European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - March 18, 1989, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Historians take another look a Lincoln by David Morris associated press a Braham Lincoln 180 years alter his hitch shall makes news and american historians continue to revise the reality Andriy to deflate the myths attached to the country s 16lh president the Latu it attempt to flesh out the portrait is the historian s Lincoln pseudo history. Psych history and i pry / a coding to the work s editor Gabor s Bott. The Kerr laves some of the Best Lincoln writers in the par.1 decade and sums up what they have to say " what they Hove Losa in Short is that the Man who treed Iho slaves  the Union and delivered the gel Tysing address was afraid to be intimate with women had an unappreciated sense of humor and remains a comply suit decl thai requires further study Bott a Gettysburg a College professor and a loading Lincoln scholar said Lincoln continues to be a subject of fascination and examination because he is a contral figure of both american history and mythology in the introduction to the 416 Page Book published to coincide with the 180th anniversary of Lincoln s birth last month Boult wrote that since his assassination in 1865. Lincoln has been viewed As both a Man and a god. A dual role that troubles historians whatever the Public thought the Compromise Vvhs teb the common Man captured the Illinois years and the divine one the presidency could not be satisfactory for scholars since it suggested an inexplicable Lian figuration accordingly they have Laboured through much of this Century to badge the Gap in addition to bridging the Gap the historian s Lincoln also uses relatively new tools to examine the president. Foi instance. Charles b Strozier. Editor of psych history review devotes a chapter of the Book to traits and experiences that helped form Lincoln s personality Lincoln s Story Lades into legend Strozier wrote. As a result we Are probably belter informed about the trivial anecdotes and More confused about the significant events of his formative years than about those of any Sigute in american history most of us know or think we know a Good Deal More about his rail splitting or his  than we do Aboul the shape of his personality especially the sources of his periodic paralysing bouts it is with great Pride i Tell you that i can still be shocked it s not easy in today s world where guns Are Shol and no one flinches and children Are fought Over and no one cries i was shocked the other Day by a Survey that said by the age of 13, boys who had never had a sexual experience were in the minority and sexually inexperienced girls were in the min Only by age 15 by the Lime children entered High school 55 percent of them had engaged in sex t m not going to pull the old Chestnut in my Day. At that age i still had a doll on my bed and was picking Broccoli out of my braces " this is not my  and limes have changed but peer pressure has t. Changed in 200 years peer pressure is a Force Lotae dealt with it s bigger than we Are stronger than we Are it supersedes the love of out mothers the threats of our tamers the Wisdom of our grandparents and Evn the strength of our  convictions. Ii makes a knew hanging out of a rip in your jeans All right. Ii makes skipping school Cool it makes drinking. Historians say Lincoln was afraid to be intimate with women and had an unappreciated sense of humor. Of depression what gave meaning to his relationship with his Wile and his children and what made him a uniquely fitted Leader Lor a nation rent by discord one Section of his essay touches on Lincoln s sex me and his uneasy dealings with several women including Mary Todd who became his Wile Lincoln broke Oil two engagements including one with Mary Todd Lor no apparent reason. Lincoln it seems feared intimacy and had steered Clear of heterosexual Union in two  Straer wrote. He suggests it took the marriage of Lincoln s Best Friend to gel him Over his fear when Speed his Friend at last actually consummated his relationship with Fanny and the sky did not fall in Lincoln was liberated irom his ear of marriage Speed experienced what Lincoln could Only fantasize about. He served As a kind of emotional proxy Lor his conflicted Friend Strozier wrote. Such details May seem tame to readers familiar with the tales of Gary Hart and Jim Bakker but to historians such probing was unheard of until recently. Not so Long ago a thing like psycho history did t exist. These Are ideas and concepts that would t have occurred to people 75 years ago Bott said. It would have been bad manners it would have been voyeurism it would have been unacceptable " despite the title. Bott said he demanded that contributors and critics whose reactions Are also published in the volume write Lor a Lay audience in the last generation or so. Historians have been inaccessible Bott said. They write Only Lor themselves " he added that if Lincoln scholars write Lor themselves the popular vision of Lincoln will be dictated by Gore Vidal. Author of Lincoln a novel and others whose writings Borgilt dismisses As simplistic and hawed the most important thing history leaches you is to weigh the evidence Bontol said. You Don t just hop on the bandwagon and Rush Oil " Borill an intense 40ish Man seems always in a hurry in person but labors Over historical Points to spent a decade tracking Down the size of Lincoln s big Loe Loiry to determine if the president was a victim of Marian s syndrome a rare genetic disorder Bonn s conclusion he probably was t. The professor is already thinking Aboul his filth Book yet another look at the civil War and Lincoln irom the View of the British. Things undiscovered remain yet to be  he said. Enna Bombeck taking drugs and sleeping around acceptable it s not important what you do just so Long As everyone else is doing it with you. What s unique about peer pressure is thai every generation believes they invented it. It s Brand new and they Are the first ones to Deal with it. Kids have been dealing with it since the Scarlet letter when i suspect Hester s Mother told her daughter you fool around and you la end up wearing a piece of costume jewelry that does not stand for academic  my parents bought peer pressure with dire predictions if you had sex Belore you were married you went Blind your skin broke out and you glowed in the dark i you broke the Curlew or wrecked the car you were a dead person ii you smoked a cigarette you could t come out of your room until your wedding Day. My generation of parents spawned yet another approach the Compromise two step All the other parents wore dancing to it so to Loo gave in to some peer pressure. We were relieved to know our kids were smoking Only cigarettes not pot our son was living Wilh someone. Thank god it was a girl. Our children wore engaging in sex but at least they were prepared they weren t studying but at least they were still living at Homo we Are in the throes of a new approach to peer pressure just say no " putting those three mile words up against peer pressure is like pee wee Herman facing Oil with Ted Koppel How can kids say no when parents can barely say it How about be prepared to live with yes1"? drugs will personally screw up your present and your future genetically sex in High school is what Lills out a graduation gown if you re Lucky enough to graduate or escape disease ii you begin to prove your masculinity femininity love loyalty and Independence when does it Stop peer pressure carries one of the highest Price tags around. Parents and kids alike must ask themselves can we afford it a 1989 Emu Jombock saturday March 18, 1989 the stars and stripes Page 17