The Nezperce herald. (Nezperce, Idaho) 1900-1957, 1923-07-12
ABRAHAM LINCOLN.

wy Dy tne pas
Tor Rey, John A. Hoffman, last Sun
day evening in commemoration 90 r.
dependence day:
Few American pioneers were hor,
amid more humble surroundings ~,
little log cabin in which he eirst !,
the light of day had no floor, NO doo,
no windows 1t was covered w,+l,
I poles, grass and dirt. One wall was
protected only by two buffalo robes
which swayed in the wind. The he'd
was made of poles. Young Abe slept
under the roof. His bed was a sack
fllied with leaves. His father could
neither read nor write, and he was so
shiftless that the only crop he ever
tired to raise was corn. His incidence
was an outstanding characteristic.
When we think of Abraham IS humble
peglnmng, we are not surprised that
at ms death men canonized him and
mentioned him in the same breath
with the mangcr and stable in Bethlc-
hem 1t has been said that his early
prlyations were an indispensable
preparation for his great career. 1t
was nature S contribution to his life
that made him the first great typical
American. The log cabin, the corn
patch, the woodpile, the blue leans. 1
the rude beginnings in law were parr
and parcel of the spirit of the New
World. But when we have made full /.
allowance for natures contribution TO
Lincoln, we are still unable to aceoun,
for him on human grounds. We must
not forget the elements that stood in
the way of progress. 1t is common
law that the stream cannot rise higher
than its source. From this law there $
S said to be no exception. The cause
must be equal to the effect The J
grape can be no sweeter than the vine
rom which it grows. But Lincoln Is
IN exception to the common law
His honesty is proverbial. His
walk of four miles through the mud to
eimburse woman for an overcharge
f few cents when he was grocery II
Jerk is well known. He was post J
laster at Salem when the government 4
losed the post office. Two years la CT
er, when the government agent came e.
0 effect a final settlement, Lincoln Il
anded over to him the identical coins
to the credit of the govern r
tent, the amount being $2.79. His en- Il
rgy and honesty combined to make M
i'm one of the most princely men that Il
ny nation ever produced. No man %
IN malign him. He is held in such M
igh esteem the world over that no "
llogy can add one cubit to his fame. II
II that we can do is to pay our "
lmble tribute to his memory, which
lould inspire all true Americans to
Sc to his level in moral character.
o one needs to be told that Plato in
as the greatest thinker that Greece M
7er produced, or that Shakespeare ct
as the greatest poet of his age, per- VI
Ups of any age. For the same reason M
is needless to tell an American audi re
ICE that Lincoln stands in class by Tn
,aaalf ua ;s hold in such high es- lit
EN- that any book which tells the th
ory Of his life at once becomes q m'
best seller. . Any actor who can
proach fair impersonation of him
yer fails to appear before crowded
use. Any man who shows faint
semblance to him is The hero and FIR
ol Of his community. Ju
His wisdom has illuminated the
,rds of the wise. His phrases are ma
Deated wherever the English Ian Sc
age is spoken His political ideals all
> the current coin of all classes of th'
,n--the conservative, the radical,
E idealist. 1t is doubtful II even ga
men measure him according to has ld'
n height. His character cannot rel
md out in all its grandeur until the
It yestige of passion has died out. Gel
was the gift, not of the nation, eh'
I Of God, who ordained him from
owe as surely as he ordained Moses cal
d Elijah to become prophets OF eul
hteousness.
Lincoln lived in an age OF great 10
= Ii was the age of great soldiers cul
. Grant. Jackson, and Lee. 1t was eu1
ora Of great statesman like Web pal
r. Calhoun and Clay. 1t was an
) of great orators like Phlinps' re
echer, and Simpson. But Lincoln eul
vers above them all as a worldFflg
Great minds had in vain at fa,
onted to establish equality among !
n. In England Gladstone and Jonn ia
obt worked on the problem. In rat
,erica Clay, Calhoun, and Webster =
re wrestling with it. But the WIS, va'
of these great minds was unequal
the problem. What the greatest MA
tasman of Europe and America tne
led to accomplish Lincoln did. The Mr
re YOU contrast Lincoln with other we
ms the more striking becomes tne wa.