Mount Vernon signal. (Mt. Vernon, Ky.) 18??-current, 1912-02-16
MEMBER OF
ABRAHAM LINCOLN.

log CAOln on TUG OuO>' II - VI enS
wilderness of Kentucky, a scrawDy
homely baby was born upon whom
tie gods smiled. To the ambitious
the industrious and the eDterpris
ing of future ages. the career OF
that lonely tabe of the forest clear
ing from woodm2n to President is
an admonitiOn that proyerty and
obscurity are no handicap to the
conquest of lIfe's big prizes. In
stead of being an obstacle to his
development, proveriy was to
Lincoln an incentive which time
quickened as he began to realize
that responsibility unerrlngly
gravitates to the man hest able TO
assume it.
In this, Lincoln's rise from the
humble lot of rail splitter to that
of one Of the stirring character S
in history. emphasized anew the
fact now everywhere recognized
that DO hoveI. however lowly is
any More safe from the visitation
OIL talent than it is from lightning
Lord Nelson, England S greatest
sea lighter was once "a waiter;
Cromwell, relentless fee OF roy al
lyrants, farmer; Palric< Henry,
orator and patriot, a bartender;
Herschel, one OF the worlds g.eat-
est scientists. a fiddler; the i'm
mortal Dickens, Chore BOY in a
shoe backing factory and VERDI,
composer extraordinary, grocer's
erramL COY. Only the man who
is come up from the bottom.
understands the feelings OF these
belog and possesses those Keen
sympathies which make him the
natural and com nanding leader
Lincoln knew the masses as nc
other President ever knew them,
and his single desire was to serve
them usefully.
Modern politicians, covetous
for power, can profit by his
modest protest Oh departing
for Washington to assume the
Presidency that be was already
sick OF Office holding.
"Keep-the old sign on the
door" he said to William Herndon
his law partner for 10 years as
he lett his dingy little Office al
Springfield for the last lime. 81
live-tne general impression was
that he would be assaSInated-l' III
coming back some tine and then
we'll go right on practlclng law
as il nothing ever hdQJeded.
In republic governed with thu
consent OF the governed could there
be ANYTHING more intensely human
than this frank confession that
after all, his heart was with tn,
people at home, who knew that b
was not the monster his enemies
had pictured him. The bullet 0
the assassin J. Wilkes Booth put a.
end to all that was mortal of Lin
coin but his spirit still goes march
ing on, an inspiration and benedic
ton to the depressed and hopeless
of all nations. 1t is one of the com
pensations OF the truly great tina
the good in them is remembers
and that what seemed calamity t
those who did not understand ther
Is often in reality loon. Th
South thought the freeing of tn
slaves spelled its industrial an
economic rum; vet II produces IL
day cotton OF an annual value C
81, 900 900, 900 where it raised Blu
5000. 900 900 of that staple befor
the war.
In its effect on the status of tn
plantation worker, the emancipatio
"a the black man worked for tn
uplift of the whole human race
though Lincoln probably did nc
anticipate for it the time mole tina
domestic influence. That SLAYER
was a mistake and inspired vast
andsloth is now universally acknow
ledged. Not only in the South, Blu
IN the rice growing area Of China
the tea districts of India, the coffe
growing sectien of Brazil and tn
itch plantation rubber fields o