I wound up on the Wikipedia page on the Lincoln-Douglas debates which included, unsourced, this supposed quote from Lincoln: “the electric… cord that links the hearts of patriotic and liberty-loving men together,” and my immediate thought was, “Did the U.S. even have electricity yet?”
Searching for the quote on Google (minus ellipsis and with “patriotic” corrected to “patriot”), it does seem to be legit. Searching for the history of electricity likewise confirmed that, while they did have electric motors at the time, electric transmission and electric lighting were still in the future of 1858.
Now while the word “electric” goes back to the 17th century, most of its definitions have always referred to what we know as, well, electricity, although at its earliest it may have referred to amber. I could almost see “amber cord” as a metaphor for blood. At the same time, the combination of these two words is so common in our high tech times that it makes the apparent anachronism of the phrase even more striking.
So… do any of you have any idea of the context in which Lincoln may have been using this phrase and what he might have actually been referring to? Thanks!
EDIT: Yes, I did look up the speech and read it, and in that context it still makes no sense.
When you consider that the Electromagnet was invented in 1824, and that the first long-distance telegraph transmission was made by Samual Morse in 1844, the concept of an electrical wire was hardly novel in 1858.
I'm sure that Lincoln was making a reference to the telegraph as a metaphor.
Apocryphal might be the word you're looking for.
Sorry to answer your question with a question, but is it that hard to believe Lincoln was being literal? As you point out, electricity has its roots in the eighteenth century. It certainly was on the minds of technologically- and industrially-minded Americans by 1858. This may be a strange source, but Rachel Maines devotes some attention to the state of electricity in the nineteenth century in her history of the vibrator, The Technology of Orgasm. (Just read it for an article I'm working on!).
I think he's merely describing a powerful, intangible bond in a poetic way. Why does it seem so confusing?
EDIT: To clarify, I don't think he is describing an electrical cord in the sense that we think of it i.e. a metal wire wrapped in insulator used to transfer electricity. Rather, I think he is describing a cord made OF electricity.