The Monroe journal., 1920-05-21

lleu up IN MS Slnslt person all the
qualities that go TO the making of a
new type. For time. as he loomed
larger and larger in the foreground
of history. neither this country nor
the world in general recognized that
fact. War is a relentless obscurer of
popular insight.
Great captains, with their guns and
drums,
Disturb our judgment for the hour,
But at last silence comes;
These all are gone, and. standing
like a tower,
Do We behold his fame:
The kindly earnest, brave. fore
seeing man.
Sagacious. patient, dreading praise,
not blame.
New birth of our new soil, the
first American"
That is the aspect which he is here
presented TO YOU, that of the first
American"- the first man distinctly
OF our race, born on American soil,
bred from the cradle under American
institutions, who rose from the rude
conditions of the humblest American
life to be the embodiment of the high
est aspirations. the realization OF the
loftiest national ideals of his fellow
countrymen - American In his vir-
tues, American in his imperfections,
and superlatively American in all that
went to make him great.
His early career Is a story of hum
BILE origin and homely struggle. He
was indeed, as Lowell says. the new
birth of a new soil. His grandfather
was a pioneer and was killed by the
Indians: his father was carpenter
and could neither read nor write: he
himself was born in an old. tumble
down log cabin in Hardin tnow called
Larus County, near Hodgenville,
Kentucky. in the early morning oil
the twelfth of February. one hundred
and eleven years ago.
Lincoln's cousin. Dennis Hanks,
once told the story of that momen-
tous birth in his customary homely
language. TON and Nancy" ne
said, referring TO Lincoln's father
and mother, Lived on farm about
two miles from us when Abe was
born. | ricollect Tom comm over to
our house one cold morning in Feb'u-
airy an sayin' kind o. slow: Nancy's
got baby boy Mother got ilustered
an hurried up her work to go over
10 look after the little feller. but |
didn't have nothin' to wait fur, so
cut an run the-hull two mile to see
my new cousin. You bet was tickled!
Babies wasn't as common as black
berries in the woods o. kaintucky.
Mother come over an washed him an
put n yaller flannel petticoat on him,
an cooked some dried berries with
wild honey fur Nancy, an slicked
things up an went home. An that's
all the nuss'n either of 'em got"
Such were the times-rough ana
rude. The country was savage un-
peopled wilderness. There were prac-
tically no schools; there was little
public worship; post offices were Few
and far between; books were rare;
were seldom seen; ana
the only intellectual and spiritual
stimulus attainable came from the ir-
regular visits of so-called teachers
who, as Lincoln wrote in after years.
knew nothing beyond readin'. writ
in. and cypherin' to the Rule OF
rhree") the occasional stump speech
,f a candidate for office, and the more
frequent sermon of some itinerant
preacher. earnest and fervid, but un-
and crude.
Even the slight advantages that
might have been derived from a set
led location were denied Lincoln, for
he was taken at the age OF seven
from the rude Kentucky neighbor-
hood where he was born in 1909 into
he still ruder wilderness OF Indiana
and later into the as yet primeval
'orests of Central Illinois. Once ne
lived with the family for a whole
fear In what was known as "a halt-
'aced camp"-that Is, merely shed
" poles. closed in on three sides from
he weather. but open to its inclem-
ancy on the fourth side. In briet'
lis origin and surroundings were ike
hose of thousands of other Amerl-
ans who were then growing up TO
,e the Drawn and brains of the great I
West
Equally typical was his education
or rather lack of it--and the per-
istence with which he overcame the
deficiency. Just how and when he
itarted to do so we do not know.
Hardly anything. indeed, is known
# his early childhood. "He lived,
We are told, "a solitary life In the
woods. returning from his lonesome
little games TO his cheerless home
nd climbing at night to his bed OF
caves in the loft bv radder OF
wooden pins driven into the logs.
ie himself never talked of these davs
ven TO his most intimate friends. h"'
here Is no question that thev left
heir lasting imnress upon the great
nirthful. melancholv ~'"~
From .---a n',o--nt teachers he /
~Nrr~i his alphabet "and little
'ore." and fortunately his mother.
Iancy Hanks Lincoln. could help him
Il