Connecticut western news., 1908-02-20

tended school few days every summer, if there happened to be school within ten miles. and especially after his step mothers arrival he profted by the little opportunity that presented itself to &C., quire an education.
 He never had dollar before he was Is or 20, and at that age his clothes were of such kind as to attract attention and ridicule Thus. in short, he grew up in the woods, tall, awkward, ill-fed, badly clothed, almost unlettered, sadly in want of books and surroundings Of culture. It is we'll known that he walked ten or fifteen miles to borrow 8 book, that he often sat by the open fire to write and to figure on chips, that he early made speeches to the laborers In the fields, that he was soon popular In the whole county as debater, and that he often frequented country store to hold widening circle of admirers spell bound with his stories and his discussion of politics He attended trials and pub lie meetings, sought out the stray news papers that came into the county, and gradually became interested and posted in politics, which were especially attrac tive to him.
 At IS he went to New Orleans on a flat boat; at 24 he was elected captain of company of soldiers in the Black Hawk war, and after the war. though bloodless to Lincoln's troops, he thought himself popular enough to run as 8 candidate for representative of his state. but being defeated he became clerk in a country store, and later, through the kindness of an admirer, Q deputy surveyor, and it. was this last experience that brought him in con tact with the people, which contact increased his popularity to such an ex- tent that the next time he ran for office he was elected, and from that time on his rise was gradual. He represented his district at the state capitol several times and then was sent to Congress bAAO hU AcAo11 tAouSh uO F O Q C III bO VI the most radical anti-slavery posi- tion for the day, he was unexpectedly nominated for president and unex- pectedly elected. The man of the hour had arrived! He was destined to give slavery blow from which it never re- covered; he was to fulfill his promise given as a young man as he stood on the levees at New Orleans, elf ever hit slavery will hit it hard.'' It was no wonder that the Southern Confederacy at once broke loose from the North and announced its intention by firing on Fort Sumpter. There were some pro-slavery men in the North, yet the majority were ready to make sacrifice for principle as they later showed, and though Lincoln was a politician who had never been bribed and who never did things to please a partisan, he was just the man in this crisis to do what the condi- tions demanded. He was a first one to speak the truth about slavery before cleo tion. Of all the able men of his day he alone seemed able to take the initiative, to make the first hostile steps against slavery. Lincoln saw his chance later to issue the Emancipation Proclamation, to the effect that the slaves were freed in all the states thIt were in rebellion, unless they lay down arms before fixed date, and hence on January 1, 1863, not alone were the slaves declared freed in the South, but l all the territory of the United States. That was the master stroke of Lincoln's life. It has placed Lincoln foremost statesman inAmerica! The thing to be expected was that the president, representing the North, would say to the South, after those two hard years of war: "If you will stop fighting
 we will make constitutional the fact ot slavery, and We will guarantee you power to the extent of half in all that savers of national business and emolu. ment." Lincoln saw what the matter was; he saw what curse slavery was, he saw the right which Southern state clamed to secede was an abomination, he was able to take stand and to act as 1 he saw right. Indeed he was "chosen'' to known the truth and to act his con- victions! This country will not soon again have another magistrate like Lin coln, so noble, so unselfsh, honest, fear less, magnanimous! He found us di- vided nation, full of misunderstanding and confusion, he left us weak after a long war, but strong in 8 new and right endeavor. Our ship of state was with out rudder in a storm at sea, her sailors were mutinous, but unexpectedly new captain was found, he righted the damages, quelled the disturbance and headed the ship toward Rafe havenl
 LakeviIIe Pastor Recalled.
 Our Lakeville corresponcent says: The fourth quarterly conference was