Daily Republican. [volume] ([Wilmington, Del.]) 1874-1890, 1886-03-01

Arnold in his recent Life of Lin
coln," tells that when the lad Abraham
was in his eighth year, he was large,
tall and strong for his age. The first
thing he had learned to use were the
axe and rife, and with those he was
able TO render important assistance to
his parents in building up their home
In these years he wore cap made
from the skin OF the coon or squirrel
buckskin breeches, q hunting shirt of
|deerskin. or linsey- woolsey shirt
and very coarse cowhide shoes. His
food was the ''corn dodger" and the
game OF the forests and prairies. The
tools he most constantly used were the
axe, the maui, the hoe and the plough.
His life was one of constant and hard
manual labor.
These facts show the sort of young
man Lincoln was in physique OF his
intellectual requirements, we may get
an idea from the fact that his principal
reading was "Pilgrim's Progress, +"
Weem's Lille of Washington. "
Burns Poems" and the Bible. The
latter, he knew by heart there was not
clergyman TO he found so familiar
with II as he, at the age of 70. He
could repeat nearly all of Burns poems
and was familiar with Shakespeare.
In arithmetic, surveying, ard the rud-
iments OF other branches ofmathemat-
| les, he was perfectly at home.
He had mastered Blackstone, Kent
and the elementary law books. He
had considerable knowledge Of physics
and mechanics. lie showed how much
better it is TO know thoroughly few
books, than to know many super
fcially. Such had been his educa-
ton. He was manly, gentle, just,
truthful and honest. In conduct, kind
and generous; SO modest, SO consider
ate OF others, so unselfish, that every
one liked him and wished him success
True, he WAS homely, awkward, diff
dent; but he was. in fact, strictly a
gentleman-''in substance, at least, if
not in outside polish"
Ia 1888, Lincoln was elected the
second time TO the Illinois Legislature.
lone Of his colleagues, who canvassed
part OF the county with him, says.
1--WE called at nearly every house. %
Il Everybody knew Lincoln.
1t was then the universal custom to
keep whissey in the house, for private
luse, and to treat friends. Everywhere
1.-THE master of the house, addressing
Lincoln, would say; You never drink,
but maybe your friend will take q
little | never saw Lincoln drink, and
The told me he never drank"
d An old friend tells me OF the tint
when Lincoln with quite party Of
lawyers was riding, two by two, along
country lane. He says:
Lincoln and John ]. Harder
brought up the rear of the cavalcade
1--WE had passed through a thicket O
. lwild plum and crab apple trees, ant
d stopped to water our horses. Harder
. came up alone.
Where is Lincoln?' we inquired.
"'Oh, replied he, when | saw hin
; last, he had caught two young birds
which the wind had blown out G
,, their nest, and he was hunting tor tn
nest to put them back.
II "In short time Lincoln came up
3 having found the nest and placed In
p young birds in it.
THE party laughed at him, but h
: said i could not have slept If ha
. not restored those little birds to the
mother.
No doubt this tenderness was il
. herited from his mother, and also in
s bided through her teaching. She ha
A found time amidst her weary toll an
). the hard struggle of busy life, NJ
II only TO teach him TO read and to writ
If but to impress ineffaceably upon hil
THAT love OF truth and justice, that pc
. feet integrity and reverence for Co
. for which he was noted all his lii
A. The virtues were ever associated
his mind with the most tender To-
and respect for his mother. "A
that am, or hope to be-" he sal
al owe to my angel mother"