The Mason County journal. [volume] (Shelton, W.T.) 1886-1927, 1897-02-12
Abraham Lincoln.

One OF the most fitting laws a
we'll as the one most calculated t(
teach the coming generations patriot
Ism, was passed by the last legislature
and approved by the. governor, max
ing Lincoln's birthday, Feb. 18th, q
legal holiday.
We believe that this day as we'll al
the 22nd, should be devoted to the
study of the lives of the two most il
lustrious men in American history.
The study of the life of Lincoln will
not be without good results,-stimu
latlng us to greater devotion to coun-
try and nobler aims and ideals.
1t is difficult to see, for sone who
has watched the affairs of nations as
we'll as of individuals, to not be, as a
historian says, impressed with the
idea that he was divinely appointed
and trained for particular work"
Many have said that his character,
SO strangely and weirdly mixed was a
mystery, composed of all the traits
that make a perfect man, having the
intuitive perception of doing the
right thing at the right time to de-
gree that approached the marvellous.
He could. as it were, arrive at con-
clusions, divine mems motives, foresee
events, framing eternal truths into
matchless words and logic, fully
understood by few men. Murat
Halstead truly said: "He was the in
spiration of the hour" The Union
which now trembled in the balance,
over the slavery question whose seeds
were sown in 1920, and which had
now assumed such proportions as to
demand the territory of the North for
its further extension or destroy the
union of states in the attempt, de-
manded that the greatest statesman
be placed at helm of the ship of state.
Every one could see that the catas-
trophe, that had so long been threat
ening, fought both in and out of the
halls of Congress for 80 years, would
soon break with all its fury, as the day
of compromise was past. That hour
was now at hand and the man had
come.
Let us see the character and training
of the leader of these perilous times
Lincoln was born in La;ue Co. KY.
Feb. IL, 1909, amidst poverty which
was then common in the western
country. It seems that Lincoln's faith
er whose name was Thomas, was not
very industrious, migrating from place
to place finally moving to Indiana in
1916 where young Lincoln lived the
rough life of a backwoodsman, toiling
with his father during the summer,
going great distance to attend sahool
in the winter. In 1918 he met with
his first misfortune,-thel loss of his
mother. GAIL that I am and hope to
be owe to my angel mother" he Of
ten said afterwards, attesting his great
loss.
In 1929 we see Lincoln making his
first journey down the Mississippi to
New Orleans as fatboatman having
had series of adventures and seeing
some of the outside world. 1t was on
subsequent journey of this kind that
he got his first glimpse of the abpm :
nation of slavery and it is recorded by
one of his companions, that his heart
bled, and when standing on the docks
at New Orleans, resolved that his voice
and influence should henceforth be
! used against the institution OF slavery.
In 1880, the family, composed OF
father, stepmother, son Abe, daughter
Sarah and cousin, moved to Illinois
It was here that Abe and Hanks per-
formed the feat of splitting so many
rails per day that which gave him the
sobriquet of -srail splitter. Some time
before this Thomas Lincoln married
his second wife, Sally Johnston, and
Lincoln used to say that it was to heI
as much as to his mother that he owed
much of his future comfort-a compll-
ment and tribute rarely given to STEP
mothers.
Now for number of years he did
such jobs as would furnish him the
necessary means to help support the
family, spending every leisure hour in
study. In those days books were few
and costly and libraries, as we have
them now, were almost unknown in
the then western country but in spite
of all this, young Abe managed to get
a few of the best books which he dill
gently studied. These books, the BIZ
BILE, Ksop's Fables, Bunyan's Pilgrim s
Progress, Weem's Life of Washington
and Life of Clay did much to perfect
that which his mothers teaching had
begun and to form that character,
which for quaint simplicity earnest
ness, truthfulness and purity has new
er been excelled.
For a number of years after this he
was variously engaged as boatman,
clerk, surveyor, postmaster, and river
pilot, at the same time studying law
and, in spite of adverse circumstances,
was admitted to the bar in 1886, hav-
ing been elected to the legislature two
years previous. He and w. C. Hern-
don as partners, hung out their "shin-
gle," at Springfield in 1887.
Nothing is then heard of him for
some time, excepting participation
in the Black Hawk war, till the can
| ysss of 1874, when he took the stump
| for his ideal statesman, Henry Clay
CLAY was defeated but Lincoln gained
great popularity, securing his own e
| ioet;on tn CONGRESS- in 1916. where his