Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-01-31

resulted enabled to spend the evening studying
His attendance at the local schools very short
and he probably learned little in them beyond his
alphabet Quite likely his mother aided him more
than did his teachers. She could both read and
write, accomplishments that few of the frontier
women then possessed and she taught her husband
who had education whatever, to form the letters
of his name. From her the two children also re-
Ceived some documentary instruction, and she i'm
parted to them all she knew Of Bible lore, fairy
tales and country legends.
The father was an easygoing man, entirely with
out ambition. He did not prosper In Kentucky,
and presently concluded that he could improve his
fortunes by moving to Indiana. So thther the
family Journeyed and settled IN neh fertile forest
Thomas Lincoln built a temporary shelter known
as 'half-faced camp This was simply shed of
poles which defended the inmates from the weather
on three sides, but open in front For cooking
purposes, and to warm the camp In cold weather,
a fire made before the open side In this
wretched shack the Lincolns lived an entire year
while the father clearing patch of ground and
planting and building a cabin.
They moved into the cabin while it still
incomplete, and so much better was it than the
camp that the pioneer seemed to think there was
no haste about doing more on it; and month after
month it remained just as it was, without doors,
windows, or floors. The furnishings were much the
those of most homes in the new regions.
There several three-legged stools; bedstead,
made of poles stuck between the logs in corner and
with the angle that projected into the room sup
ported by crotched stick driven into the ground;
table roughly shaped by hewing huge log and
inserting four stout legs; and there pot
kettle skillet, and few tin and pewter dishes.
The boy Abraham climbed at night to bed of
leaves in the loft, to which he assembled by ladder
of wooden pegs driven into the log walls. For bed
covers they used mostly SKINS and it skins
that served to close the door and window openings.
Carried Guns All the Time
THE region almost in state of nature, with
many bears and other wild creatures in the
woods, and the men, in order not to miss the chance
to secure such game as they saw all carried their
guns whenever they had to pass through the woods,
even though they might only be going to a neigh
bor's on GRAND. For like purpose they carried
their guns when they went to church. If the game
ply the family larder, Thomas Lincoln would go
into of the forest gades his cabin, and by
living in wait for hour or two shoot deer. That
would give the household meat for at least week,
and the skin could be used for breeches and mecca
sins
Lincon's mother died after they had been in
Indiana two years. and a twelvemonth later his
father brought home for a second wife widow with
three children. She was person OF energy and her
coming resulted in getting the house finished and
comfort in its appointments. She also eXerted
her influence to have the children take advantage
of such opportunities afforded for education
The schools had much the same desultory character
and crudity as those in Kentucky, and Lincoln him
self has said that mo qualification
quired of teacher beyond Readin', Writn, and
Cipherin to the Rule of Three If stragger sup
posed to understand Latin happened to soourn in
Brute strength on the masters part to control
the rough boys in his charge held to be rather
more important than mere learning. But the chief
reason for the inferority of the teachers that
the calling offered rewards sufficient to attract
men of education capacity. Indeed, it sometimes