Mary Lincoln Extra Credit Questions

[RJNorton]

I took it to mean that Mary was like many other adults who came into contact with Tad and did not often make public comment on his deficiencies. Rather they would look to Tad's strong points and make comment but be silent on shortcomings. John Hay was an exception (and I am sure there are more). Hay said, "He (Tad) had a very bad opinion of books and no opinion of discipline."

A good example of the point I am trying to make is what William H. Crook wrote in Through Five Administrations:

"Haliday, aided by the gardener, was about to take up the carpet in the congressional, or state, dining-room. The long table made it somewhat difficult, and they were debating about which end to attack it from, when Tad appeared. He surveyed the field.

'Jim,' he said to Haliday. 'I have a favor to ask of you. Jim, grant it,' he coaxed.

Jim, of course, said 'Yes,' as every one had a way of doing—and yet it wasn't because it was the President's son.

'Now, Jim,' he said, taking an attitude of command, 'you work with the other man. I will boss the job.' And Haliday, talking about it, asserts to this day: 'He told us just how to go about it. And there was no one could engineer it better than he did."

Offhand, I cannot think of any Abraham Lincoln quotes where he is critical of Tad's deficiencies. According to Noah Brooks, Abraham said of Tad: "Let him run; there's enough time yet for him to learn his letters and get pokey. Bob was just such a little rascal, and now he's a very decent boy."