Emmons County record. [volume] (Williamsport, D.T. [i.e. N.D.]) 1884-current, 1922-01-05
liz. r,,ce long after this suit has been

On the whole he was not so conf
municative as he had been in his young
manhood. He suffered days Of depres-
sion when he said little. Often. In
good company, he seemed to be think
ing of things in no way connected
with the talk. Mary called him q
rather "shut-mouthed man."
Herndon used to say that the only
thing lie had against Lincoln was his
habit Of coming in mornings ana
sprawling on the lounge and reading
aloud from the newspaper. .a.
The people of the town loved him.
One day, as we were walking along
the street together, we came upon
girl dressed up and crying In front
of her fathers door.
whats the matter?" Lincoln asked.
II want to take the train and the
wagon hasn't come for my trunk" said
She
Lincoln went in and got the trunk
and carried it to the station on his
back, with people laughing and throw
ing jokes ut him as he strobe along.
When think of him, his chivalry and
kindness come first to mind.
He read much, but his days of book
study were nearly ended. Ills learn
ing was now got mostly in the school
of experience. HerndOn says, and
think 1t is true, that he never read
to the end Of law book those days.
The study of authorities was left to
the Junior partner. His reading was
mostly outside the law. His knowl-
edge of science was derived from
Chambers Vestiges Of the Natural
History OF Creation.
He was still afraid Of the Abolition
Movement in 1852 and left town to
avoid a convention of Its adherents.
lie thought the effort to resist BY
force the laws of Kansas was criminal
and would hurt the cause Of freedom.
LET us have peace and revolutionize
through the ballot box" he urged.
In 1854, little quarrel in New York
began to weave the thread of destiny.
Seward, Weed and Greeley had welded
decisive power In the party councils
Of that state. Seward was high
headed, popular idol. His plans and
his triumphant progress absorbed his
thought. Weed was dazzled by the
splendor Of this great star. Neither
gave thought to their able colleague
"a poor man struggling to build up
a great newspaper. An Office, with
fair pay, would have been help in
those days. But he got no recognition
If his needs and talents and services.
Suddenly he wrote letter to Weed
In which he said:
1.-THE firm of Seward. Weed and
Greeley is hereby dissolved by the res
tgnation of its Junior member"
Then suddenly a new party and
new Lincoln were born on the same
| day in 1856, at great meeting in
Bloomington, Illinois. There his soul
was to come into its stateliest man
sion out Of Its lower vaulted past.
For him the fulness Of time had ar
rived. He was prepared for it. His
intellect had also reached the fitness
Of Its power. Now his great right
hand was ready for the thunderbolts
which his spirit had been slowly forg-
Ing. God called him in the voices Of
the crowd. He was quick to answer.
He went up the steps to the platform.
I saw, as he came forward. that he
had taken the cross upon him. Oh,
It was memorable thing to see the
smothered flame of his spirit leaping
into his face. His hands were on his
hips. He seemed to grow taller as he
advanced. The look of him reminds
me now Of what the famous bronze
founder in Paris said of the DEATH
mask, that 1t was the most beautiful
head and face he had ever seen. What
shall I say of his words save that
1t seemed to me that the voice OF God
was in them? The reporters forgot
to report. 1t is lost speech. There
is no record of it. l suppose it was
scrubbed with a pencil on scraps of
paper and on the backs of envelopes
at sundry times, agreeably with his
habit, and committed to memory. So
this great speech, called BY some the
noblest effort Of his life. was never
printed. 1 remember one sentence. re-
lating to the Nebraska bill. 5..
Let US use ballots, not bullets.
against the weapons Of violence, which
are those Of kinscraft. Their fruits
orn5 inc S1vlne, knS3 ~ %h.> %. 49,. Co.