March 26
At one point during the war Lincoln was forced by his cabinet to
confront the realization that many people who were thought to be Unionists were
actually spies providing key information to the Confederacy. After presenting
the evidence, Secretary of War Stanton asked for direction. Lincoln, who had
been silent and visibly disturbed, expressed his feelings with a story about
the dilemma of an old farmer who had a very large shade tree towering over his
house. 'It was a majestic-looking tree and apparently perfect in every part –
tall, straight and of immense size - the grand old sentinel of his forest home.
One morning while at work in his garden he saw a squirrel run up the tree into
a hole and thought the tree might be hollow. He proceeded to examine it carefully
and - much to his surprise - he found that the stately tree that he had valued
for its beauty and grandeur to be the pride and protection of his little farm
was hollow from top to bottom. Only a rim of sound wood remained barely
sufficient to support its weight. What was he to do? If he cut it down it would
do immense damage with its great length and spreading branches. If he let it
remain his family was in constant danger; in a storm it might fall or the wind
might blow it down and his house and children be crushed by it. What should he
do? As he turned away he said sadly, “I wish I had never seen that squirrel.”’
- Abraham Lincoln
'The great thing in this world is not so much where we are but in what
direction we are moving.'
- Oliver Wendell Holmes
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