ABSTRACT
Lincoln was tailor-made to fit this image. The classic Good Man, the sort of leader the populists envisaged for the nation, Lincoln was also a simple soul, who called his wife 'mother' and received distinguished visitors in his shirt sleeves. He was one with the people he led. Physically he represents the archetype: tall. lean, dignified, with humility, honesty and integrity etched into every line of his rugged, frontiersman face, Spiritually too he was perfect. For the Declaration of Independence was the central core of his thought and his ideals were the ideals of the middle class: hard work, frugality, improvement by ability. His rise is thus a classic self-help success story, an inspiration and a pattern for others to follow.
