The Glenwood post., 1922-04-27
Copyright, Irving Bacheller


the street together we came upon a
girl dressed up and crying in front
Of her fathers door.
"What's the matter?" Lincoln asked.
y want TO take the train and the
wagon hasn't come for my trunk" said
she.
Lincoln went i'll and got the trunk
and carried it to the station on his
back, with people laughing and throw
ing jokes at 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. His learn
Ing was now got mostly in the school
of experience. Herndon says, and l
think it 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 convention of its adherents
He 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 a 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 n thought to their able colleague
"a poor man struggling to build up
great newspaper. An office, with
fair pay, would have been a help In
those days. But he got no recognition
of his needs and talents and services.
Suddenly he wrote a letter to Weed
in which he said:
"The firm of Seward. Weed and
Greeley is hereby dissolved by the res
ignation of its junior member"
When Greeley had grown in power
and wisdom until his name was known
and honored from ocean to ocean, they
tried to make peace with him, but
in vain.
Then suddenly new party and q
new Lincoln were born on the same
day in 1856 at a great meeting in
Bloomington. Illinois. There his soul
was to come into its stateliest man
sion out OF its lower yauited past
For him the fulness of time had ar
rived. He was prepared for it. His
intellect had also reached the fulness
of its power. Now his great right
hand was ready for the thunderbolts
which his spirit had been slowly forg-
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 a 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 ! say of his words save that
1t seemed to me that the voice Of God
was in them? The reporters forgot
to report II is lost speech. There
is no record of it. ! suppose It was
scribbled with pencil on scraps of
paper and on the backs of envelopes
at sundry times. agreeably with his
habit, and committed to memory. So
thls great speech. called by some the
noblest effort of his life. was never
printed. I remember one sentence. re-
lating to the Nebraska bill.
LET us use ballots, not bullets
against the weapons OF violence, which
are those OF kingcraft. Their fruits
are the dying bed OF the fearless Sum
ner, the ruins Of the Free State hotel,
the smoking timbers of the Herald of
Freedom. the governor OF Kansas
chained to a stake like horse-thief."
In June, 1858. he took the longest
step of all. The Republican state con
vention had endorsed him for the Uni
ted States senate. 1t was then that
he wrote on envelopes and scraps
OF paper at odd moments, when his
mind was Off duty. the speech begin
ming.
"a house divided against itself must
fall. Our government can not long
endure part slave and part free"
was among the dozen friends to
whom he read that speech In the State
house library. One said Of those first
sentences: at is n fool uttcrance.
Another: at is ahead OF Its time"
Another declared that 1t would drive
away the Democrats who hnd lately
tnincti the party. Herndon and were