The mirror. (Stillwater, Minn.) 1894-1925, 1895-03-14
ABRAHAM LINCOLN IN HIS
RELATIONS TO WOMEN.


about women in general. They
will sometimes, instead of falling
in love with the hero of chivalry or
the knight Of the golden locks, adj
mire some ill-shapen dwarf who is
repellent to his own sex.
"Misjudged as women frequently
are-it is the fashion with men to
assert that women are charmed by
a form of coxcombery-the fact re-
mains alive that no rules can ex-
plain their vagabond predilec-
tons
The writer maintains that the
one qualification which a woman
will dispense with in either male
friend or lover is that Of humor;
it is not feminine attribute.
Abraham Lincoln possessed very
keen sense of humor. His love
for fun, which gave sometimes an
unexpected turn of the comic to
his more serious moods, pressed
closely upon the limits Of good
taste Yet it is evident that in
his dealings with women it did not
rob him of singleness and earnest
ness of purpose.
cat the age OF seventeen, girl
schoolmate describes him. She
tells us that he weighed one hun
dred and sixty-fve pounds, was
wiry, vigorous and had enormous
muscular strength. He had large
feet and hands, long limbs and
arms. He was slender, his head
small. His skin was shriveled and
yellow. His shoes when he had
anywhere low.
He wore buckskin breaches, a
linsey-woolsey shirt, and a cap
made of coon or squirrel skin.
His breeches were baggy, and
lacked by several inches meeting
the tops of his shoes, thus expos
ing his shin bones, sharp, blue and
narrow. Yet, in gratitude for as
sistance given her in the spelling
class by this rough and awkward
gallant, pretty Kate Roby takes
evident pleasure in an occasional
evening stroll upon the moonlit
rivers bank with the clumsy,
gawky rail-splitter
Here, on starry nights, dangling
their feet over the waters edge,
looking up at the clear heavens,
they talked ont their innocent,
wistful young hearts Here Lin
coin gave his first lessons in
astronomy Friendship, not love,
it seems, bound them X x
All through his life Lincoln was
deficient IN social graces. He
never was able to meet women with
ease and elegance. He never in
dulged in any gossip about them.
Notwithstanding this, there was
nothing harsh or rugged in his
soul He had an unfailing dis
position to succor the unfortunate
and oppressed. The weak were
safe with him mark Of a princely
nature" x
The writer mentions an incident
in the life Of Lincoln. which he
seems never to have quite crowded
out OF his life. Ann RutIedge was
IA simple country lassie. beautiful
and with quick and philosophic
mind. She had been forsaken by
the lover to whom she had been
betrothed Lincoln whispered in
her ear the timid story Of his own
hopeless DEVOTION She listened,
and the young man. words awoke
III her such ecstasy that the
older women noted, at the guilt
ing. that AIMS nimble fingers.
under the spell of his wooing,
made irregular and uneven stitches.
Strongly conscientious, hers was a
deep and serious nature The
struggle between the dear dead
love and the burning new one was
too much for the frail envelope Of
her pure young spirit. y
What passed between these
two when he was left alone, at last
at the maiden's bedside. none ever
knew, save himself and the dying
girl.
Lincoln was plunged into des-
pair His friends feared reason
would desert her throne. y
He wandered by the river and in
the forests. a prey to unconquera-
BILE woe. The thought that the
SHOWS and rains fell upon her grave
filled him with indescribable an
guish.
His condition became so alarming
that he was placed with neighbors,
who put him under the strictest
surveillance. And this is one who
has been accused of GOODNESS and
of a guilty indifferenceH
Lincoln never rose to greater