The Ebensburg Alleghanian. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1865-1871, 1868-10-01
new Anecdofe of var. Lincoln.


new Anecdofe of VAR. Lincoln.
In late number of the Independent is
given, by Rev. Edward Eggleston, hith-
erto unpublished incident in the life of
abraham Lincoln -
A respected townsman, an old acquain-
tanee of Dir. Lincoln, was the narrator of
the story to my informant, and was himself
a srticipant. According to that habit of
! - ss'9se.iiiarity so prevalent in the West, by
means of which man is made to prolong
his boyhood throughout his life, this gem
tleman IS known among old friends by the
name of 'sJim." as Mr.. Lincoln was al
ways called ''Abe"
This gentleman relates that, soon after
Mr.. Lincoln's Cooper Institute speech, he
saw a notice in the New York Tribune
that Hon. A. Lincoln, of Illinois, had deliv-
cred an address to the Sunday school at
Five Points, which was very well received
| by both teachers and pupils. Knowing
that Mr. Lincoln was not professor 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
/ NsiS SldIOIc0 10 IiLtl Il III COHhCI-
sation with Mr.. Lincoln, and turned to
rctrace his steps, when the latter called
out
''Jim, what do you want"
| Nothing"
'.Yes you do; come back"
After some entreaty, Jim" approached
Mr.. Lincoln, and remarked, with a merry
twinkle in his eye:
.'WcH, Abe, [ see you've been making
speech to Sunday school Children
What's the matter 2"
"Sit down, Jim, and I'll tell you all
about that"
And with that, he put his feet on the
stove and began
when Sunday morning came. I did
not know exactly what to do Washburne
/ asked me where [ was going | told him
[ had nowhere to go. and he proposed to
take me down to the Five Points Sunday
school, to show me something worth see
irtS.-I .was very much interested by what
saW. Presently Mr.. Pcase came up and
spoke to Washburne, who introduced me.
Mr.. Pease wanted us to speak Wash
burne spoke, and then [ was urged to
speak | told them [ did not know any
,
but Mr. Pease said that there were many
Of them friendless and homeless, and that
a few words would do them good Wash
burne said [ must talk. And so l rose to
speak but l tell you, Jim, [ didn't know
what to say. | couldn't talk about Christ
and religion for | didn't know much OF
either; but I remembered that Mr. Pease
had said that they were homeless and
friendless and / thought of the time when
L had been pinched by terrible poverty.
And so | told them that / had been poor
that | remembered when my toes stuck
out through broken shoes in the winter
when my arms were out at the elbows
when [ shivered with the cold And |
told them there was only one rule, and
1 that was-ALaodys do the cery. best .you can
| told them that | had always tried to do
the best | could and that, if they would
follow that rule, they would get along
somehow That was about what | said.
And when I got through, Mr.. Pease said
ii was just the thing they needed. And
when the school was dismissed, all the
teachers came up and shook hands with
me, and thanked me for it, though [ did
not know that | was saying anything OF
any account. But the next morning |
saw my remarks noticed in the papers"
Just here Mr. Lincoln put his hand in
his pocket, and remarked that he never
heard anything that touched him as had
the songs which these children sang
With that he drew forth little book, re-
marking that they had given him one OF
the books from which they sang.
''Did you ever hear any poetry ike
this, Jim ?'
And he began to read piece, with all
the earnestncss Of his great, earnest soul
In the middle of the second verse, his
friend Jim" felt choking in his throat
and tickling in his nose. At the begin
ming Of the third verse, he saw that the
stranger from the East was weeping, and
his own tears fell fast Turning toward
Lincoln, who was reading straight on, he
saw the great binding tears in his eyes
so that he could not possibly see the page
He was repeating that little song from
memory. How often he had read it, OF
how long its sweet and simple accents
continued to reverberate through his soul
no one can know. How much influence
may that little child's song have had in
bringing him to that fearful attitude to-
ward God which was so characteristic ol
him during the weary closing years Of his
life
DURING the war, woman went to :