The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1901-03-31

thy youth 50 that thou mayest have
comfort to remember it, when it hath
forsakc1 thee, and not sigh and grieve
at the account thereof. Whilst thou art
young thou wilt think it will never have
an end; but behold the longest day hath
its evening, and thou shalt enjoy it but
once that it never returns again; use it
therefore as tho spring time which
soon departeth. and wherein thou ought
est 10 plant and SOW all provision for a
long and happy life
REMINISCENT.
Many years ago. 1 read the above adj
vice. given by one of the wiSest and best
CI men and the words came again to me
. few days since when l took the morn
luS tram for Springfield. H., where I
began my professional work. and where
for twenty years l endeavored to I'M
dcrstGnd and to discharge my whole
duty. Looking back upon those days all
that I can claim for myself is the con-
sciOusness of great love for those in
whose behalf I wrought and an earnest
desire to be useful to them. l travelled
over the Wabash, the first railroad upon
which l ever jOurneyed in Illinois, and
me one that las done most for the
prosperity Of the state l passed through
region quite familiar, the great bound
less plains of Illinois stretching as far
as the eye could reach III all directions
with here and there groves of trees
slender lines of timber following the
course Of some small stream, with farm
houses and villages relieving the mo-
nOtony of these boundleSS stretches of
prairie. Any one a stranger TO Illinois
who had read Charles Dickens account
Of 4 prairie would have found some
points of resemblance between that ac-
count and conditions on the day that
Jourreyed, for the sky was heavily
Cl"uded and continual dashes Of rain,
hA a1odc
to give only blurred vision of black
muddy roads, and soddeE fields, and
Cheerless homes. But this condition Is
not the usual one, and no land under the
sun presents buster or more cheerful
farm life than is found in this state.
We have only to wait until May and
June in order to see this greatest agri-
cultural state in the Union at its best
CITY OF SPRINGFIELD.
There are but few cities better known
In America than Springfield, and it has
rightly earned its distinction Not only
because it was the home Of Abraham
llnc"ln, and the place of his burial, is
1t famous, but because of the great men
who, in the past, exercised no incon-
siderable influence upon state and ma
tiCnal affairs While 1t was still VIII
1ase on the frontier. there came from the
South and East men, who We're able to
comprehend the possibilities of the West
ard great enough to lead the young
state to a position of great national i'm
Dortance. At one time the Springfield
bar was scarcely second to New York
Boston or Philadelphia, and knew no
other superiors. There were Lincoln.
stephen \. Douglas, Edward D. Baker,
Stephen T. Logan, William Ferguson,
M&theny, Pugh Stuart, and a host Of
others scarcely less brilliant Later
there came John NJ. Palmer, John A.
McClcrnand, Dick Yates, and many other
Very able men. The history of each one
oil the above is full of events in which
they participated connected with great
questions agitating the nation. In the
lives of many there was a strange ming
lag Of mystery and of romance. No
one ever knew, for instance, what Pugh' s
real name was; no one learned where his
previous home had been 1 question
very much ii any one knows where his
grave is, although he was buried at
Springfield.
ADMITTED TO THE BAR.
He came into the town alone, and one
day presented his credentials to the court
and was enrolled as a member of the bar.
He was tall and quite awkward in ap-
pearance, feverish and restless in manner
and eXceedinly reserved. He kept entire
" to himself, and was observed only in
the court or taking long walks into the
country. He was entirely without prac-
Sice for some time, but one day the Judge
appointed him counsel for a man charged
with murder. He astonished every one,
presenting matchless defense, support
ed by an eloquent appeal to the jury that
secured the immediate acquittal of the
guilty man. From that time on he had
more business than he could easily at
tend to, and his brilliant career was never
surpassed at that bar, but it was brief
With increasing business there were in
creaSing restleSsness and fever, and his
walks into the country seemed longer and
his desire to be alone much more mark
ed. One day he was absent from court
and when he did not appear on the second
or third, several attorneys hunted up his
lodging and found him in an attic room
deltriouS and evidently near the end They
remained with him during the night and
from his rawlings learned that he had
probably left home because of a great
sorrow; that 'fPugh" was not his name
and that in the midst of his triumphs he
had been wretched He died before morn
ing and was buried by strangers, but tc
this day no information has ever been re-
ceived at Springfield tending to solve the
mystery of his life
Then there was the matchless Baker
English born, who, when child. was
found one day weeping bitterly. and when
asked why he was so distressed replied
that ne was crying because he could
never be president of the United States.
However, he became United States sen.
ator and general of Union armies He
was killed at the unfortunate battle OF
Balls bluff.
There also was the pale, brilliant. intel.
iectual Ferguson, who plunged into all the
Wild excuses which characterized from.
tier life and was finally killed in a due
on an island in the Golden Gate of San
francisco. Douglas died shortly after his
angiorlous candidacy for the presidency. OF
ChaSrln ana disappointment. He was the
idol of his party, and although his
speeches are no longer quoted at one
time no other man in the senate COM
manded greater attention.
But rising high above all these +bt
majestic figure Of Lincoln INSPIRES q re
spcct and veneration that are accorded
only to the worlds greatest heroes II,
10 the time of his debate with Douola G
III ISoS he was comparatively unknown
ana even his best friends did not believe
that he would be able to hold his ow1
With Douglas. It is true that he lost n,
senatorship, but he gained the nresidao
cy. because his position was unassa1Io
Bile He planted himself upon the praa
truth, "A house divided against itseI
cannot stand. The Union cannot er1dur,
One-haf free and one-half slave" and al
thouSh Republican leaders We're alarme,
he held to his position and was horn
along until he reached the presidency n,
the force of great Fundamental nrinc;
pie of government operating by reason n
an influence above and beyond men whic1
his followers could not analyze and hu
dinly comprehended. l was little NOR
than child when I looked for the lac
time up into the homely, sorrowfuI fac