The Lancaster gazette. [volume] (Lancaster, Ohio) 1863-1886, 1864-09-15

tique, when he said Il am much
obliged to you for this. have been
wishing for long time TO find some
one who would make this analysis for
me. 1t throws light on the subject
which has been dark to me. / can
understand, very readily. how such Il
power rs you have ascribed to me will
account for the effect which seems to
be produced by my speeches ! hope
you have not been too lattcrine IN
you" estimate. Certainly, l have had
a most wonderful success, ior man
Of my limited education
That suggests Mr.. Lincoln. en- in
quiry which has several ines been
upon my lips, during this con 'sa.
ton. want very much TO know how
you got this power Of putting things'
1t must have been a matter Of educa.
ton. No man has it by nature alone.
What has yom education been?
"Well as to education, the newspa-
pers are about right never went 10
school more than six months in my
life. But, as you say, this must be a
product Of culture in some form, l
hay been putting the question you
ask me, to myself, while you have
been talking. / can say this, that
among my earliest recoIlcctions, re-
member how, when a mere child. /
used to get irritated when any body
talked to me in way | could not un-
derStand. l don't think | ever got
angry at any thing else in my life
But that always disturbed my temper,
and has ever since. | can remember
going to my little bedroom, after
hearing tie neighboIs talk of an
evening with my father, and spend
ing no small part Of the night walk
ing up and down, and trying to make
out what was the exact meaning Of
some Of their, to me. dark sayings
l could not sleep, though | often tried
to, when | got on sue hunt after an
idea, until had caught it, and when
| thought had got it, | was not salts
fed until l had repeated it over, I'M
till had put it in language plain
enough as thought, for anybody |
knew to comprehend. This was a
kind Of passion with me, and it has
stuck by me. for l am never easy
now, when l am handling a thought.
till l have bounded ii north and
bounded it south and bounded it east
and bounded it west. Perhaps that
accounts for the characteristic YOU OBJ
serve in my speeches, though l never
put the two things together before
Mr.. Lincoln, l thank you for this.
1t is the most splendid educational
fact l ever happened upon This is
genius, with all its impulsive, inspi-
ring, dominating power over the mind
Of its possessor, developed by educa-
tion into talent, with its uniformity, its
permanence, and its disciplined
strength, always ready, always availa
bic, never capricious-the highest
possession of the human intellect
But let me ask did you not have a law
education? How did YOU prepare foI
your profession?
"Oh yes! l read law, as the phrase
is; that is, l become n lawyers clerk
in Springfield. and copied tedious doc
uments, and picked up what l could OF
raw in the intervals of other work.
But your question reminds ME Of Il
bit of education l had which | am
bound in honesty to mention. In the
course of my law reading | constantly
came upon the word demonstrate. |
thought, at first, that understood its
meaning, but soon became satisfied
that | did not. | said to myself
What do ! do when demonstrate moro
than when | reason or pr0vs2 ? How
does demonstration differ from any
other proof? l consulted Websters
Dictionary. That told of certain
proof proof beyond the possibility OF
a doubt but l could form no idea
what sort of fproofthat was. | thought
a great many things were proved be-
yond possibility of doubt. without
recourse to any such extraordinary pro
cess of reasoning as | understand dc
monstrate' to be. | consulted all the
dictionaries and books of reference !
could find, but with no better results
You might as well defined blue to Il
blind man. At last | said, 'Lincoln
you can never make a lawyer if you
do not know what demonstrate means;
and l left my situation at Springfield
went home to my fathers house, and
staid there till l could give any prop.
ostion in the six books Of Euclid al
sight. | then found out what demon
state means, and went back to my
law studies.
/ could not rofrain from saying, il
my admiration at such n development
of character and genius combined
"Mr. Lincoln, your success is no longei
u marvel. 1t IS the legitimate result
of adequate causes. You deserve il
all, and a great deal more. Ii yor
will permit me, l would like to usC
this fact publicly, 1t will be mos
valuable in melting young men to thai
patient classical mathematical culture
which most minds absolutely require
No man can talk well unless he is able
first of all to define to himself what be
is talking about. Euclid, we'll stud
led, would free the world of half Its
calamities, banishing half tho nonsense
which now deludes and curses it.
have often thought Euclid would be
ono of tho hest hooks TO puto on the cat.