The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1909-02-16

pher to the rule Of three but that wua
all. 1 have not been to school since
The little advance / now have upon
this store of education / have picked
up from time to time under the pres
sure of necessity
The Second Chapter.
The second chapter of Abraham Lin.
coin g life opens in Illinois. He was
then % years of age and had not risen
above the humble place of farm
laborer. He studied surveying while
n clerk in a store and was able TO earn
little extra money, by his knowledge
of that business. When he could find
a book he pored over English grammar
and mastered it. For little time he
was volunteer captain in small In
dian war, where he saw no fighting.
But II was ms humble entrance upon the
stage of affairs where he was destined
to stand first among the Hottest actors.
A few years before he had got glimpses
of the world by making a trip in n
tiatboat to New Orleans and on the
way he narrowly escaped death ar the
hands of negroes.
In 1882 Mr.. Lincoln became a mem
Der of the Legislature of Illinois serv-
ing five terms and at the same time
studying law and gaining admittance
to the bar. Later he went to Congress
for one term, returning to the law and
practicing in the circuits. One may
see him on horseback with the other
lawyers going from one county town to
another; pleading in the courts over
cases generally small and which yield
ed fees that q young lawyer would
now disdain; spending his evenings in
the only place where men met on week
day nights, the tavern bar.room with
its low-ceiling and smoky lamps and it's
rough iests and horse.play. Then came
the third chapter of this life which
was to become one of immortal mem
DRY.
On the Great Stage.
After the repeal of the Missouri
Compromise, Mr.. Lincoln, who had, up
to that time been losing interest in
politics, was aroused to sense of ma
tional duty. He made many speeches
which attracted notice for their clear
ness, their patriotism and their firm
stand against the extension of slavery.
Because of these he became finally the
choice of the Republican party of
Illinois for United States Senator: and
in beginning his campaign which in
cluded the debate with his great oppo-
nent, Stephen A. Douglas, he sounded
the bugle call which began: "a house
divided against itself cannot stand. L
believe this Government cannot endure
permanently half slave and half free.
| do not expect the Union to be dis
solved; | do not expect the house to
fall; but do expect it will cease to be
divided. ~ Fortunately Mr. Douglas be-
came Senator, and thus made the read
clear for Abraham Lincoln to become
President of the United States.
But Mr.. Lincoln s fame, after all, was
local and when he became President
little was expected of him by Fasteners
and even by his own Cabinet. / say his
population was local, which is true de-
spite the debate with Douglas which
only became famous after Mr.. Lincoln
had entered the Presidency. Few of
the speeches made by the contestants
were reported and the Eastern papers
at the time paid little heed to the whole
matter. Indeed, one week before Mr..
Lincoln IS nomination, Harper's Weekly
placed him at the bottom of list OF six
enumerated candidates. ranged in the
order of their probable success, with
Seward at the head, and mis.spelled his
given name, making it "Abram" in
stead of "Abraham.
In the Civil War.
1t is not necessary, nor is it possible,
I'm OH 70 FAln tI,n ~
dent Lincoln Is relation to the Civil
War. But we may briefly consider some
of the facts which revealed his personal
mastery of great men of that period and
of the great crisis itself The Repub-
lican party leaders believed at the out
set of the war that they must direct
him so as to secure the public safety;
and the ablest of them tried The War
Secretary, former enemy, of his chief,
found, when he undertook to curb Mr..
Lincoln, in military matters, that he
had to deal with the iron hand in
velvet glove. One of the first acts of
Mr.. Seward was to suggest that the en-
tire direction of foreign policy should
devolve upon him, but Mr.. lincoln re.
sponded i'll State paper which settled
the question for good and all, and set
tied 1t his way. Mr.. Greeley, the ablest
party editor, in discussion over the
slavery question, had to acknowledge
that in dialectics he had met his master
From the first, Mr.. Lincoln controlled
the situation. 1t has seemed impossi-
Bile, in the study of the war period, to
find nm instance where his advice was
unsound or his policies damaging to the
cause. He seemed to have instructive
knowledge of what was best to do even
in military matters though he did not
like to interfere with his generals. Yet
when he did interfere it was with such
advantage to the country that, in after
years a Major General said to an APP
plaudng audience of military men that
Lincoln was a greater general than any
of his generals as well as greater
statesman than any of his statesmen.
Even in naval matters he had singu-
lar prescience. 1t was he who insisted
on a trial of Ericsson Is monitor after
a naval board had declared against it.
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