Milford chronicle., 1934-02-16
SCHOOLPROGRAM
HONORS LINCOLN

duu uOuc great uccuS, anu lhS
therefore have a double basis TO
their recognition. Any student G
Civil War times, must recognize tina
Lincoln fits in that small classified
tion, for he would be remembered b
his utterances if he had never ac
cOmplished anything, and, Oh tn
other hand, the manner in which h
administered the affairs of the ma
tion was sufficiently outstanding il
deeds that had he never said any
thing, what he did would be sufii
cient for recognition. Mr.. Lincoln
therefore, at once becomes rather al
interesting study.
Lincoln never had any education
from the modern standpoint; he
never owned a slate or slate pencil
as a pupil, or a lead pencil or d
piece of paper, but he would go tt
the fire for a piece of charcoal which
he would whittle to Il point for his
pencil, and then the fire shovel
would serve as his slate, or he would
go out and get a boarh shave ii
smooth, and ON that he would write
or figure. | can see this hoy now, as
he has been described as he was
fiat on his back on the iioOrless cab
in, with mis- head next to the fire
light-where the pine-knOt was bur
ming, studying under these incOnven-
lent circumstances. Yet there vas
the training that was ultimately to
develop one Of the most remal liable
figures of all history.
Ia 1851 he was in the foreground
of old SaMgaIlon County, aLd spoke
a. the poDTlGCe on slavery On that
occasion, he used this statement
Broken by it, /, too, may he; bow
to it, l never will" Three years la
ter, he was endorsed for the posi-
tiOn of Senator that was then Occu-
pied by Stephen A. Douglas; after
the endorsement. he was called to
the front of the platform, and he
made one of the finest political
short speeches up to that time in
our political history. 1t was in that
speech that Mr. Lincoln used this
expression: "A house divided against
itself cannot stand. ! believe that
this government cannot endure per-
mAnently-half slave and half free.
And he went on to argue the prOpo-
sition. Before he made that speech,
he showed it to one of his best
friends, and his friend said to him,
''Abe, you must not do it," Mr.. Lin
coin said, why not?" Why, it is
revolutionary; you are announcing
that the Government is not perpet-
ual, and you cannot make such
proposition as that and survive"
And Mr.. Lincoln simply said this:
II believe that it is right; in the
name of God, think it Isl if it is, !
will say it, no matter what the con-
sequences" And he said ii, That
was in 1858.
Later on. he came on with de-
bate with Douglas, several of them.
When Douglas submitted certain
questions to Mr.. Lincoln. Mr.. Lin
coin said, Il will answer them on
condition that you will agree to let
me ask you similar number of
questions, and you agree to answer
mine" When Douglas agreed to
that, he submitted his queries, Lin
coin answered them, and then Lin |
coin submitted his, and there was
one question which was to the effect |
of, whether the people of a territory
could, against the wish of any citi-
zen, prevent the institution of sla-
very in the territory. The friends of
Lincoln kept saying to him: Don't
press that question; if you do, you
never can be elected to the United
States Senate; Douglas will defeat
YOU" Mr.. Lincoln replied, douglas
may defeat me, but if he ever anSw-
ers that question Yes or No, he Will
never be elected President of the
United States, and | am after bigger
game" That did not mean that Mr..
Lincoln was after the Presidency,
for in 1S59-that is, a year laLer-a
friend had written to him to urge
him to take the Nice-Presidency, and
Mr.. Lincoln wrote back a very sin
cere letter saying, Il am not fit to
be Vice-President of the United
States;" so when Mr.. Lincoln made
that remarkable statement to his
friend, that Douglas would never be
made President and he was after
bigger game, he did not mean that
he was after the Presidency, but
that he was after Douglas, so that
Douglas would not be elected to the
Presidency.
Mr. Lincoln, in time, was nomi-
mated, and made trip from Illinois
through Indiana, Ohio, New York,
Trenton, and Philadelphia, enroute
to Washington. Speaking at Inde-
-, aIf,ln 10
referring to the Declaration of Inde-
pendence, he asked the question
whether upon that principle this
nation could long endure. He said,
'"If the nation can be saved upon
that principle, | shall be one of the
bappiest men in it; if it cannot, |
was about to say / would rather be
upon this spot than to
1t was on this trip, dur
ing which he made so many short ;
that he referred to the |
danger of war, and made a plea for {
the perpetuity of the union, and mis-
arguments were strong for the in {
iestructible union of the States; I
and as he approached nearer and ,
bearer to Washington. the strength $
1f that spirit grew and grew.
Mr.. Lincoln on the occasion of the |
dedication of the battlefield at Get [
.ysburg made what is called the |
greatest short speech ever delivered 7
n the English language: -Four
jcore and seven years ago, our ia 50
hers brought forth on this conti- c
lent new nation, conceived in lib L
.rfu and dedicated To the rrnnnsi- :,