Lincoln on Democracy

"NOT THE SORT OF RELIGION UPONWHICH PEOPLE CAN GET TO HEAVEN"

Lincoln and Democracy, 1863-1865 "NOT THE SORT OF RELIGION UPON WHICH PEOPLE CAN GET TO HEAVEN" Story Written for a Newspaper [DECEMBER 6, 1864] 335 Lincoln wrote out this story on a piece of boxboard for Washington journalist Noah Brooks, signing his name, adding the title, and announcing : "Here is one speech ofmine which has never been printed, and I think it worth printing. " Brooks saw that it was published the next day in the Chronicle. THE PRESIDENT'S LAST, SHORTEST, AND BEST SPEECH On thursday of last week two ladies from Tennessee came before the President asking the release of their husbands held as prisoners of war at Johnson's Island. They were put offtill friday, when they came again; and were again put off to saturday. At each of the interviews one of the ladies urged that her husband was a religious man. On saturday the President ordered the release of the prisoners, and then said to this lady "You say your husband is a religious man; tell him when you meet him, that I say I am not much of a judge of religion, but that, in my opinion, the religion that sets men to rebel and fight against their government, because, as they think, that government does not sufficiently help some men to eat their bread on the sweat of other men's faces, is not the sort of religion upon which people can get to heaven!" A. LINCOLN. ...