Tag: Abraham Lincoln

Abraham Lincoln and a Labor of Love

October 10, 2024

Authored by Lincoln’s two private secretaries, this massive work has been described by Lincoln historians as a “most complete biography”

A good man, my brother. I am his older sister.  I carry “old” memories of days gone by, of family lore, of some of the old matriarchs and patriarchs who are no more.

He is a true intellectual.  He knows more about Abraham Lincoln, history, philosophy, theology, the law, than anyone I have ever met.  

The sophists I know, and have been associated with for years, have no clue of the depth of his knowledge and the extent of his work, because my brother doesn’t brag, is not a know-it-all, and is unassuming and humble beyond belief.  The sophists always think they are too clever and know more.  Experts on everything.  Ruperts the Experts, as the Spaniards like to say.  HAH.  Not really.  They are parochial fools.

My brother has taken care of me in my most dire moments.  He was with me at the worst of times when we were used and duped by fools, and at the best of times, when we celebrated Chopin in Poland and my nephew’s coming of age.   

Unbeknownst to me, my brother had edited and published a biography (10-volume!!!!!) of Abraham Lincoln.  It is a monumental opus.  Only serious historians pay attention to these things. 

How did I find out?  Serendipity!

Lo and behold, chatting with my brother this summer, I discovered he had edited the 10 volumes and had published the set through his Lex de Leon Publishing house!  It was a labor of love, done in his spare time (he has a busy law practice) and it took him about 10 months to edit and re-introduce a historical record.  Lex de Leon Publishing has already sold almost 1,000 copies of the 10-volume set.  Not bad for a “hobby”!

He and I read a blog written by a former Constitutional Law professor, Ann Althouse, and coincidentally, she discussed the latest book she was reading and noted:

I’m reading page 108 of “Theodore Rex (Theodore Roosevelt Series Book 2),” by Edmund Morris (Amazon link, commission earned).

Also, on page 126:

His “beach book” for the season was Nicolay and Hay’s Abraham Lincoln: A History, in ten volumes. Unfazed, he read it straight through, along with his usual supply of dime novels and periodicals.

You can put those 10 volumes in your Kindle for $2.99. Over 4,000 pages.

My curiosity was piqued, because in the Spring I had been reading reviews about Morris’ Theodore Roosevelt biography and was considering getting it as a Christmas present for someone who loves history.   

For the historians and those who have insatiable curiosity, Amazon’s description states:

Originally published in 1890 by The Century Co. (New York) as a ten-volume account of the life and times of Abraham Lincoln, this kindle edition includes all ten volumes fully edited with a linked comprehensive table of contents and a linked table of contents for each of the ten volumes. There are over 4,600 linked endnotes, consisting of the original footnotes and side notes (marginalia) found in the 10-volume hard copy. It also includes over 365 original illustrations and maps, all uniformly sized and edited.  

I am sharing this because I am proud of my younger brother!

A Little Lie is Like a Little Pregnancy…

September 20, 2024

One of the things I used to try to inculcate in my children was the importance of never lying, because once one is categorized as a liar, the link of trust is broken, and it really can’t be repaired. The worst thing that can happen to a person is to be seen as a liar, because their word will be forever doubted, even when they speak the truth (Peter and the Wolf comes to mind).

Lately, I keep returning to a conundrum of my making, and this is how my mind works: why would I lie, not to protect myself or hide my shame, but rather, to protect someone else’s misdeed, when I know full well that there is misconduct involved? There’s the rub that led me to a vortex of etymological discovery and legal peregrination.

The Greek word “diaballein” means “to slander, attack, cast apart”. “Dia” meaning “across, through” and “ballein” meaning “to throw”. It literally means “to throw across, to scatter” (e.g., families get scattered, communities get divided). It is the source of another Greek word “diavolos” , which is the provenance of the term we all know, “the devil”.

Now this led me to discover the origin of that other name for devil, “ho sataunus”, which is also Greek and based on the Hebrew word that means “The Accuser”, and is the origin of the name Satan.

A philosopher I read somewhere even stated that in today’s world, The Accuser’s role could be seen as that of a Prosecuting Attorney, whose job is to blame and blame the accused: he/she did it! (Poor lawyers, they never get a break!).

We mere mortals engage in accusations all the time when we gossip, point the finger, play the shame and blame game, and/or destroy someone’s character. How many times are we oblivious to carelessly wounding others by saying or implying an untruth that may wreck their family life, their reputation and character, all done through a lie?

At the end of the day, the Bible calls the devil the father of lies… and for good reason.

I leave it to better writers than me to share my conclusions through their thoughts on lies and lying:

A liar will not be believed, even when he speaks the truth. (Aesop)

No man has a good enough memory to be a successful liar. (Abraham Lincoln)

You can always lie to others and hide your actions from them… but you can not fool yourself.    (Also A. Lincoln).

A little lie is like a little pregnancy; it doesn’t take long before everyone knows. (C.S. Lewis)

A truth can walk naked…but a lie always needs to be dressed. (Khalil Gibran)

Lastly, Fyodor Dostoevsky has a brutal passage in the Brothers Karamazov on lying.

By the way, daffodils symbolize honesty and truth. I like daffodils!