From
“The Human Condition: A User’s Manual,” by Arnold Kunst
29
December
“A
distinctive facet to Lincoln's abiding appeal was the matchless power of his
words – an absolute essential in a leader of men since we humans are creatures
that live and move and have our being in a world of words as fish in a world of
water and birds in a world of air.
One
reason his words were so powerful was that he used them so judiciously. How
often did he say that his personal inclination was to refrain from saying
anything unless he sought to achieve some good by it? [By contrast, how many
politicians do you and I know who are firm believers that there is no such
thing as bad publicity, who simply can’t resist the seductive power of a TV crew?]
But when Lincoln did have something to say, the subtle alchemy of his words had
a way of sweeping up his audience into his world with the concerted power of
one who is master of that world down to the final semi-colon. And since writing
was a skill he practiced virtually all his life, he could – and did – impress
effortlessly. That is the part of what came to be called the Gettysburg Address
that is ho-hum - he put relatively little time into its composition because he
had little time to give to it. But that condition applied to virtually his
entire literary output. He wrote in keeping with his own early description of
his politics – short and sweet like the old lady’s dance with no wasted
movements. In short, whatever left his pen habitually had had all the dross
already burnt off, leaving only a residue of pure gold.” – Arnold Kunst
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