New-York tribune., 1910-12-08


I have mentioned some Of the distor-
tions with which unwise eulogists and
self seeking extremists have overlald
the fame of Lincoln. Let me add that
there is but one key-save eventS-to the
character of this strange, uncouth. self
educated gifted and ambitious son or
! the commonest OF the common people
! His nature from childhood was one of
absolute truthfulness, with himself as
well as with others: Of absolute honesty
with himself and with others: and Of an
absolute courage that would face the
stake if need be for his con dctions OF
duty Join to these cardinal traits IN
| conquerable good nature constant good
Will, instructive sympathy with and un-
derstanding of 'the plain people, per-
suasive skill in awaking and patience
in awaiting their perceptions OF the
right, and the most utter democracy OF
! feeling and manners. and YOU have the
qualities that brought him to the front
! in a pioneer .community-that gave hin
the entire confidence of all classcs-that.
aided by great talents and tremendous
pertinacity. made him the leader of his
party at his home presently in his state
and then in his country-that always in
sured him a devoted following. that led
him to enormous power, to the highest
| achievements and to u martyrs crown.
He was the child of poor pioneers. in
a rough settlement of eInigrants and ad-
venturers in Southwestern Kentucky.
They had been Graded amid Indian
atrocities. The grandfather was shot
dead in sight Of his home. and as the
savage rushed out from the shelterinG
woods upon the siX-year-old boy, Thomas
Lincoln who was clinging to the corpse
al older brother saved this future father
! of the ernancipator by q rife shot from
the cabin When he grew up, this orphan
fotsam, rescued from the wreck made
( by the Indian scaIping knife. could not
read or write, though his wife afterward
taught him to trace his name and to
spell his way painfully little in the
New Testament. Their immortal son
! was born in a log cabin, fourteen feet
| square, and when seven years later the
rowing parents removed TO q remoter
wilderness and cheaper land in Southern
Indiana, they lived first in half
faced camp" that is TO say in log
cabin of which the side TO the south
was left out. while of course the lop-
sided structure had neither windows nor
doors nor floor. The lad had alto
gether, but in widely separated frag-
| me1lts. considerably less than one year s
attendance at school, and the last Of
/ old The books slowly gathered in his
fathers cabin We're the Bible, Bunyan's
/ -'PilgriTn's Progress. lKsop's Fables -
/ Weems's Life of Washington" d small
/ History Of the United States" and
/ Robinson Crusoe" Out of these he be
gan digging his education for himself
I lying on the floor and reading at night
/ by the light Of the blazing logs in the
fireplace. From these books and this
painful study he developed the extraor-
/ dinary Anglo-Sa style, sometimes
quaint but always lucid, convincing and
weIlnigh perfect, which marks most Of
his public productions, and rises to such
! world classics as the speech at Gettys-
/ burg, the letter TO the mother of five
/ sons lost in battle, or the close of the
second inaugural Sometimes he tried
to master the mysteries of multiplica-
ton and division by ciphering with q
! bit of charcoal on the back Of the
wooden fire shovel; and when this was
| covered with figures he would shave
! them off with his fathers draw shave
and begin again. He grew fast. was un-
usually strong and was supposed to work
/ on his fathers place But he snatched
/ eagerly at every chance TO listen TO the
political talk Of the elders, to attend the
trial Of lawsuit, or to read borrowed
Louisville newspaper: and presently this
| barefoOted, TOW clad boy of fifteen or
| sixteen was mounting a stump in his
fathers clearing and giving the others
q chance to stop work in order to listen
/ 10 him trying to make a speech, His
mother died when he was only nine years
old. but a stepmother came, year
/ later. who encouraged his efforts and
secured him mis- last fitfuI attendance
at school
When nineteen he had grown into a
Young giant Of six feet four He was
always a dutifuI and affectionate son
! but he was now weary Of home routine
and filed with the youthful and frontier
! lust for wandering. Still, he was easily
/ convinced that il was his duty TO con
/ ttnue helping the family: and this was
/ made easier by the chance given for
| service as q f1atboat bow-hand on q trip
/ 10 New Orleans, ar IS 4 month He
next assisted in another family removal
| this time 10 still newer land, in Illinois
most bottonlless roads for a fortnight.
! helped put up the log cabin, pIoughed
fifteen acres of prairie sod and split
rails enough 70 fence II. At last. when
! he attained his majority, he took odd
| Jobs from others supported himself, and
in his frequent leisure kept up the
! stump-speaking habit in the cIearings
! sometimes with an audience of farm
/ hands. sometimes only to the surround
/ ing srumps or the cattle. Then came
another trip down the Mississippi in a
hatboat which he helped to build, and
| in New Orleans, which led the embryo
politician to exclaim 10 his companions
BOYS. let's get away from this. If
| ever get chance TO hit this thing, I'll