Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1914-02-11
LIFE HISTORY OF
GREAT. PRESIDENT
Lincoln's Career Can Not Be Too
AttentiveIy Studied by the
Youth of America.

all peoples. was born in
Hardin couEty, Kentucky, on Febru-
airy II. 1909, a descendant of Samuel
Lincoln of Norwich, England. aud the
son of Thomas Lincoln. an. unedu-
Gated and thriftless carpenter, who
had married Nancy Hanks. Few books
came within his way in boyhood, but
he had access to the Bible, shake
speare, "Aesops Fables" Robinson
Crusoe," Pilgrims Progress" and a
history of the United states and
Weems Washington. the reading and
re-reading of which laid me founda-
ton of that mastery OF idiomatic Eng
lish which he was to show so often in
later life.
At the age of twenty-0ne he accom-
panied his father TO Illinois, and there
won reputation as a railspIitter by
helping to clear and plant some 10
acres of land. In 1881 he made ac-
quaintance with slavery in a trip to
New Orleans, renewing the expert
ence ten years afterward.
After slight service as volunteer,
Lincoln settled at New Salem, enter
ed for while into politics, tried his
/ fortunes in dry goods and grocery
store, and finally settled down to the
/ study of law. In May. 1888, he was
appointed to postmastership of New
! Salem, and held the position for three
years.
Elected to the legislature as Wing
in 1884, Lincoln was sent to congress
in 1916, from which date began his
public campaign against slavery and
his oratorical contest with his rival,
I Stephen A. Douglas. On July 1, 1862.
he delivered his eulogy on Henry
Clay. and in October, 1854. spoke pow
erfully against the extension of slav-
! cry into the territories. Lincoln, aft.
er being again returned to the leg
islature, was on June Il. 1856, named
for vice-president at the Republican
nominating convention in Philadel-
phia. Then followed his challenge to
| the seve1 famous debates with Doug
las, ami in May, 1860, his nomination
as candidate for president at the Re-
publican national convention in Chi.
6ago.
The pla form adopted while de-
manding that slavery be forbidden
in the territories, denied the right of
congress to Interfere with slavery in
the states, The south now prepared
| for secession. Lincoln, elected to the
presidency, denied in his inaugural
| the right of any state or number of
| .N, -, 10 T,so
/ ply of the Confederate government
was General Beauregards lombard
ment of Fort Sumter The president
at once called out $4,000 volunteers,
| and the war for the Union was on.
The history of the conflict was thence
forward part of Lineoln's own polit-
| ical history until his death by the
hand OF an assassin on April Ia,
1865.
The martyr president, says Ward
! Lamon, in his life Of Abraham Linz
coin. was six feet four inches high,
| the length of his legs being out Of
| all proportion to that of his body.
! When he sat on chair he seemed to
taller than an average man, measur-
/ ing from the chair to the crown OF
/ his head; but his knees rose high in
front He weighed about $50 pounds.
| but was thin through the breast, mar.
| row across the shoulders, and had
| the general appearance of a consump-
tive subject. Standing up. he stoop-
ed slightly forward; sitting down. he
usually crossed his long legs or threw
them over the arms OF the chair. His
head was long and tall from the base
of the brain and the eyebrows; his
| forehead high and narrow, inclining
| backward as it rose
| His ears were large and stood out;
eyebrows were heavy. jutting forward
over small suuken blue eyes; nose
long. large and blunt; chin projecting
far and sharp, curved upward TO meet
a thick lower lip. which hung down.
ward: cheeks fabby. the loose skin
falling in folds; mole on one cheek
and an uncommonly prominent Ad-
| ans apple In his throat. His hair
| was dark brown, stiff and unkempt;
complexion dark, skin yellow. shrtv-
eled and leathery.
Every feature of the mantle hoi-
low eyes, with the dark rings be-
meath; the long, sallow, cadayerous
face. intersected by those peculiar
deep lines; his whole air, his walk,
his long and silent reyeries, broken
at intervals by sudden and startling
EXPLANATIONS, as II to confound an
observer who might suspect the ma.
tire of his thoughts-showed that he
was man Of sorrows not of today or
or yesterday, but long treasured and
deep. bearing with him continual
sense OF WEAKNESS and pain
Lincoln was nevertheless fond OF
fun and tested frequently He could
tell as well as enjoy a good story.
His aptness at repartee made him for
midable In debate, he used this pow
er both in the court room and on
the public platform. The native gen.
crosby and klndliness Of heart which
enabled him to sympathize with the
slave were never more in evidence
than when he call for severity came
to him in the trying moments OF tas
Civil war