The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1884-04-03


wonder what good il viii Is ssly l
once heard 9 very interesting 49,.
about Abraham Lincoln whicb ssory
help you to understand tho ! a,a Asay
Before Mr.. Lincoln was a. eana;dss 49,
President he made tour fhro,,s.s's I, ior
England and lectured in MAN. neR
and towns. Among other nIsoa-' aes
spoke in Norwich, Conn. 1 aa ss1s no
who heard HIM and was struck with ,'i q.
remarkable logical power rode the .sT nd ms
day in the cars with Mr.. Iinccl s04s
New Haven. During the ride fba .1 &
lowing conversation took elaee. - '0i'
Mr.. Lincoln, l was delighted III.
your lecture last evening" '''a
oh, thank you, but that We
much OF lecture; ! can do better tbs MN
that '01 e'lan
II have no doubt of it. Mr.. Idpool.
for whoever can do so well. must ;pour
itably be able to do better.n
We'll, you are good reasoner aran,t
youP That is cute. ''''u '
"But that reminds me-, cnnt;n,aa
the gentleman, "to ask how Won ,,'', !"
quired your wonderful logical power II I
have heard that you are entirely Ma
educated, and it is seldom that I iind
self-educated man who has good 49,
tenn Of logic in his reasoning. How d;F
you acqu re such an acute power "
analysis?" S' ~
swell, Mr.. g., l viii tell YOU. Twas
my terrible Encouragement which IA
that for me-" ny
Your encouragement what do
you mean?"
''You see,n said Mr.. Lincoln. ath,.
when was about eighteen wears of'ar.,
went into an Office To studv lag
Well, after little while I saw THAI =
lawyers business was largely 10 nrovs
things. And | said to myself: IGN.
coin, when is a thing proTedg Tbat
was a poser. / could not answer the
question. What constitutes proofs
Not evidence, that was not the point
There may be evidence enough, bue
where consists the proof You remem-.
Der the old story of the German who.
was tried for some crime, and thew
brought half dozen respectable men
who swore that they saw the prisoner
commit the crime. Well, be replies.
'vot of dat? Six men schwears dot dew
saw me do it; / brings more nor two
tOZen goot men who schwears dey did
not see me do it. So, wherein Is the
proofs I groaned over the question.
and finally said to myself: All, LincoIn
you cant tell. ThenI thought: What
use is it for M to be in law-office if I
can't tell when thing is proVedr So
/ gave it up and left the Office, and
went back home, over in Kentucky"
$50 you gave up the law?"
''Oh, Mr. g., don't jump at your con.
illusions; that isn't Logical. But, really.
i did give up the law, and I thought T
should never 60 back to it. This was IN
the fall of the year. Soon alter re-
turned to the old log-cabin / fell in with
a copy of Euclid / had not the slight
est notion what Euclid Yves, and I
thought would find cut. / found out,
but it was no easy job. l looked into
the book and found it was all about
lines. angles, surfaces and solids; but I
could not understand it ALL therefore
began, very deliberately, at the begin
ming. / learned the definitions and
axioms. demonstrated the first prop
osition; I said, that is simple enough. I
went On to the next, and the next; and
before spring had gone through that
old Euclid's geometry, and could DEM
onsTate every proposition like a book.
| knew it all from beginning to end. You
could not stick me on the hardest d
them. Then, in the spring, when had
got through with it, | said to myself
one day: 'Ah, do You know now when
thing is proyedP' And answered
right out loud Yes, sir. | do Then
You may 60 back to the law-shoP; and
] went.
"Thank you, Mr.. Lincoln, for thas
story. You have answered my question.
/ sec now where you found your logical
aeumen; you dug it out Of that geonl-
etry."
Eyes, I did, often by the light Of
pitch-pine knots. But | got it Nothing
but geometry win teach YOU the power
of abstract reasoning. Only that viii
tell you when a thing is proved.
Said Mr.. G.: II think this Is d 10
markable incident. How few men
would have thought to ask themselves
the question. When was q thing
proved? What constitutes proof? and
how few young men of eighteen would
have been able to master the whole q
Euclid in single winter, without teach
er. And still fewer, after they had done
so much, would have realized and ae-
knowledged what geometry had done
for them; that it had told them what
proof was"
So. my young friends, you may per
haps see by this incident what geonle-
| try will do for a boy C'ouqrsgctsuH-