The citizen. [volume] (Berea, Ky.) 1899-1958, 1921-12-01


and the heat that surrounded II were
the talk Of the town. Many came
to witness the process and presently
n was moved. for n time, TO more
accommodating quarters. BEFORE q
crowd Of people In the Presbyterian
church, Lincoln. Logan, Baker and
Browning for the Wings, and Douglas
Calhoun. Lamborn and Thomas for
the Democrats having asslduously
prepared for the trial, debated the
burning issues OF the time. The effort
Of each filed an evening and Lincolns
speech gave him new hope Of himself.
dence IN his future. lie had taken
the style Of Webster for his model
He no longer used the broad humor
which had characterized his efforts on
the stump. A study If the best
speeches ~ the great New Englander
had made him question It's value In
a public address. Dignity. clear rea-
soning and impresSycncss were the
chief aims Of his new method. the lat
ter Of which Is aptly Illustrated by
this passage from his speech In reply
10 Douglas in the debate mentioned:
III ever feel the soul within me
elevate and expand to those dimen-
sions not wholly unworthy Of its Al
mighty Architect, II Is when | con
template the cause Of my country de
serted by all the world besides. and
I standing up boldly and alone and
hurting defiance M her victorious op-
pressors. Here without contemplating
consequences before high heaven and
In the face Of the world | swear eter-
nal fidelity to the Just cause, as I
liberty and my love"
In these perfervid utterances one
may find little TO admire save great
spirit seeking to express Itself and
lacking ms yet the refinement OF taste
equal to his undertaking. He was
no heaven born genius sprung in full
panoply from the head Of Jove." lie
was just one ~ the slow, common
folk. with passion for justice and
human rights, slowly feeling his way
upward His spirit was growing.
Strong In It's low. and knowledge Of
common men and OF the things neces-
sary to their welfare. II was beginning
to seek and know "the divine power
Of words" Every moment Of leisure
he gave to the study Of Webster and
hal a
Burns He had begun TO study the
art OF Irving and Walter Scott and OF
a new writer Of the name OF Dickens.
There were four men who slept with
him in the room above Speeds store,
and one OF them has told how he used
to lie sprawled on the floor, with his
pillow and candle, reading long after
the others had gone to sleep. Samson
writes that he never knew a man who
understood the art Of using minutes as
he did. A detached minute was To
him thing To be filled with value.
Yet there were few men so deeply In
love with fun. lie loved to laugh AT
storytelling and 10 match his hui
NOR with Thompson Campbell-a ia
nous racOnteur-and TO play with
children. Fun was as necessary to
him as sleep. He searched for II In
people and in books.
He came often to Samson's house
10 play with mfr. Nimble" and To talk
with Joe. Some OF his best thoughts
came when he was talking with Joe
and some OF his merriest moments
when he was playing with MIR. MIN
BILE" He confessed that II was the
latter that reminded him that he had
better be looking for a wife.
But Lincoln was only one OF many
remarkable personalities In Springfield
who had discovered themselves and
were seeking to he discovered. sun
dry individuals were lifting their heads
above the crowd hut not with the
modesty and selfdlstrust of Honest
Abe. Steve" Douglas. whom Samson
had referred to ms that little rooster
OF man." put on the stills or brave
and ponderous vigor. His fiye-foot
stature and his hundred pounds OF
weight did not 1T the part Of Achilles.
But he would have no other. He Illus
tered much with spear too heavy for
his hands Lincoln used TO call him
a kind Of pOpgun.
This free for-all joust OF individual
ism-one of the first fruits OF freedom
in the west-gave to the life OF the lit
tie village rich flavor OF comedy.
The great talents Of Douglas had not
been developed. His character was as
vet shifty and shapeless. Some OF
the leading citizens openly distrusted
him. Lincoln never liked this little
man. in opposing whom he was to
come 10 the fulness OF his power on
the platform. II is evident that LIN
coin regarded him as an able advocate
OF small sincerity looking chiefly for
personal Advancement.
There is passage In the diary
which illustrates the character of Dou-
glas and Lincoln's knowledge OF II.
The passage relates TO day in the
famous debates OF 1853. Lincoln had
La, IN haar