LINCOLN’S HAT.

Evening Star, Issue 12763, 16 March 1906, Page 7

LINCOLN’S HAT.

An interesting article on Abraham Lincoln- as a lawyer,. in the Century Maga-zine,’--emphasises the haphazard way in iwhich he conducted; his business when in partnership with Stuart. “His hat continued to be his favorite receptacle for papers as long as lie lived, and he never acquired any sense of order. Fortunately for his peace of mind Studrt had no more system in business affairs than his associate, and the result of their lax methods was, of course, confusion worse confounded. Again and again we find Lincoln reporting to his partner in Washington that clients had called for deeds which could not be found, and that, papers were wanted which had disappeared, and there is no . .proof that the major v/as pver able to help in the search. In fact, neither man took even ordinary business precautions, and if either of them kept copies of their letters, no evidence of that fact has yet been discovered.' Certainly Lincoln’s private cowespondence was conducted, in-the loosest possible fashion. He would write on. whatever happened to 1» handy, and his notes for law work or speeches were scribbled on the backs of envelopes, edges of newspapers, or other available material. Most of these memoranda found their way sooner or later into his - capacious ‘ stovepipe,’ and whep any particular item was needed the search that followed suggested the conjurer’s hat trick. Lincoln was too philosophic to be bored or mutated' by the details or minutiro of the profession. He simply ignored them.”