The impression which Lincoln made on those who met him at the outset of his career as President, and their varied comments and descriptions, are matters of peculiar interest.  At first, many people did not understand him—­hardly knew what to make of a personality so unlike any they had ever seen in high places before.  But he soon began to show those qualities of calm self-reliance, quickness to grasp the essential factors of a situation and readiness to meet it, courage, patience, firmness, breadth of view and kindliness, practical tact and wisdom, which were a surprise to all who knew him, and are now seen to be but a rapid and logical unfolding, under the stimulus of his enormous responsibilities, of his great natural powers.  The test had come, the crisis was upon him; and he met them marvelously well.

General W.T.  Sherman contributes an interesting reminiscence at this point.  “One day,” says General Sherman, “my brother, Senator Sherman, took me with him to see Mr. Lincoln.  We found the room full of people.  Mr. Lincoln sat at the end of a table, talking with three or four gentlemen, who soon left.  John walked up, shook hands, and took a chair near him, holding in his hand some papers referring to minor appointments in the State of Ohio, which formed the subject of conversation.  Mr. Lincoln took the papers, said he would refer them to the proper heads of departments, and would be glad to make the appointments asked for, if not already promised.  John then turned to me, and said, ’Mr. President, this is my brother, Colonel Sherman, who is just up from Louisiana; he may give you some information you want.’  ‘Ah!’ said Mr. Lincoln, ‘how are they getting along down there?’ I said, ’They think they are getting along swimmingly—­they are preparing for war.’  ‘Oh, well!’ said he, ‘I guess we’ll manage to keep house.’  I was silenced, said no more to him, and we soon left.  I was sadly disappointed, and remember that I broke out on John, cursing the politicians generally, saying, ’You have got things in a ——­ of a fix, and you may get them out as best you can,’ adding that the country was sleeping on a volcano that might burst forth at any minute, but that I was going to St. Louis to take care of my family, and would have no more to do with it.  John begged me to be more patient, but I said I would not; that I had no time to wait, that I was off for St. Louis; and off I went.”

The apartment which Lincoln used as an office in which to transact daily business and to receive informal visits was on the second floor of the White House.  Its simple equipments are thus described by Mr. Arnold:  “It was about twenty-five by forty feet in size.  In the centre, on the west, was a large white marble fireplace, with big old-fashioned brass andirons, and a large and high brass fender.  A wood fire was burning in cool weather.  The large windows opened on the beautiful lawn to the south, with a view of the unfinished Washington Monument, the Smithsonian