The Sauk Centre herald., 1909-02-25


experience as a surveyor Washington
was also 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 q famous wrestler.
never having been thrown. it is said.
When this was called to Lincoln's at
tention he musingly said:
1t is a curious thing. but that Is just
precisely my record when l was a youth
could outlift any man in Illinois. and |
never was thrown. IL George were around
now l should be pleased to have a tussIe
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 Abrah ham
and Lincoln our Isaac. Where is our
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 a 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 a Whig. he refused un-
less he could talk as he pleased. This
was promised. He then objected that
he knew absolutely nothing abont 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 a sur
veyor require more than political pull
and digniied front. Lincoln was one
Of those men who know the features
Of the goddess Opportunity whenever
she happens their way, and 1t did not
take the penniless ex-soldier long to
recognize her physiognomy in this Of
fer One of the secrets of Abraham
Lincoln's 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 proposition this was for
a boy who had had less than a 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. 1t was
a 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- !
tained to them and theirs. Lincoln |
was as popular as q surveyor as he I
had been in other lines The fame of |
his stories went before him, and his |
advent in a community was an event |
to be barbecued and ittingly celebrat- |
ed. Good story tellers were in as |
great demand in those days as good |
novellsts 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 1t. 1t was SO with Lin
coin. Whether he liked physical labor
or not. he never shirked. II a thing
was to be done he did it and, better
still, did not leave 1t In slipshod or
state. And as for mental la
Dor, he did love that. He worked rap
idly at anything and generally accom-
plished as much as two ordinary men
In the same length Of time Once i'm
mersed In a subject. he was all there
and stayed until It was rooted out to
the last fiber. He knew the three Sc
crets Of efficient INSTRUMENTATION,
mental comprehension of the task In
Its every detail and thoroughness In
1t was a physical
for him to do thing in
4 halfway manner. Whatever he had
to do he did worthily Of Abraham Lin
coin. He seemed to have a lurking
that he might be great
man some day, and he did not want to
leave anything behind him that would |,
not measure up to that future stand /
ard. Indeed, it is on record that he
expressed himself to some such effect
have seen men work that would have
been helped by the same conscious
hess or any other consciousness except !,
that Of the quitting hour.
Lincoln was a good laborer despite
The fact that he did not like It. He
vas good soldier. or he would have
been II there had been any real sol
Herring to do; good surveyor with
,ut any modifying phrases; and he