_S. S. MCCLURE_.
_My Dear Sir_: I am under obligations to you for the artist's proof of
the engraving of Abraham Lincoln as a young man. It is a surprising
good fortune that you have this most interesting and admirable
portrait. It is the one thing needed to tell the world the truth about
Lincoln. The old daguerreotype was, after all, the best likeness, in
the right light, ever made. This is incredibly fine. It shows Lincoln
to have been in his youth very handsome, and the stamp of a manhood of
noble promise is in this. There is manifest, too, intellectuality. The
head is grand, the mouth is tender, the expression composed and
pathetic. One sees the possibility of poetry and romance in it. The
dress is not careless, but neat and elegant. The elaborate tie of the
cravat is most becoming. The chin is magnificent. The length of neck
is shaded away by the collars and the voluminous necktie. This young
man might do anything important. I cannot understand how this
wonderful picture should have been private property so long. It is at
once the first and last chapter of the life of Lincoln. The young face
of Lincoln, thus far unknown to the world, will be the most famous of
all his portraits. It will be multiplied by the million, and be found
in every house inhabited by civilized men.