New-York tribune., 1909-06-26
IN LLNCOLNS COUNTRY.
Il Beguiling Book of "reminiscences
and ReCery.

the Lincoln Country. By Francis Grier3on
Svo. pp Y, rs Houghton Mif1in Company.
Not novel is 'aThe Valley Of Shadows" but
book of reminiscence and speculation, founded
upon personal experience and yet possessing IN
form and substance many of the characteristics
Of fiction. The author passed his childhood and
early youth in log cabin on the prairies After
the lapse of half century spent elsewhere he
has taken up the threads OF his old life and
woven a picture Of the time when Illinois was
still pioneer state. when the hunting of run
away slaves was an incident of everyday ex-
istence. when the camp meeting and the per-
fervid religious revival betokened the chief ad-
vances Of civilization. when a new dawn was
breaking the land and the appearance
of Abraham Lincoln marked the passing Of the
old order. He describes his work attempt
TO interpret the silences belonging to the
prairies out Of which arose the voices of
preacher and prophet. OF the noble army of
heroes and martyrs of the coming conflict.
Genuine, sincere, uncouth and unlettered are
the plain figures that pass before US, pausing
long enough for US to study their hard features.
TO listen to their picturesque speech tinged with
a quaint philosophy. TO see how they prof1ted by
the fierce contact with nature, and TO note the
pathos or the selfshness with which ungifted
men and women faced new problems and worked
out new questions
There is no connected story. but rather
succession Of pictures and incidents in which
the homely dialect of the plains is reproduced
with uncompromising fidelity. These pictures.
too, must be considered in great measure as
work Of imagination, for. given form long long
years after the events described and protesting
10 be the recouections OF childhood, there is, OF
course, written into them the Interpretation that
history has put upon the meaning Of those days.
Thus the glimpse that catch Of Lincoln is
not the impression made upon boys mind. but
the historical figure as We see IL to-day. The
spring opening of the meeting house that had
stood deserted and dormant on the prairie all
through the winter brought together on Won
derfuI Sunday morning a motley group OF set
tiers in wagons, on horseback and foot
silas Jordan and his wife Kezia were among the
first to arrive. He small thin and shrivelled,
with wiry hair and restless nerves and a face
like q spiders web; cross bars OF crow s-feer
encircled two ferretike eyes. sunk deep in
sockets which peered with eager suspicion at
the moving phenomena Of the world She with
Jet black hair snoothed down till il covered the
tops Of her ears. living emblem Of the tall
dark flowers that bordered the winding creeks
of the prairies. There We're Uriah and Serena
Busby on a horse that carried double, Zack
Caverly, solitary hunter and trapper, and at the
same time a queer philosopher universally
known as Socrates. and Elihu Gest, nicknamed
the Load Bearer because of his constant efforts
TO assume other peoples mental and spiritual
burdens and vithal helpfUl friend TO fugitive
sla-es 1T was heterogeneous gathering: hu-
morists who were unconscious Of their humor,
nlystics who did not understand their strange,
farreaching power. sentimental dreamers who
did their best to live down their emotions old
timers and cosmopolitans with marvellous ad-
mixture Of sense and sentiment, political
prophets who could foresee events by a sudden
Illuminating fash and foretell them in a sud
den pithy sentence. 1t a wonderful people,
living in a second Canaan. IN an age Of social
change and upheaval, in a period Of political
and phenomenal wonders"
Then there was the long. gaunt, unpublished
preacher, Azariah James, who gave out his
text and rambIed along upon generahtes and
pious phrases and then added:
But the tex says, He shall send them a savior
a great one, ne shell deliver them" Now. II
air Just ez plain ez the MONDAY sun thet the LORD
plain thet his chce amt fell on no shufhin back
horses On this proposition, thet is ye CANT
git away from f3cs by 10 cross argimlnts thet
thet means that on'y man is 'p'inted to lead"
At this there was visible change IN the attitude
of many Of the listeners.
What air he a-comin to?" whispered old Lem
Stephens TO Uriah busby.
Il bold stroke but Elihu Gest. the Load
Bearer, had over the preacher to speak out.
and he coming TO the point as fast art
less art and blunt but effective rhetoric would let
him.
He proceeded with his sermon, now bringing the
eXpectant people to the verge of the last period.
letting them slip back II he giving
stronger stage in the argument II wonderful
how Ihis simple preacher, without education
training, managed to keep the interest Of con-
gregation at boiling point for more than hour
would unlock the whole mystery discourse.
Before him sat Old Wings, Know -Nothings and
Democrats Republicans. militant aboliuonists and
outspoken friends Of slave in the South
As the sermon drew to its close II became
evident that by some queer. roundabout Way. bV
some process of reasoning and persus sion that
grew upon the people like spell they were listen
ing, and had all along been listening. philippe
against slavery.
But hardly had the meeting realized the fun
force OF the last words. when the preacher put the
final questions: ~
En- who shall deliver them? Do anv O. va
know? Brethering. thar amt but one human
ereatur ekil 10 IL, en- thet air Abraham lincoln
The Lord hez called him.
There is striking account of camp meeting
attended by many of the foregoing and some
rougher characters, a thrilling tale Of primitive
justice wherein an injured man spent nine wears
tracking his enemy through the wilderness be-
fore he was enabled to wreak vengeance upon
him, a page from the history Of Fremonts sd
ventures, the exciting rescue of some runawavs
something OF town life in ST Louis ana Alton
nirsfe