Better Angels

My Dear Fellow,

This is a picture I took about this time of year, three years ago.

People are surprised that there is a statue of Abraham Lincoln in the cemetery on Calton Hill. They really shouldn't be; he is venerated the world over. Tolstoy reported that even a remote mountain-dwelling people in the Caucasus had heard of this man who ended slavery in America.

Of course, that isn't always a good thing. You may remember the tale I told you of the Inuits in Alaska being told of the Great Father who had freed the slaves. This resulted in the slaves that the Inuits held then legging it. Needless to say, the Inuits were not impressed.

In retaliation, they built a "shame totem" which can be seen to this day in Saxman, Alaska. It features a shame-faced Lincoln, replete with stovepipe hat.

Of course, the other thing that Lincoln is known for is just how likeable he was. Apparently he had a great sense of humour and appreciated a good poop joke. Given all that, I'm sure that although he would be grateful for the imposing Calton statue, he probably would have preferred his shame totem, and had a good laugh about it.

We need leaders like him today. As it is, he stands as a reminder that there is still decency, old chap.

El Parsones