Arizona republican., 1909-02-13

1 InOlHtTS.
 coins moved to Spencer county, In
 diana, in 1877 and to Macon county.
 Illinois in 1880. Thomas Lincoln the
 father, and an estimable citizen, died in Cole county, Illinois, In 1851. Abraham Lincoln married Mary
 Todd at Springfield, H., November 4,
 1S42. Of this union there were born
 four children, all dead except Robert | Todd. Abraham Lincoln died by the
 assassins bullet April 15, 1865.
 Such is the condensed outline his-
 tory of the one in whose memory ex-
 ercises are today being held, both on | land and sea, the world over. Of but
 few who have lived and died ouly the
 outline is needed. Not so in this case. | His birth place was a humble cabin
 in one of the most undesirable parts of Kentucky The little babe, rocked
 in sugar trough, gave no better promise of the future than millions of
 others. No friend came to greet the
 mother and babe; in fact, it is doubt | full if he had much of a welcome from
 anyone; first it was with difficulty
 that the parents were able to make
 both ends meet" in the battle for
 bread.
 Lincoln told friends, in later years, that many a night as he lay on his hard pallet, he looked at the laughing
 stars through holes in the roof. And | yet this dilapidated cabin of the from tiersman was the birth place and home of one who was born to be a | leader of men; an able, faithful, hon est ruler; the man that put his faith
 in God in the days of battle who led him and our nation into aSglorious peacei a man honored, loved. believed ! in, fully trusted in, in the time when
 he held so important a place in the
 nation, and who now and forever will
 hold one of the most important places
 in the history, not alone of our own
 nation, but of the whole world.
 At the age of years he was taken | to the wilds of Spencer county, Indi-
 ana, where the lack of the comforts of | life was nearly the same as in Ken | lucky. Hard work, plain food. coarse clothes, poor pay, little life outside the l home were his. He early became a | faithful reader He read everything
 he could get, but as money was scarce his supply was limited. One book he had which he read and re-read, time
 and again; the book of books; trust in
 which is the anchor of all our power,
 our glory, our stability; the safe guide
 of youth and counsellor of manhood,
 the Bible.
 One of the guards at the White
 House, during the early days of war,
 testified that many and many a time
 when he came on duty at o'clock a. m he found the president reading the Bible The truth is he had more con fidence and trust in it during those trying days than in any of his counsel lors When one of them remarked. q hope the Lord will be on our side" Lincoln replied, What concerns me most is that we be on the Lords side"
 In his boyhood constant labor de- manded his time from early morn till late at night No electric light or gas lamp, no not even u friendly tallow dip aided him in these night readings. Before the bright hickory fire, in the big, old-fashioned fire place. he stretched himelf out on the floor and read by the hour. He was a genuine backwoOds boy. Awkward as awkward could be- Such a life as he led was not calculated to make him graceful Neither did his physical makeup con tribute to elegance In manners. His hands were very large and his arms so long it was difficult to find a place for them to rest, while his long legs gave him a ludicrous motion when moving, and when sitting he kept crossing and re-crossing them until it seemed as if h, trEfr1er tn tiA them in a bow-knot. His angular appearance and homely face were the subjects of frequent remarks. His home-spun clothes. ill-fitted to his lean, lank form. were better suited to the occupation of one driving an OK team, such as he followed for many months, rather than for appearance in the social circle. In a social gathering. even of the back woods, he would almost have felt "out of place"
 What do you think of the early pros poets of this subject? You have seen him in Kentucky. and in Indiana Two mile stones in his history are past and we find him nearing the third, at the age of 21, the pilot of prairie schoon- err bound for Macon county. Illinois. This prairie schooner was drawn by two yoke of oxen. "Buck" and Der "" and Jim" and Jerry" got many l a prod on that long journey from the youthful pilot Word had reached l them that the prairies of Illinois fur nished a better prospect for life than the forests of Indiana. so into the | promised land they went.
 The third mile stone in his life had been reached. On his advent into the | state that later and ever will be to | honor his memory, he came in no Pull man palace sleeper; not carrying with him a diploma from any institution of learning, not even the possessor of a good common school education; not dressed in the latest style of the art, such as would give him an entire in 1920, into the society of the 400" of | the prairies of Illinois.
 But, thank God, he did bring with him something that was better than all these. He brought with him rug ged constitution and a clear brain, uninjured by the fast life" that comes to too many; he brought with him a firm resolve to win in the battle of life; he brought with him a pure, hon. est, sympathetic heart; he brought |. with him a firm resolve to be true to | himself. true to his adopted state, true to his fellowmen and true to his God Y, |