The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1911-09-05

| the mOnI0 OF June,
1861 Andrew Johnson. President OF
the United States, returned to his ma
tive city amid the vaccinations or
thousands to pay tribute TO
the Chief Magistrate OF thirty mil
lions of people.
Perhaps in all the history of the
world can be found nc other exam
pie Of SO remarkable a rise from
such an humble beginning to such
q height of official position, no ex-
ample of an individual in SO brief
a time touching such extremes OF
fortune. The career Of ABRAHAM
Lincoln at once suggests itself to
combat this statement But Abra-
ham Lincoln overcame no such OBJ
stacles in his rise to fame and power
as did Andrew Johnson. In his early
years Lincoln had many advantages
over Johnson. Both were poor and
both were Of humble origin. But pow
erty and humble birth presented to
the former no difficulties comparable
10 those which they presented to the
latter. Lincoln grew to manhood in
"a new country where none were
wealthy, where all started life on an
equal footing with no COnv~entional7-
ties Of society to help CT to hinder,
and where the winning Of fortune and
position depended solely upon ones
own pxertions, character and ability.
He earned his bread in a community
in which manual labor, unassociated
with slavery, was dignified and hon
ored. And above all he did his
great work and Won his great fame
among a people who sympathized with
the cause which he espoused. Johnson.
on the contrary, grew up amid the sur
~rOundings 81 Gin the American SenSe)
an old civilization in which social con
v~entionalitias and distinctions had
taken deep roo In a community in
which society was divided into castles
as rigid as those in many ancient Eu-
ropean monachies, he was born in
the humbiest possible circumstances.
Among a people whose system Of
slave labor robbed all manual b
of its dignity and honor, he was bred
to a trade then regarded with far less
respect than now. Ana unlike Lincoln
Ae had to fight his way upward from
the tailor,s bench in opposition to a
dominant sentiment bitterly hostile to
his ambition, to his cause and to his
person. Abraham Lincoln rode into
his haven Of fame and power on the
crest Of an incoming wave; Andrew
Johnson fought his way into harber
against the mightiest opposing tides.
The log cabin which witnessed the
birth of Lincoln was not less pre-
teIlUOuS IMAM the Ittle TWO ROOM Cot-
tage in which johnson vas born,
December 50, 1903. This cottage then
stood on Wilmington street IN Raj
eigh, North Carolina; within recent
years, to prevent it's being torn down
to make way for d buildings.
the Raleigh Chapter OF the United
Daughters of the ~ConfedeFacy caused
it TO be moved to Pullen Park, mean
the city, where it is now preserved.
At the time of Johnson's birth, RAJ
eigh, founded in 1892, was a city
of 600 souls. Its society was com
posed Of we'll defined circles the most
exclusive of which embraced the pub
lie officials who resided temporarily
at the State Capital, the members OF
the learned professions. and the slave
holding planters of the surrounding
country.
AT the other extreme, separated by
almost impossible barriers, were those
who were compelled to earn their llv-
lihcod by manual aboro or by personal
service. Into this latter class An
drew Johnson was born.
Jacob Johnson. father Of the future
President, seems to have been a thor
oughiy respectable citizen. A con
temporary newspaper tells Us that he
was esteemed for his honesty, sobri-
ETY., industry, and humane friendly
disposition" But when we are told
that the writer Of those words owed
his life lon a partfular occasion, to
the boldness and humanity of john
son. we are justified in ~suspecting
that he colored his picture a little
too highly. However there is other eSi-
dence of Jehnson's standing. in the
community. In 1911 we find him
captain OF one OF the twenty groups
into which the citizens OF the town
were divided, by order of the town
commissioners, as a General Watch
FOR the City, He also held positions
as city constable, sexton, and porter
for the State Bank. 1t is evident
therefore, that Jacob Johnson was
held to DE a man Of responsibility and
character.
johnson died in 1912. Had he lived
one hundred years later he might