Outside View: Presidents' Day -- Remembering two presidents
Presidents' Day is set aside to recognize the February birthdays of two of our greatest presidents, George Washington and Abraham Lincoln. As we honor them this year, it might be interesting to reflect upon the influence one book -- with its very unique perspective -- had upon the latter, written eight years after his birth.
Additionally, it gives us pause to wonder, had the book been written earlier so as to be read by the former, would it have had similar effect.Powerful books, read by those later succeeding to national leadership roles, can impact on history. The reader's personal interpretation of such a book ultimately determines whether the effect will be positive or negative. Fortunately, the lesson Lincoln extracted from his book motivated him to undertake action as president that had a very positive impact on the lives of millions.Lincoln credits three books he read for forging his political thought. Two were religiously oriented -- the Bible and "The Pilgrim's Progress," the latter a Christian allegory written in 1678. Interestingly, neither of these books has ever gone out of print, suggesting their strong influence remains to this day.But it is the third, non-religious book that generates keen interest as to its impact. Entitled "Sufferings in Africa," it is the true story about slaves in Morocco, written by James Riley. But the master-slave relationship the book details isn't the one typically perceived by Western readers.
