Evening journal., 1918-09-16
BY JUDGE r.. NJ. wANAMAKER.

Member Of the Supreme Court OF Ohio.
We think OF Lincoln as a logical law
yer. a persuasive orator. sound states
man. We think Of him as the Pres
ident of the United States. the liberia
tor OF a race. the savior OF our de-
mocracy.
We seldom think Of him as a stu
dent-and why2
BY habit and experience. we associate
students with schools. and schools with
students.
Lincolns entire time spent in school
was six months.
lie was a student all the Sc years
OF his life. Like Edison. he was his
own schoolmaster. his own pupil
What a teacherl What pupil What
resultsl
lie had a passion for knowledge, that
was always the controlling factor OF
his daily life. His limited opportunl-
ties to crafty that passion seemed only
10 intensity II. He early learned that
there was no royal road to learning"
and his own advice TO a law student
was Work, work, work"
Lincoln was not precocious. He was
not quick 10 learn" He was not a
er. He needed patient, persevering, sys-
tematio preparation.
Thanks TO an enterprising reporter.
we have in LincOin's own words his
mental chart and compass, by which
ne steered his student ship, so as 10
become the great thinker and great
leader OF his time.
That interview Is so Characteristic
Of Lincoln and so fundamental IN the
great essentials OF his mental life. that
I give it substantially in full:
We'll. as TO education. the news
papers are correct. I never went to
school more than six months in my
life. ] can say this: that among my
earliest recollections / remember how,
when a mere child, I used 70 get irri-
fated when anybody talked 10 me in
way that l could not understand. l
can remember going 10 my little bed
room. after hearing the neighbOrs talk
Of an evening with my father. and
spending no small part OF the night
trying 10 make out what was the exact
meaning OF some OF their. 10 me. dark
sayings.
4 could not sleep. although I tried
10. when l got on such a hunt for an
idea until I had caught 90; and when
] thought had got 10 I was not salts
fed until I had repeated it over and
over again, until ! had put It in Ian
cuage plain enough. as ! thought. for
any boy I knew 10 comprehend. This
was a kind OF passion with me, and
10 has stuck 30 me; for I am never easy
now. when ! am handling thought.
until / have bounded it north and
it south and bounded It east
and bounded it west
~3educing this interview to- its essen
tial elements. think It can be put in
the four following commandments TO
the student using Lincoln's own
words:
f. Hunted for an idea until l had |
caught t."
?. Repeated it over and over again. /
3. "Put It in language plain enough. !
as l thought. for any boy ! knew TO
comprehend"
4. Rounded it north and bounded
" south and bounded It east and
bounded It west"
Commandment 4 stands for the para
mount passion for knowledge. Every
student must have it to study dill
gently and effectively.
Commandment ? stands for repetition
until you get assimilation OF knowl-
edge. Assimilation Of knowledge. and /
knowledge that is not usable is onlv |
so much intellectual junk.
Commandment 3 stands for simple. |
short, Straightforward speech.
Where did Lincoln get his language.
his simple, strong speech? From fhe
Bible, Bunyon's Pilgrims Progress"
Aesop's Fables. "Defoe's Robinson Cru
soc the Declaration Of Independence.
Blackstone, and last. but not least. the
dictionary that he used and studied
continuously. These gave him his
models or types Of that exact and ele-
CANT English, in which even the worlds
scholars recognize him as the unriv-
aled master
The Gettysburg address. which went
through four manuscripts. furnishes
the best example OF Lincoln's pure,
plain and powerful English 1t con-
fains but ten sentences, but 267 words.
100 Of them are words Of one syllable
and the remaining 81 are familiar at
every flreside.
My experience as a Judge has de-
munstra'ed that at least 70 per cen.