New Ulm review. (New Ulm, Brown County, Minn.) 1892-1961, 1909-02-10

to defy his whole company, who were
afraid they would not get any Indian
it they did not take this one
After Lincoln tramped and boated
his way home from the war came his
experience as surveyor Washington
was also a surveyor, which is not the
only way in which the two great
est of our presidents were similar.
Their characters and religious views
tailed in many particulars. In build
they were both tall and athletic.
Washington was famous wrestler,
never having been thrown, it is said
When this was called to Lincoln's at
tention he musingly said:
It is a curious thing, but that is just
precisely my record when was youth.
I could outfit any man in Illinois, and
never was thrown. If George were around
now I should be pleased to have a tusse
with him, and rather believe one of the
plain people of Illinois would be able to
keep up his end against the old Virginian.
If this country is the modern Pales-
tine and we are the chosen people to
carry forward the gospel of liberty,
then Washington was our Abraham
4.
Jacob to complete the trinity and give
the nation it's peculiar character of de-
mocracy and spirituality for the ages?
The manner in which Lincoln took
up his work as surveyor reveals two or
three Of his most prominent charac-
teristics. When he was approached
with the proposition to become dep
.uty county surveyor he was splitting
rails as usual, but whether they were
real mythical or political is not stated.
AS the surveyor was Democrat,
while he was Wing, he refused un-
less he could talk as he pleased. This
was promised. He then objected that
he knew absolutely nothing about sur
veying. Here was an actual obstacle.
There are numberless Offices that are
filed by men who know nothing Of,
their duties, but to survey land, find
old corners, lay out towns, settle
boundary disputes and do the other
things that fall to the lot Of sur
veyor require more than political pull
and dignified front Lincoln was one
| Of those men who know the features
Of the goddess Opportunity whenever
she happens their way, and it did not
take the penniless ex-soldier long to
recognize her physiognomy in this Of
fer. One of the secrets Of Abraham
LincOlnS success was that he was in
tensely ambitious, and another was
that he grabbed every chance which
he could overtake. 1t did not take him
many minutes to make up his mind
| that he would accept that job as sur
veyor and that he would learn the
duties in the shortest possible time
his mental equipment would permit
Now, any one who knows anything
| about surveying can comprehend just
how difficult a proposition this was for
| boy who had had less than years
| schooling, and that under men who
knew more about switches than they
| did about books However, Abe went
| at the task in deadly earnest. It was
night and day job with him, and in
| few ,weeks-I am really ashamed to
say how few-it was accomplished A.
| Lincoln, Esq, eX-farm laborer, was a
| full fedged surveyor, and, moreover,
was a good one. He laid out several
| towns, found lost corners and told
| numberless farmers just how much Of
| the United States Of America apper-
| tanned to them and theirs. Lincoln
was as popular as surveyor as he
| had been in other lines The fame of
| his stories went before him, and his
| advent in community was an event
to be barbecued and fttingly celebrat-
ed. Good story tellers were in as
great demand in those days as good
! novelists are now, and there were
more Of them.
There are those who say that Mr.
Lincoln did not like physical work
| Possibly this is true To be perfectly
honest, never saw many men who do.
There are times when I am not en-
/ amored of it myself, although l never
admit that fact to my wife. There
are also soldiers who do not enjoy be-
ing shot at, but who grit their teeth
and stay by it. 1t was so with LiEs
coin. Whether he liked physical labor
or not, he never shirked If a thing
was to be done he did it and, better
still, did not leave it in slipshod or
sloVenly state. And as for mental la
Dor, he did love that He worked rap
idly at anything and generally accom-
pl1shed as much as two ordinary men
IN the same length of time. Once i'm
mersed in subject, he was all there
and stayed until it was rooted out to
the last fiber. He knew the three Sc
crets Of efficient work-concentration
mental comprehension of the task in
It's every detail and thoroughness in
accomplishment. 1t was a physical
lmpossibility for him to do thing in
a halfway manner. Whatever he had
to do he did worthily of Abraham Lin
coin. He seemed to have lurking
consciousness that he might be a great
man some day, and he did not want to |
leaVe anything behind him that would |