The Medina sentinel. [volume] (Medina, Ohio) 1888-1961, 1921-08-11

IndL evening tney udu u tatk ABOUT
the whisky business and its relation to
the character Of Eliphalet Biggs and
to sundry infractions Of law and order
in their community. Samson had de-
clared that 1t was wrong to sell
liquor.
"All that kind Of thing can be safe
ly left to the common sense Of our
people," said Abe. "The remedy is
education, not revolution. Slowly the
people will have to set down all the
items in the ledger of common sense
that passes from sire to son, By and
by some generation will strike bal
ance. That may not come in hun
dred years. Soon or late the major
ity Of the people will reach reckon
ing with John Barleycorn. If there's
too much against him they will act.
You might as well try to stop a gla-
cier by building a dam in front of 1t.
They have opened an account with
slavery, too. By and by they'll de-
eide its fate"
Such was his faith in the common
folk of America whose way of learn
ing and whose love of the right he
knew as no man has known it.
In this connection the New Eng
lander wrote in his diary:
"He has spent his boyhood in the
South and his young manhood In the
North. He has studied the East and
lived in the West. He is the people
I sometimes think-and about as slow
to make up his mind. As Isaiah says:
He does not judge after the sight Of
his eyes neither repfove after the hear
ing of his ears Abe has to think
about it."
In April Abe wrote another address
to the voters announcing that he was
again a candidate for a seat in the
legislature. Late that month Harry
walked with him to Pappsville where
crowd had assembled to attend a
public sale. At one place there were
men in the crowd who knew Harry's
record in the war. They called on
him for a speech. He spoke on the
need Of the means Of transportation
In Sangamon county with such insight
and dignity and convincing candor
that both Abe and the audience hailed
him as a coming man. Abe and he
were often seen together those days.
In New Salem they were called the
disappointed lovers. 1t was known
there that Abe was very fond Of Ann
Rutledge, although he had not, as yet,
openly confessed to any one-not even
to Ann-there being no show Of hope
for him. Ann was deeply in love with
John McNeil--the genial, handsome
and successful young Irishman. The
affair had reached the stage Of frank
! ness, of an open discussion Of plans,
Of fond affection expressing itself In
caresses quite Indifferent to ridicule.
For Ann it had been like warm sun
light on the growing rose. She was
neater in dress, l0velier In form and
(, color, more graceful in movement and
/ sweeter-voiced than ever she had been
It Is the old way that Nature has Of
! preparing the young to come out upon
the stage Of real life and to act In Its
moving scenes. Abe manfully gave
them his best wishes and when he
spoke Of Ann 1t was done very ten.
derly. The look Of sadness, which all
had noted in his moments Of abstrac.
tion, deepened and often covered his
face with its veil. That is another
way that Nature has Of preparing the
young. For these the roses have fallen
and only the thorns remain. They
are not lured; they seem to be driven
5, to their tasks, but for all, soon or
late, her method changes.
On beautiful morning Of June,
1884, John Mcneil left the village,
Abe Lincoln and Harry and Samson
and Sarah and Jack Kelso and his
wife stood with the Rutledges in the
dooryard Of the tavern when he rode
away. He was going back to his
home In the East to return in the au-
tumn and make Ann his bride. The
girl wept as If her heart would break