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A White House visitor, Orville Browning, told Lincoln's personal secretary John Nicolay one day that he had spoke to Lincoln sometime in 1861 on the subject of slavery; that if the right thing about slavery wasn't done, God just couldn't be on the side of the Union. Browning remembered Lincoln's reply: "What if the Almighty takes a different view of slavery than we do?", and right then and there Browning realized that Lincoln had thought very deep on the subject, much deeper than Browning did. [http://showcase.netins.net/web/creative/lincoln/books/wilson.htm]

A White House visitor, Orville Browning, told Lincoln's personal secretary John Nicolay one day that he had spoke to Lincoln sometime in 1861 on the subject of slavery; that if the right thing about slavery wasn't done, God just couldn't be on the side of the Union. Browning remembered Lincoln's reply: "What if the Almighty takes a different view of slavery than we do?", and right then and there Browning realized that Lincoln had thought very deep on the subject, much deeper than Browning did. [http://showcase.netins.net/web/creative/lincoln/books/wilson.htm]

Lincoln was known to think long and deep on various topics, and often he would take notes, write them on litle scraps of paper, and stuff them into his tall stovepipe hat for later use.  When it was time for use, such as his "House Divided", he pulled them out, laid them on a table, and would commence to writing.  He would sift through the subject, adding this, removing that, and sometimes he would stand in his empty room and deliver it out loud to an imaginary audience, testing the effects of what he spoke, and altering it as needed.  According to author Garry Wills, Lincoln brought to bear the rhetorical tone of the Greek Revival and Trancendental movements, in which spoken oratory was practiced in government and on the stage.  The leading speakers of this time, and whom Lincoln looked upon, were Danial Webster and Henry Clay, both of the Senate, and Edward Everett, a speaker much in demand.

Lincoln was known to think long and deep on various topics, and often he would take notes, write them on litle scraps of paper, and stuff them into his tall stovepipe hat for later use.  When it was time for use, such as his "House Divided" speech, he pulled them out, laid them on a table, and would commence to writing.  He would sift through the subject, adding this, removing that, and sometimes he would stand in his empty room and deliver it out loud to an imaginary audience, testing the effects of what he spoke, and altering it as needed.  According to author Garry Wills, Lincoln brought to bear the rhetorical tone of the Greek Revival and Trancendental movements, in which spoken oratory was practiced in government and on the stage.  The leading speakers of this time, and whom Lincoln looked upon, were Danial Webster and Henry Clay, both of the Senate, and Edward Everett, a speaker much in demand.

The training he had given himself also enabled him to write a simple letter or a speech on the spot.  At one point in his life, he was in the Illinois State House in 1836, just giving a prepared speech in support of his re-election.  Democrat John Forquer, also seeking election, used his response and acid tounge to denounce him. "This young man needs to be taken down" he said, pointing to Lincoln, "and I'm afraid the task devolves upon me." The success of Forquer's speech convinced some of Lincoln's own allies that his career was over.

The training he had given himself also enabled him to write a simple letter or a speech on the spot.  At one point in his life, he was in the Illinois State House in 1836, just giving a prepared speech in support of his re-election.  Democrat John Forquer, also seeking election, used his response and acid tounge to denounce him. "This young man needs to be taken down" he said, pointing to Lincoln, "and I'm afraid the task devolves upon me." The success of Forquer's speech convinced some of Lincoln's own allies that his career was over.