Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-02-09

read them herself, but she reVereuced
learning.
She encouraged Abe to study and read.
His father thought it was all waSteful
nonsense. Abe had to struggle with his
father for the privilege and pleasure of
reading.
Making researches recently for q de-
tailed study of Lincolns formative years,
I found that in these years young Abe
had had access to not more than a dozen
books. Robinson Crusoe,' "Aesop'S
Fables" Pilgrims Progress" "The Ken
lucky Preceptor,' "Sinbad the Sailor"
Grimshaw'S History of the United
States" SCOTS Lessons in Elocution,"
Weem's Life of Washington" and Life
of Marion and, of course, the Bible were
among these.
He knew his Pilgrims Progress" SO
well that he used to tease his Grand
mother Hanks by interpolating whole
passages from Bunyan while reading her
Bible to her The old lady got onto his
trick after a while ABE, I've hearu
the Bible read a many times in my life,
but 1 never yet hearn them things in it,"
TT was when he got hold of SCOTS
Lessons in Elocution" that young
Lincoln'S habit of memorizing served him
best. In that book were many selections
from classic observation-disclosures the
Greek orators Caesar, Cicero, Chatham.
He learned them all by heart
Marc Antony's grafton, Hamlet's 30
liloquy, Henry v at Agincourt, Cicero's
denunciation of Catalina Demosthenes'
ON the Crown" all these grand old ut
terances were woven into the texture OF
Lincoln's youthful mind. - -.
To- L. -
self Grating" making speeches from tree
stumps and fence posts to delighted COM
panionS. His father gave him q sound
cufing for that one day The potatoes
had to be hoed. No time for speechesI
Is it any wonder that, when the time
came. Lincoln could himself give the
world masterpieces of oratory, Of thought
and diction? That he took his own place
among the immortalS with the Gettys-
burg speech?
At 81, with the texture OF his mind
strengthened and frightened by the fine
drawn threads OF such reading and MEM
orizing and thinking as this, is it any
wonder that he was ambitious?
The struggle that he had to make
agaicst the odds Of meager opportunity
and paternal disfavor to get this reading
and enjoy 1t only increased the vigor OF
his mentality and the ardor of his an
bition.
Yet. with all his passion for reading,
young Lincoln at 81 was anything but a
bOokwOrm. He didn't have a paper mind.
He had the healthy normal mind OF q
growing youth. He did not always study
while others played.
Because he, too, could play, and beat
every one else at play, he was the most
admired and most popular young fellow
In the whole country.
He was admired for his book learn
Ing. But he was also admired because
he was f1rst-rate fighter and q gOr-
geous wrestler.
GoOD-NATURED, he was not quarrel
some. He never sought a fight in
his life. The greatest Of all the fights of
his life, the Civil War, was not sought
by him.
But when the occasion came how he
could fight! When there was some one
else to be defended, what a fighter he
was! When William GrigSby was beat
ing up Abe's stepbrother, John d. john
Ston. one day in the Spring of 1929, Abe
broke through the crowd, pulled GrigSby
of. thrashed him soundly and threw him
10 feet into the road
strong arms to toss an opponent, like q
of wheat, through the air. At wood cut-
he could sink an ak deeper into tree than
man in Indiana. But it was not often that
ought.
resting was the favorite paStime of his
and he was the champion of the whole
try roundabout. Many the cheer he goo
hat.
long legs were good match for his long
. He could outrun any one in five coun-
He could outSwim any one, for the same
strong legs and long, strong arms.
t he was awkward at dancing, and many
the laughs he raised at parties when he
ID through q Virginia reel with those
y shanks and that long back bending
.lessly. his big hands reaching for the
Ing girls.
husking bees and barn raisings he was
the center Of fun. He was always "help-
round" watching babies for busy mothers