Tommy Mann

“We pass over the silly remarks of the President; for the credit of the nation we are willing that the veil of oblivion shall be dropped over them.” Those words served as a poor prophecy. They were part of an editorial written in the  Harrisburg Patriot and Union,  and they were in regards to Abraham Lincoln delivering the Gettysburg Address.    Imagine: one of the most iconic speeches in American history—possibly world history—being dismissed as silly remarks, destined to be covered by the veil of oblivion. That newspaper is still in existence today, although under a different name. Their 1863 prediction was so egregious that in 2024 the paper actually issued a retraction…161 years after it was written!   The writer of that piece demonstrated an arrogance that adds humor to his grave miscalculation. As much as we might snicker at his words today, it makes me think of the people now who are just as arrogant—and just as wrong—in their assertion that Jesus will be...

  Before he became the sixteenth President of the United States, Abraham Lincoln was a lawyer in Illinois. On one occasion a man came to see Lincoln about hiring him for a lawsuit. This gentleman felt as if he had been wronged by another man, and he was determined to take him to court and seek $2.50 in damages.    Lincoln felt that this man was being petty and even tried to talk him out of the suit. But the man could not be dissuaded. He wanted more than a few bucks; he wanted revenge. After thinking about it, Lincoln decided to take the case, but he raised his usual rate. For his services Lincoln was going to charge ten dollars. The client agreed and paid the money.    The future President took $2.50 from his fee, gave it to the defendant, and told him to plead guilty. The plaintiff literally paid himself the money he was owed, and to Lincoln’s amazement, he was proud of himself at the trial’s conclusion. It was never about justice or getting what was rightfull...