Friday, December 10, 2010

Abe's Chuckles

According to The Long Pursuit, a book about the debates between Abraham Lincoln and Stephen Douglas by Roy Morris, Jr., our 16th president was a pretty good storyteller and spinner of tales, some of which were a little raw.

My favorite is his version of a visit to post Revolutionary War England by patriot Ethan Allen, who is at first annoyed by the English habit of placing pictures of George Washington in their privies or outhouses, thinking it derisive to Washington and insulting. Upon reflection, though, Lincoln says Allen realizes the actual reason is one of utility, since "there is nothing that will make an Englishman s**t so quick as the sight of General Washington."

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