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

d obtain this four-volume work and
xsChitty on Contracts" which the ac-
kommodating lawyer had also recon-
&nended. a. well as grammar.
And the method OF reading whicn
had stood him in such good stead In
regard to the other books he now pur-
1ued with these. And stiil later he en-
riched hts ever e expanding mind In
the same manner with the poetry OK
Burns and, above all. OF Shakespeare.
'Hamlet" became his especial FAVOR
tie.
out, In 1889. Lincoln. then twenty
three, had just begun to plan cam
paign to get himself into the Illinois
legislature. He had by that time seen
a good deal Of the world" In the way
OF two eventfal trips by river on a
feet four and yeritable Hercules in
strength. he was easily the leader
among the sturdy backwoodsmen of
the younger generation In his section
Of Illinois. Therefore. when Black
Hawk, the old chief Of. the Sac In
dams, led 500 mounted warriors
Across the Mississippi. in defiance OF
his solemn agreement. the friends OF
Lincoln chose him their captain: and
so, instead Of laying down laws, he
took up arms in behalf of his constit-
ilents. The only qualifications which
cred necessary were his popularity
and good nature.
Years afterward, when he spoke OF
this period. he said: "Onee, when /
was crossing a Geld with a front of
twenty men i could not for the life
OF me remember the proper word of
Command for getting my company
endwise In order to pass through a
gate. So when we came near the
opening in The fence I shouted: This
company is dismissed for two minutes
when ii viii fall In again on the
other side of the fence"
Often Lincoln had distinguished
himself in feats of strength. once by
throwing a brutal bully twelve feet,
thereby reducing gang of ruff1ans.
of whom the bully Was leader, to
sense OF order and civiilty. And now
again in camp. during the spring and
summer of 1882, the Ianky young cap
tain won iaurels as a wrestler. The
Champion wrestler of southern Illl-
nois challenged him. and Lincoln,
who had been used to tote aroAnd
loads OF half a ton, now, found It
champion fat upon his back upon the
turf.
Once the know nothings" tried to
interest him In their brand OF Amer
lcanlsm. In letter to a very dear
friend. Joshua F. Speed, in August.
You inquire where now stand.
That is a disputed point, l think I
am whig. hut others say there are
no wings. and that / am an aboli-
Zionist. When 1 was at Washington
voted for the Wilmot proviso
good as forty times. and I never
heard Of any one attempting to I'M
whfg me for that. / now do no more
than oppose the extension OF slavery.
i am not a know nothing-that Is
certain. How could I be? How can
any one who abbors the oppression
OF negroes be in favor of degrading
classes of white people? Our progress
In degeneracy appears to me to be
pretty rapid. AS a nation we began
by declaring that all men are created
equal. We now practically read it.
ALI men are created equal except
negroes When the know nothings
get control 1t will read. all men are
created equal except negroes and for
eigners and Catholics When IL
comes to this shall prefer emigrat
ing to some other country where they
make no pretense of loving liberty"
Lincoln, In 1894. had been elected .
at New Salem as a boarder in the loi
tavern OF James Rutledge. His hos
had nine children. of whom Anne wa
one OF the bellies of the town. Sh
was a rosy checked. beautiful gir
and had innumerable admirers. Blu
Of all these none was 50 deeply. 81
nIadiy In love as the young legisla
tor, Lincoln. And she reciprocateC
the fame. In August, 1885, ANN
Contracted cold and soon she wa
so i'll that hope of recovery wa,
abandoned. Alone with her, Will,
the angel OF death was hoverin,
near. Lincoln was overwhelmed will
sorrow, and when his beloved hat
breathed her last he came forth from
that chamber of death an utterl.
changed man. He was plunged int
a melancholia which. as he afterwar,
said, made him so distrustful of him