Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1868-08-12
New AnccdOte of MIR. Lincoln.

pldce VI
julius EPAMINoNDAs MUGGINs. 1
New AnccdOte of MIR. Lincoln.
In recent number of the Independent,
heretofore unpublished incident in the
life of President Lincoln is given by the
Rev. Edward Eggleston. 1t is as follows
a respected townsman ana old ac-
auaintance of Mr.. Lincoln was the narra-
tor of the story to my informant, and him.
self participant According to that
habit of familiarity so prevalent in the
West (by means of which a man is made
to prolong his boyhood throughout his lite)
lsA-:s H. gentleman is known among old friends
qysNle name of .Iim,' as Mr.. Lincoln was
I3iFays called Abe
6tleman relates that, soon after
Z <n69in's Cooper Institute speech, he
~ = = ice in the New York Tribune
thai 46n. \. Lincoln, of Illinois, had
delivGea an address to the Sunday-school
at the Five FOiuto, which wos worry well
received by both teachers and pupils
Knowing that Mr. Lincoln was not a pro-
fessor of religion, it struck him that it was
a good subject for banter and so, seizing
the paper, he started for & Old Abe's office,
Bursting into the room impulsively. he was
startled to find stranger in conversation
with Mr. Lincoln; and tnrned 10 retrace
his steps, when the latter called out:
Jim, what do you want!
Nothing
Yes, you do; come back"
After some entreaty, Jim'approached
MIR. Lincoln, and remarked, with a merry
twinkle in his eye:
well, Abe, | see you've been haking
speech to Sunday-school chlldreA-
What's the matter - :,
Sit down, lin. and I'll tell you all
about that
And with that he put his feet on the
stove. and began:
:. When Sunday morning came, L did not
know exactly what to do. Washburne
asked me where [ was going. | told him
had nowhere to 90, and he proposed to
take me down to the Five Points Sunday
school, to show me something worth see
inc. was very much interested by VII
| saw. Presently Mr.. Pease car up ".u
spoke to Washburne, who inf-0"''cIu Tu me
Mr.. Pease wanted IL 90 SPEAK " "9n-
burpe smoke. a,,.1 then was urged 10
snaat oold them | did not know any
ling about talking to Sunday-schools; but
Mr.. Pease said there were many OF them
friendless and homeless, and that a few
words would do them good. Nashburne
said | must talk. And so | rose to speak;
but tell YOU, jim, didn't know what to
saw. | couldn't talk about Christ and re-
lirion, for [ didn't know much OF either
bnt | remembered that Mr.. Pease had sad
that they were homeless and triendless,and
| thought of the time when | had been
pinched by terrible poverty. And so
told them that | had been poor; that
remembered when my toes stuck ou
through broken shoes in the winter; wher
sbivcred with the cold And | told then
thnre ,ras only ono .-,,los phat was, dttoay
do the rery best you can. | told then
that | had always tried to do the best
could: and that, if they would follow tha
rule, they would get along somehow. Tha
was about what | said. And when L 60
through. Mr.. Pease said it was Jus
the thing they needed And whe
the school was dismissed, all the teacher
came up and shook hands with me, an
thanked me for it. though | did not kno'
that was saying anything Of any accoun
But the next morning | saw my remark
noticed in the papers
:. just here Mr. Lincoln put his hand l
, his pocket, and remarked that he nevt
, heard anything that touched him as had tn
! SONGS which those children sang. wit
= that he drew forth Il little book, remarklr
; that they had given him one OF the booi
from, which thcy sang
: -.Did you ever bear any poetry like TIN
J i'm ?''
Q :" And he began to read piece, wit
, all the earnestness Of his great earnest sou
In the middle of the second verse his triel
:, Jim :. felt a choking in his throat and
O tickling in his nose At the beginning
If the third verse he saw that the strang
from the Fast was weeping, and his oy
, tears fell fast Turning toward Lincol
- who was reading straight on, he saw Il
Is great binding tears in his eyes, so that
t could not possibly see the page. lie W
n repeating that little song from memory )
10 How often ne had read it, or how long
N sweet and simple accents continued to
"a vertebrate through his soul, no one C
" know. How much influence may that
~ tie child's song have had in bringing h
~ to that trustful attitude toward God VIII
- was so characteristic of him during I
. weary closing years of his life.