Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1919-02-09

shall have borne the battle and for
his widow and his orphans, to do all
which may achieve and cherish just
and lasting peace among ourselves
with all nations"
Many have asked the question how
one who had received no more
schooling than could he crowded into
less than year could attain to such
high excellence in oratory and litera-
ture
He needed no teacher other than
the inspiring light of his own genius,
which showed him how to make the
most fruitful usa of whatever books
chance brought to his hand. His
mother, Nancy Hanks, woman Of
far higher intellectually than is or
dinarily found in the lowly sphere
in which the Lincoln family moved.
taught him to form the letters of the
alphabet Much beyond this her store
of learning did not GO but it sufficed
in Abraham's case to unlock to him
the treasures of the Bible, Aesop's
Fables Robinson Crusoe, Pilgrims
Progress, History of the United
States and Weems' Life of Washing
ton
Il X
His first reading of these volumes
was prompted by curiosity to know
the stories" they contained. They
so impressed young Abraham's mind
that he wanted to tell the whole
world about the Interesting things he
had discovered" He found 1t hard
to express himself in as interesting a
manner as the authors had expressed
themselves to him; so he went at the
books again and again, rereading
them until he had well-nigh commit
ted them to memory.
Not only that; like the ancient
Greek Demosthenes. the greatest of
all orators, who transcribed Thucy-
dides' many volumed history, Lin
coin. too transcribed great deal OF
what he read. Judging from results
1t will not be amiss. for the benefit of
ambitious youngsters of today, to out
line just about how this young en-
bryonic President proceeded in his
self-imposed task of garnering the
wealth of thought which he found in
the books.
He would read parag graph. then
think il over and. after having mas
tered the ideas contained in it. he
would write down these ideas in his
own words. Then he would go on to
the next paragraph and repeat this
operation, and so on and on. until he
felt he had done enough mental har-
vesting for the day.
Many word which the boy en-
countered in his readings was. OF
course. unnteligible to him He had
no unabridged dictionary in those
early years of his life to aid him ia
getting at their meaning, their deri-
walton or their pronunciation. and so
he was left to get, from the context,
such meaning of these words as com
mon sense" suggested. But. is the
correct usage of words in the writ
ngs of his mature years is any cri-
terion he must have done what other
great minus nave uput anu WIZ tNNE
continue to do in such a contingency.
namely, jottcd down upon a piece or
paper every word of unfamiliar im-
port and either looked up its defni-
ton as soon as opportunity offered,
or else asked somebody qualified to
know to tell him its meaning. And as
soon thereafter as possible he would
use these words either in his con-
yersation or writing.
s.
Nancy Hanks Lincoln died in 1918,
when Abraham was nine years old.
A year or SO later his father. Thomas
Lincoln, married again. this time
widow. Mrs. Sally Bush Johnston.
who had been his fame before he had
met Nancy Hanks. Fortunately, the
stepmother proved TO be kindhearted
and mothcriy, ana 1t was her insist
once which obtained from her utterly
ilitcrate husband permission for his
young son to indulge the fondncss for
reading. The elder Lincoln regarded
every minute spent over books
waste Of time. and until his new