The important thing today is not what we say of Lincoln but what Lincoln would say of us if he were here in this hour and could note the drift and tendency in American life and American politics.

Wise shifts the focus from retrospective admiration to self-scrutiny. The quote argues that the real test of Lincoln’s legacy is not eloquent tribute but whether current American “drift and tendency” align with the principles Lincoln embodied—integrity in public office, devotion to union and democracy, and moral seriousness about freedom and equality. By imagining Lincoln as a living judge of the present, Wise turns history into a mirror: national memory becomes an ethical instrument rather than a comforting ritual. The line also warns against complacent patriotism—celebration that substitutes for reform—and suggests that political life should be evaluated by enduring standards rather than partisan convenience.