcus Aurelius