The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1890-08-06
ALWAYS READING.
The Early Life of The Martyr President
Abraham Lincoln.

Parents and teachers should keep in
mind, says the Youths Companion, not
only that .'boys will be boys" but that
every boy with training will be his own
sort of boy. 'tHow did you do it?"
mother was asked whose thirteen
children, ten of them boys, honored her
and the community. 81 don't know"
she answered, except that / brought
them up in thirteen different ways"
Abraham Lincoln had a marked dislike
to manual labor, and the hard-working
neighbors called him lazy.
He worked for me-" said one of
these early neighbors, "but was always
reading and thinking. l used to get
mad at him for it. say he was awful
lazy. He would laugh and talk, and
crack Jokes, and tell stories, all the
time; he didn't love work half as much
as he loved his pay. He said to me
one day that his father taught him to
work, but he never taught him to love
it."
The neighbor, who thought more of
could not discern that Lincoln's read
ing and thinking proved him to be
mentally energetic. No boy could be
lazy wiz y hUC oAN1 LAO
shade of tree by day that he might
read. and who at night would lie ON his
stomach in front of the lighted fire.
place and cipher with piece of char
coal on a broad wooden shovel.
When the shovel was covered with
| figures on both sides he shaved it off
with drawing-knife, that it might be
clean for the next nights ciphering.
Every bare surface of the inside of his
| fathers log cabin was covered with
letters and figures chalked down by the
most tireless brain-worker in the town.
When in his reading he came across
anything that pleased him he copied it
on paper,if he had any; if not, he wrote
with chalk on pieces of board.
''We grubbed, plowsd, moved, and
worked together barefootel in the
field" says John Hanks, Lincoln's fell
low rail-splitter. whenever Abe had
a chance in the field while at work, or
in the house, he would stop and read" F"
In his public utterances of later years
he used with happy effect biblical fig
ures of speech and humorous fables.
In his boyhood two volumes were
always within reach, and were read
again and again-the bible an "Esop's
Fables"
While he was clerk in country
store he had frequent intervals of rest,
which he used in mastering the intrica.
cies of English grammar. He walked
several miles to borrow 'Kirkham's
Grammar" and at once applied him
self toit. Mr.. Herndon, from whose
Life of Lincoln we have quoted, de.
scribes him as lying full-length on the
counter, his head propped up on stack
of calico prints, fixing in his mind the
rule that ''adverbs qualify VERBS adjec'
tives, and other adverbs.n
Subsequently, he prepared himself
for the law by borrowing law books
walking many miles to procure them
which he read, lying under the shade
of tree, with his feet up the trunk, {
position not uncomfortable to one witt
his long legs. People commented or
the long, lank youth, so averse to man
ual work, spending his time in reading
law books.
An old man who often hired Lincoll
to do farm work for him found him on,
day sitting barefoot on top of wood
pile, reading a book. This unusua
proceeding for Farmland excited tn,
old mans curiosity.
What are you reading?" he asked
"Tm not reading, I'm studying,
answered young Lincoln.
Studying what?''
claw, sir"
1t was too much of a surprise for th'
old farmer. Good heavens!" he ex
exclaimed, and passed on, thinking hoy
that long, lean youth was wasting hi
| time