The Jeffersonian Democrat. [volume] (Chardon, Ohio) 1854-1865, 1864-11-04
Mr., Lincoln's Early Life How He Ed.
ucated Himself.


uca,ed Himself.
Rev. j =. Gulliyor details in tho n. Y
iad'pcnd,nt conversation which TO haC
with Mr. Lincoln as long ago as 1867. Ii
tho conversation Mr.. CULVER remarked.
II want very much to know how YOU go
THIS unusual power of putting things"
| must have boon IA matter of education NJ
nan has it ty nature alone. What ha
your education boon;"
We'll, as to education, tho newspapcrI
are corrcct-l never won't to school NOR,
than six months in my lilo. But as 70,
nay say. this must bo product of cultur,
in souic form. have boon putting III,
! question you have asked mo, to myself
while You have been talking. ! can sa,
| this that among nv earliest recol!rctic ns
l remember how. when a mere child | USED
to get irritatcd when ANYBODY talked to m,
in d way that l could not understand
dont think l ever got angry at anything els,
in my lite. But that always disturbed m,
temper, and has ever since. | can re-
men bcr going to my liltlo bod room, aftel
bearing the neighb0rs talk of an evening
with my father. and spending 20 small par
of tho night walking up and down, aud try.
ing to make out what was the exact mean
ing of some OF their, to me. dark sayings
| could not sleep. though often tried to
when got on such u hunt after an idea
until had caught II; aud whom l thought
had caught it. | was not satisfied until had
repeated it over and over. until had puJ
it in language plain enough, thought, foi
any boy | know to comprehend.
This was kind of passion with me, and
1t has stuck by INC, tor | am noyor casy
now when am handling thought. until
havo bounded it Botth, aud bounded south
aud bounded il east, and bounded il west
Perhaps that accounts for tho characters.
ties you observe in my speeches, though
never put tho two things together before
'.ir. Lincoln, l thauk you tor this. Ii
is the most spleudid educational fact | ever
happened upon. This is genius, with al
tho impulsive, inspiring. dominating powo,
over the minds OF lis poss essor, developed
by educate into talont. with its uniormit,
Its permanenco, and its disciplined stroDgt b
always ready, always available, never ca
pricious-the highest possession of tho hu
man intellect. But let mo ask. did you not
have law education? How did you pre-.
pare for your profcssion"
"Oh, yes: | read law as the phrase Isl
that is, | became lawyers clcrk in Sprrg.
field. and copied tedious documents, and
picked up whseI could of law in tho later.
walls of other work But your question re-
minds mo of = bit OF education had, which
l am bound in honesty to mention.
In the course of my law-roading l con.
stantiy camo upon tho word demonstrate.
thought at first, that l understood it's
meaning, but soon became satisfied that
did not. l said to myself, 'What do I do
whom demonstrate more than whom l rsa-
son or prov,f How docs demonstration diff.
fer from any other proof | consulted
Wcbstors Dictionary. That told of certain
proof ,''proot beyond the possibility of doubt,
but could form no idoa what sort of proof
that was. | thought q great many things
were proved beyond possibility of doubt,
without recourse to any such extraordinary
process of reasoning as understand dem.
onstration' to bc. l consulted all tho die
tionaries aud books of reference l could
find. but with no better results. You might
as we'll have DEFINED blue 10 a blind man
At last said, Lincoln, you can never make
a lawyer il you do not understand what
demonstrate means and left my situation
in Springfield. went homo to my fathers
house, and stsid there ill | could give any
in tho six books of Euclid at
slRHt. tN0u 1Ouul out wnEt demonstrate
means, and went back to my law studias.'
/ could not refrain from saying, in my ad- =
miratIon of such dovelopcment of cbarac.
ter and genius combined, "Mr. Lincoln.
your success is no longer marvel. 1t is
tho legitimate result Of adequate Causes
You deserve it all, and n great dcal more.
If you will permit me, | would like to use
this fact publicly. 1t will be mos; valuable
IN inciling our young mon to that patient,
classical and mathemat ical culture most
minds absolutely require. No man can
talk well unless he is able, first of all, to do
fine to himself what he is talking about
Euclid, well studied, would free the world
of half its calamities. by banlshing half the
nonsense which now doludes and curses it,
have often thought that Euclid would be
one of the best books to be put on tho cat
aloeue of the Tract Society, if thoy could
onl! get people to read it, 1t would be a
means of grace" Il think So" said he,
laughing; Il vote for Euclid"