The Monroe journal., 1920-05-21

AAti tNh - NuAulAAuA. anu hut iIluuei
her children. Sarah and Abraham
with manners and feelings abOv
their humble station. But two year
alter the family's removal TO INDIAN,
she died. Lincoln never ceased q
sorrow for her early loss.
a year after her death his fathel
married former sweetheart. Saral
Bush Johnston, Kentucky widow
and brought her into the desolai,
home. Her coming was a gOdsend
She brought her own three children
with her and the TWO adults and five
children formed happy and united
i household. Soon after her arrival
The family were much improved n
appearance and behavior. as well as
IN self-respeci OF course there was
/ always plenty of hard work to be
done. and young Lincoln did his share
and more. He chopped timber and
split rails and hoed corn and pulled
f fodder along with the other BOYS
around him.
/ But thirst for learning as a
means OF rising in the world was born
I in him. Each day when his work
was ended. his studies became the
chief pleasure of his life. He read,
wrote and eiphered necessarily. His
yoracity for anything printed was in
satiable. He would sit in the twilight
and read a dictionary as long as he
could see. He would 20 TO the town
constable's cabin four miles and a
half away and devour-the Revised
Statutes of Indiana. He would sit by
the fire at night and cover the wooden
shovel he could not afford to waste
papcrl with essays and sums which
ne would shave on and begin again.
All sl5 schooling amounted 10 less
than a year. and the last OF il stopped
when he was fifteen.
II was while he was a clerk in
0nutt's store at New Salem that he
began to feel the need of some knowl-
edge OF English grammar and. hear
ing of a vagrant book on the subject,
he set of at once on a walk of :. elve
miles and. returning with the coveted
prize. devoted himself TO the new
study with his usual intensity of ap-
plication until he knew all that can
be known about it from rules. Think
of this great-spirited lad, battling
year after year against his evil star,
wasting his ingenuity upon devices
and make-shifts. his intelligence
starving for want of the simple means
of education which are now free TO
all Yet touching as the picture is,
there is something inspiring about Il
too: something which appeals 10 our
Americanism in this surmounting OF
obstacles and overcoming of diff
culties: and IL is with certain thrill
of pride in the achievement that We
read how when John Calhoun. the
surveyor OF Sangamon County, Of
fered young Lincoln book on the
principles of surveying and told him
that when he had mastered il he
should have employment. the youth
with steady self-reliance accepted the
offer and. armed with the book, went
out and by six weeks close applica-
ton made himself suryeyor-and
an excellent one.
1t must not be inferred that be-
cause of his noble rage for learning
he was in the least degree a book
worm. Ii at nineteen he could spell
down" the whole county in their
spelling matches. he could also
down" any man in the county at
wrestling bout. Already at this early
age he had gained his full height OF
six feet four inches. and his strength
was equally gigantic. He once pick
ed up and carried off chicken house
weighing six hundred pounds. On
another occasion of later date. at
Rutledge's mill, he lifted box or
stones weighing over half ton. Al
still another time, seeing some men
preparing a contrivance Tor llttlng
some large posts, he quickly shoul-
dered the posts and carried them
where they were wanted. He could
sink an AK deeper into wood than any
man | ever saw" said one of his old
employers. His strength, indeed. has
become a tradition that still endures
in Spencer county.
With power like this and bral.-
to direct Il. man was born leader
in that country and at that time. and
such Lincoln soon proved TO be. When
A company of volunteers for the
Black Hawk Indian War OF 1882 was
raised in New Salem. Abraham was
among those who enlisted at the first
tap of the drum. The question OF
the captaincy was always settled IN
those days by popular election, SO
when the company assembled on the
green and the point as TO who should
Sc their captain was raised. three
fourths of the men walked over 10
where Lincoln was standing. we
have his own word for II that no
subsequent success ever gave him
such unmixed pleasure as this earli-
est distinction.
In the brief campaign that followed
he was soon admitted to be the
strongest man in the army. HIS great
size was often the subject OF Jocose
One chilly morning he COM
planned of being cold.
mo wonder" retorted a faeetious
comrade, there's so much of you on
the ground"
His own appreciation Of his extra
ordinary length Of limb was once
shown in a speech he was making
when Clay and Polk were running
for the Presidency. II was at thel
in Jacksonville and Lin
coin was telling of the time when he
and John Strobe used TO haul goods
from Alton In the summer. One
night they went into camp at Jiasaw |
Il spread my blanket" said Lincoln I
- ......h,t o,4. apd ha added !