A Strange Claim

There are those who claim that a man like Canright, for example, who lived and labored for a time with Elder and Mrs. White, was more competent to speak of her than any of us who have lived later, because he was actually there. He heard her speak. He knew many facts firsthand. Here certainly is an exhibit of a plausible argument. But let us test it out. The dreadful attacks that have been made upon many great men of past centuries were often made by critics who lived in their own day, in their own community, and who knew them well. But did that prove that these critics were thus uniquely qualified to speak authoritatively as to the worth of these great men? We all answer emphatically, No. Does the mere fact that a critic lives in the same day and in the same city as does the great man mean that he is devoid of prejudices and hatreds, and is capable of arriving at dispassionate, accurate conclusions? Again we answer emphatically, No.WBEGW 115.4

To be specific, take the case of Lincoln, one of the greatest of good men known in American history. If we accept the plausible argument before us, members of Lincoln’s cabinet were the ones best prepared to give us an accurate picture of him, for did they not live with him and listen to his voice? But once again, and with the greatest of vehemence, we answer, No. If we were to let certain of these men with their deep-seated prejudices and antipathies paint the picture of Lincoln, it would be a sorry, grotesque one. We feel, rather, that men living in later years, who have access to all the historical sources, who can calmly read the record, whose pulses are not quickened, whose temperatures are not raised by the surging passions of that day, can see Lincoln more clearly, can understand him more truly, and can provide us a portrait more accurate.WBEGW 116.1