The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1909-02-12

Ii il fortunate that America has
had for its two greatest presidents
men drawn one from the very highest
and the other from the very lowest
ranks OF social life. Washington was
courtly, rich, aristocratic; Lincoln was
born In the midst Of utter poverty, Of
: father poor ana shiftless and =
mother who was An iiiegitimate child.
These things ought to teach US that
true greatness II not the peculiar her
itaee OF any rank or station that each
American must be Judged By his own
merits, not by his ancestors, nor BY
the wealth or poverty which surrounds
him. II is not uninteresting in this
Quaker neighborhood to know that
the ancestors Of Lincoln himself were
Quakers from Bsrks county, Pennsyl-
vauia. and that when the family NOV
ed to Kentucky II was with the family
Of Daniel Boone, also of Quaker ori-
gin. with this family there had been
frequent intermarirages. Lincoln's
granfather was killed by savages and
his father. when child Of SIX, barely
escaped captivity.
wife Teaches Lincoln.
while learning his trade % . car
penter he married Nancy Hanks. who
II was said could read and write, and
who taught her husband to form the
letters Of his name. In Los cabin In
Esardh ceulty thsy lived In great pow
ertv ana here. one hundred years ago.
Absnham Lincoln was born. He lived
4 Solitary life In ths woods and 50
hard his surroundings that he never
taDlusd Of those days even to his most
1ati1sts friends.
I'm fa9her. Thomas, concluding that
Xsataeoy was 10 place for . poor
anaa. remeved b indiana, building
ruAe raft, which he loaded with his
III o4 tools and four hundred gallons
GeWAis1R when he reached his des4
tanaaiou he built for temporary shell
ter = shed Of poles. protected from the
weaeher on three sides, but open in
front, ana for . whole year-his family
lived in this wretched abode while he
cleased the ground for corn and built
q rough cabin for q permanent dwell
ing. The cabin too, was left for .
year or two without doors or win
Aows or floor. A few three legged
stools, bedstsad OF poles stuck In
between the logs. the tabls d hewed
logs, . pot, kettle, and skillet were
the furniture. Abraham climbed at
night to his bed Of leaves In the loft.
The milk sickness prevailed and Nancy
Hanks Lincoln succumbed to 1t and
was buried in clearing nearby
without ceremony. Some months
afterwards Abraham had = wan
dsring preacher deliver funeral
sermon over her grave. His father
now brought I new wife from Ken
tucky and there was sreater thrift In
tAe little cabin.
Wac . Wild Region.
n was : Wild REGION wrote Lin
cola afssrward, with many hears and
other Wild animals still Ia the woods
There we're some schools but no quail
ffcaGl0n Was required Of teacher be-
ysnd "rsAin.' writin' and cipherin to
the rule Of three" , Lincoln's school
ang va lees than : year In I'll. The
nine miles Of walking every day seem
"a % his father a-waste of time and
~ wAs put to steady work. But h
hal learasdsto read and the rev books
~ could Set-Aesopa Fables, Robin
sen Crusoe. Pilgrims Progress ana
'1As Life Of Washington" he learned
1lmost M hsart.
He would ait In the twilight and
read dictionary a long % he could
80. He would cover his wooden
shovel with arithmetical exercises,