The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1902-07-04

/, Abraham had a kind and gentle
| mother who although herself reared
among the backwOods could read and
| write which great many people at
| that time could not do. She taught her
| husband and her children.
/ When Abraham and his sister. who
/ was two years older, were quite young
| Mrs. Lincoln read to them from the
| Bible and Abe soon learned to love
| these stories and we see throughout
| his life he made many apt illusions to
| the sacred book, and the Almighty was
| always his support and guide.
When Abraham was eight years old
| the family moved to New Salem. Mrs.
Lincoln bore the hardships of the jour
| ney as well as she could but in the
| autumn she died. AS there was no min
| lister in New Salem Lincoln obtained
permission from his father to write to
a minister in Kentucky, who rode a
hundred miles to please him and
| preached the funeral sermon.
| The next year was lonely one for
Abe and his sister. but he did not idle
| his time away he studied as much as
| he could and would borrow all the
books he could in order that he might
| learn sometimes walking two and three
miles to get book.
| When Abraham was nineteen he
| made his first trip to New Orleans,
| he saw many colored people, ready to
| L
get Il chance to hit that thing I'll hit
| it hard" On returning he opened
store but failed in it, and then began
surveying. He soon tired of this and
| went to Springfield where he became
very famous as lawyer and made
many great and powerful speeches and
| won many friends. Through his influ-
ence, the capital of Illinois was moved
| from Vandalia to Springfield.
He was about twenty-five when he
1T n a
| strong vigorous man with consti-
| tuition which was used to toll and hard
/, ship and couii1 be relied upon for al
! most any physical or mentai labor.
Lincoln was a tender hearted boy,
and the death of his mother gave him
deep impression Of life. He said: ''All
am and all 1 hope to be owe to my
angel mother With all his love for fun
| and frolic, all his laughter and anec-
dotes there was deep feeling mingled
1t is said he could be laughing over
| joke one minute and weeping over the
death bed of some ding friend the
next At one time when Lincoln and
a number of men were riding through
| a forest, he saw, lying on the ground
| two little birds which had fallen out
of their nest. He stopped his horse,
| hunted up the nest and put the birds
| in it.
He said. when asked why he did it.,
| those birds to their mother" Lincoln
| ndQ IOT DOIH anu lOC'
He was firm as we'll as sympathetic.
| He had a strong, resolute will power
| and by constant, heroic endeaVOrS to
overcome difficulties had become firm.
| true and gentlemanly although the out
| side polish was lacking. What he knew
| he owed to his own eXertions.
| Lincoln was honest and true. When
| a boy he borrowed a book from one OF
his friends. He put it between the logs
| of the cabin. That night a rain storm
4I,( hNn NJ rnf L a
| to the owner and told him of his care
| lessness and then had to work two days
| to pay for it.
! Lincoln trusted God and knew the
Bible thoroughly. 1t has been said there
was not a clergyman to be found who
| was as familiar with it as he. There
was not a speech or paper prepared by
him but what it had apt illusions
| taken-from the sacred book. He was
also familiar with Shakespeare and
| could repeat Burns poems. He had
great power over men. He used short
and simple words which could be I'M
derstood by everyone. and as lawyer
| on the whole he was the most powerful
see the decisive point in case. He
seemed to magnetic everyone. He was
so straightforward. so direct and SO
1 candid, that everyone was convinced
he was speaking truth and justice.
His illustrations were often quaint
and homely but were always clear and
decisive. At one time there were discus
sions between Lincoln and his oppo-
nent. There was a man among them
who tried to ridicule Lincoln. He had
| lately erected a lightning rod over his
new house. He said: This young. man,
referring to Lincoln, must be taken
down. and I am sorry the task de-
wolves upon me-" In reply to this Lin
| coin said: 81 am not so young in years
| as 1 am in politics but L would rather
| die now than have to erect lightning
rod to protect me from the wrath OF
the Almighty"
He had deep insight to all that was
| to come. Before the presidential cleo
ton when the whole country was IN
| an uproar he said 81 see the storm
coming ana I know that Gods hand
| is in it. If he has place for me L am
ready. I know 1 am right, because lib
erty is right for Christ teaches 1T. " We
see how through all the trying years
| of the Civil war when the South was
| putting forth her mightlest efforts ne
ruled this nation with a strong, firm
| hand and at last came out victorious.
| Lincoln nad great kindness for ev-
| cry one. treating all people alike, as his
| logic was all people are created equal.
| Now we come to the saddest part of
| had surrendered to Grant and the bells
| were joyously ringing, bonfires blaz-
| ing and people both in the North and
| South were rejoicing because the war
| was over.
You all know the sad story of how
Lincoln went to Ford's theatre in the
evening and was deeply interested in
| the playing when the treacherous John
| Wilkes Booth entered the presidents
| box and took his life.
The whole nation which had been
| shouting for joy was struck dumb and
then moved to tears. All business was
suspended and a look of grief and
| gloom was upon every face. The flag
which had been so proudly waving over
every roof was lowered and the deep
| est mourning was shown not only
| throughous our own country but
| throughout the whole world. Thus per-
| ished the Moses who brought the At
rican children out of American bond.
| age.
LEONA HEDLOFF.