[Ads-l] Lincoln belonged to the ages or the angels?

[Stephen Goranson]

Thanks, I long ago read the article by Gopnik, who I don't consider primarily an historian. And, of course. I am not the first to think that Stanton said—if he said either one—angels. I merely gave my reason.
sg
________________________________
From: American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU> on behalf of ADSGarson O'Toole <00001aa1be50b751-dmarc-request at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
Sent: Wednesday, February 11, 2026 2:43 PM
To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
Subject: Re: Lincoln belonged to the ages or the angels?

Interesting topic, Stephen. Barry Popik created a germane webpage back in 2014:

"Now he belongs to the ages" (at Abraham Lincoln’s death)
https://barrypopik.com/blog/now_he_belongs_to_the_ages

Off-list, Fred Shapiro pointed to a pertinent 2007 article in "The New Yorker".

Date: May 21, 2007
Periodical: The New Yorker
Article: Angels and Ages
Author: Adam Gopnik
https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2007/05/28/angels-and-ages

Garson

On Tue, Feb 10, 2026 at 9:15 AM Stephen Goranson
<00001dd3d6fc15d3-dmarc-request at listserv.uga.edu> wrote:
>
> Having asked about important etymologies, and now spurred by Garson and Fred on the "fool some of the people" quote, my related comment here is mere opinion without sufficient evidence, even perhaps against evidence. Recall the much-discussed important saying:
> Did Secretary of War Stanton say, after Lincoln died on April 15, 1865, now he belongs to the ages, or to the angels, or neither?
>
> Several later texts have ages. But.
> Stanton was a hard-case guy, with no shortage of enemies; he had Quaker and Methodist ancestors, and in 1831 he converted to the Episcopalian church.
>
> Whenever was a time for Stanton to be religious and pray, surely such an occasion was witnessing the death of Lincoln.  I think he said angels. Now may they take him.
>
> Much later, considering his place in history, with constructed past—invented tradition a-la-Hobsbawm—memory of many went with ages.
> .
> Stephen
> https://people.duke.edu/~goranson/
>
>
>
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