The united opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1881-1970, 1895-03-29

The two sets of children in the Lincoll
bousehold--t their credit be it said-live,
together in perfect accord. Abe was II
his tenth year, and his stepmather, awak
to the Importance of an education, mad
a way for him TO attend school. To he
he seemed full or promise, and although
not SO quick of comprehension as othe
bows, vet she believed in encouraging hi
every effort He had had few weeks o
schooling under Riney and Hazel in Ken
lucky, but it is hardly probable that b.
could read He certainly could not write
Hazel Dorsey was Abes first teacher IL
Indiana He held forth mile and a hal
from the Lincoln farm. The schoolhous
was built of round logs and was just higl
enough FOR q man to stand erect under thu
loft. The floor was of split logs, or wha
were called puncheons. The chimney wa
made of poles and clay, and the window
were made by cutting out parts of TIVE
logs, placing pieces of split boards prope
distance apart, and over the aperture thu
formed FASTING pieces of creased paper tt
admit light
| Abraham at School.
HE was always at school early" writes
Grigsby, land attended to his studies H'
was always at the head of his class ant
passed us rapidly in his studies. He los'
no time at home, and when he was not al
work was at his books, He kept up hi
studies on Sunday and carried his books
with him to work SO that he might read
when he rested from labor" Now ano
then, the family exchequer running low,
it would be found necessary for the young
rail splitter to stop school and either WORK
with his father on the farm or render like
service for the neighbors. These periods
of work occurred so often and continued
SO long that all his school days added to
gether would not make year in the ag
gregate When he attended school, his
sister usually accompanied him. sally
was quick minded young woman, il
the testimony of schoolmate. "She was
more industrious than Abe in my opinion,
I can hear her good humored laugh now.
Like her brother, she could greet yoG
kindly and put you at ease She was
really an intelligent woman.
At Dorseys school Abe was 10 years
old. At the next one Andrew Crawford's,
he was about IA, and at Swaney's he was
in his seventeenth year. The last school
required walk Of over four miles, and
on account of the distance his attendance
was not only irregular, but brief. School
master Crawford introduced new feature
in his school, and we can imagine its
effect on his pupils, whose training had
been limited to the social requirements OF
the backwoods settlement 1t was instruc
ton In manners. One scholar was requir
ed to go outside and re- enter the room az
q lady or gentleman would enter draw
ing room or parlor. Another scholar
would receive the first party at the door
and escort him or her about the room,
making polite introductions to each per
son in the room. How the gaunt and
clumsy Abe went through with this per
Torrance we shall probably never know
If his awkward movements gave rise to
any amusement, his schoolmates never re-
vealed 1t.
He was now over feet high and was
growing at tremendous rate, for he add.
ed two inches more before the close of his
seventeenth year, thus reaching the limit
of his stature. He weighed in the region
of 100 pounds was wiry, vigorous and
strong. His feet and hands were large,
arms and legs long and in striking con-
trast with his slender trunk and small
head. His skin was shriveled and vel.
low" declares one of the girls who attend
ed Crawford's school. His shoes, when
he had any, were low. He wore buckskin
breaches, linsey woolsey shirt and a cap
made of the skin of a squirrel or coon.
His breeches were baggy and lacked by
several inches meeting the tops of his
shoes, thereby exposing his shinbone-
sharp, blue and narrow" In one branch
of school learning he was great success
that was spelling. We are indebted to
Kate Roby, pretty miss of 10, for an Incl
dent which illustrates alike his profcien
cy in photography and his natural inclina-
ton to help another out of the mire. The
word "defed" had been given out by
Sohoolmaster Crawford, but had been
misspelled several times when 1t came
Miss Roby's turn. ABE stood on the op
posite side of the ROOM" related Miss Ro-
by to me in 1865, land was watching me
began def and then l stopped, hesitat-
ing whether to proceed with an II or a
~ Looking up, l beheld Abe, grin
covering his face and pointing with his
index finger to his eye l took the hint,
spelled the word with an L., and it went
through all right.
There was more or less of an attach
ment between Miss Roby and Abe, al
though the lady took pains to assure me
that they were never in love. She describ-
ed with self evident pleasure, however, the
delightful experience of an evening s stroll
down to the riverwith him, where they
were won't to sit on the bank and watch
the moon as it slowly rose over the neigh
boring hills. Dangling their youthful feet
In the water, they gazed on the pale orb
of night, as many fond pair before them
had done and win continue to do until the
end of the world. One evening when
thus engaged their conversation and
thoughts turned ON the movement of the
planets. Il did not suppose that Abe, who
had seen SO little of the world, would
know anything about it, but he proved
to my satisfaction that the moon did not |
go down at all; that it only seemed to- |
that the earth, revolving from west to
east, carried US under, as it were We do
the sinking, he explained, while to us
the moon is comparatively still The |
moons sinking is only an Illusion.
at once dubbed him fool, but later devel |
opments convinced me that was the fool, |
not he. He was we'll acquainted with the
general laws of astronomy and the move
ments of the heavenly bodies, but where |
he could have learned SO much or how to |
put it SO plainly l never could under
stand"
Absalom Roby is authority for the state
ment that even at that early day Abe was
a patient reader of Louisville newspaper,
which some one at Gentryville kindly fur.