said that he had not expected much from it at first, and consequently had not been disappointed; he had hoped, and still hoped, that something would come of it after awhile.  Phillips then alluded to the deadly hostility which the proclamation had naturally excited in pro-slavery quarters, and gently hinted that the Northern people, now generally anti-slavery, were not satisfied that it was being honestly carried out by all of the nation’s agents and Generals in the South.  ‘My own impression, Mr. Phillips,’ said the President, ’is that the masses of the country generally are dissatisfied chiefly at our lack of military successes.  Defeat and failure in the field make everything seem wrong.’  His face was now clouded, and his next words were somewhat bitter.  ‘Most of us here present,’ he said, ’have been nearly all our lives working in minorities, and many have got into a habit of being dissatisfied.’  Several of those present having deprecated this, the President said, ’At any rate, it has been very rare that an opportunity of “running” this administration has been lost.’  To this Mr. Phillips answered, in his sweetest voice:  ’If we see this administration earnestly working to free the country from slavery and its rebellion, we will show you how we can “run” it into another four years of power.’  The President’s good humor was restored by this, and he said:  ’Oh, Mr. Phillips, I have ceased to have any personal feeling or expectation in that matter—­I do not say I never had any—­so abused and borne upon as I have been.’ ...  On taking our leave we expressed to the President our thanks for his kindly reception, and for his attention to statements of which some were naturally not welcome.  The President bowed graciously at this, and, after saying he was happy to have met gentlemen known to him by distinguished services, if not personally, and glad to listen to their views, added, ’I must bear this load which the country has intrusted to me as well as I can, and do the best I can with it.’”

To another self-constituted delegation—­this time from the West—­who called at the White House one day, excited and troubled about some of the commissions or omissions of the administration, the President, after hearing them patiently, replied:  “Gentlemen, suppose all the property you were worth was in gold, and you had put it in the hands of Blondin to carry across the Niagara river on a rope; would you shake the cable, or keep shouting out to him, ’Blondin, stand up a little straighter!—­Blondin, stoop a little more—­go a little faster—­lean a little more to the north—­lean a little more to the south’?  No! you would hold your breath as well as your tongue, and keep your hands off until he was safe over.  The Government is carrying an immense weight.  Untold treasures are in their hands.  They are doing the very best they can.  Don’t badger them.  Keep silence, and we’ll get you safe across.”