The Twin Falls times. [volume] (Twin Falls, Idaho) 1905-1916, 1909-02-11

she had one. An as like as not Abe a
eat his supper thar. takin' anything
she'd give him that he could gnaw at
an read at the same time. I've seen
many Teller come in an look at him,
Abe not KNOWN anybody was round.
an sneak out ag'in like cat an say,
We'll, I'll be darnedv 1t didn't seem
| natural, nohow, to see a Teller read
like that"
Lincoln's Unsuitable craving to know
things did not manifest itself alone In
a desire to read Every stranger that
came to the house would be ques-
toned by the youngster until the elder
Lincoln interfered. He was as per-
sistent questioner as Ii Hung
Chang. When Robert Owens colony
was started at New Harmony, Ind,
young Abraham almost worried him.
self sick because he heard there was
q boat load Of books along, and he
wanted to break into this paradise Of
knowledge. Books were not plentiful
In Indiana in those days, and the fu-
ture president was known to walk :or
miles or work for days for the poor
privilege OF buying or borrowing one.
That was the poverty the boy felt
most.
One more quotation from the gar
rulous Dennis and we leave him. 1t
is anent the Lincoln stories:
"'Abe,' says l, 'whar did you get so
blamed many liesy An he'd always
say: Denny, when story Farms you
a good lesson 1t amt no lie. God tells
truth in parallels. They're easier fur
common folks to understand an ricol-
lect.' His stories was like that"
Most writers on Lincoln insist on de-
scribing his dress, dwelling on the
fact that his trousers did not meet his
shoes, that his coat was too small, IL
he had coat, and generally making
his habillments as ridiculous as rath-
er lively imagination will permit. This
Is scarcely fair. Lincoln dressed fully,
as well as those with whom he assoc
ciated. Indeed, the lively Dennis says
that Abe had more pride than the 9TH
er children and therefore INDUCED the
unusual luxury of white shirts for
Sunday. Awkward he perhaps was,
but that he was the lout sometimes
pictured was farthest from the truth.
Indeed, be was regarded as the bright
est and most ambitious boy in the
neighborhood Il
Compared with city standards or
even with modern standards anywhere
Lincoln was stability dressed, was
poor, lacked educational advantages
and was surrounded by an inferior
environment. 1t is not just to COM
pare by such standards. His boyhood
occurred nearly century ago on the
frontier In his world his education.
mostly self acquired, was better than
the average; his poverty was little or
no worse than that of those around
him; his dress was as good as or better
than that of his boy friends To ridi-
Guile his people or his circumstances
or his clothes is to ridicue those Of
all frontiersmen of his day. Any one
guilty of such reflection but adver-
tises bis own narrowness and the I'M
due stress he places on outer things
What do the Lincoln clothes amount
to anyway? They were the most SUI
perfcial part of the man and are i'm
portant only in the eyes Of the most
superficial people Why are they spo-
ken of more than those Of any other
president? Lincoln himself was too
big to be conscious of them
But little removed from this is the
continual reiterated, everlasting refer
ence to his great height What if he
was tall? There have been other tall
men in history of whose longitudinal
measurements little or nothing is said.
Why keep it so In the foreground with
Lincoln? Why make 1t SO prominent
that it obscures infinitely more impor.
tant things? Does his stature in his.
tory depend on the length of his bones
Are we to measure his soul with q
footrule? Are his bodily dimensions
II more to be regarded than his charac.
ter? Are his inner glory and beauty
i always to be yelled behind a homely
exterior? There have been other ugly
. men in history concerning whose lacl
J. of personal pulchritude not one-hun
: dredth part as much has been said
81 Why not talk more Of the inner Lin
coin and his mission of mercy rather
than spend so much time on his outel
mask and the accidents that surround
. ed him?
: The most noteworthy things abou
Lincoln the boy were not the length
). Of his trousers and the shortness of hi,
= ;, purse. They were his love of justice
= bis love Of knowledge. his love O
truth. These were shown In a thou
y :. sand ways. They are the lights tina
: reveal him With all due respect Il
= everybody. am infinitely tired Of al
the nonessential rubbish that is foist
= ed on the world In the name Of Lincoll
: to the observation of his greater ant
'' better self.
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