The Western news. [volume] (Libby, Mont.) 1933-current, 1935-02-07

9SSYo0N years old, but 1t Is doubtful II ne
naId much attention to- the ami
versary Nor Is 1t likely that his fellow-legls-
lators, If indeed they knew about 1t, took the
trouble to congratulate him and wish hlm many
happy returns Of the day. For he Waa-jhsl III
obscure member OF the lever house from Sanga-
mon county.
He had been an honest but unsuccessful store
keeper In the little hamlet OF New Salem and a
cantain OF volunteers In the Black Hawk war.
But he had won no particular distinction In that
upimportant conflict nor had his brief military
career helped him much politically An nnsuc-
cessfnl candidate for the legislature In the au-
tumn Of 1892 he had split rails and done various
other odd Jobs to make living while studying
law by himself. Chosen postmaster OF New Sa-
lem he had been successful In his second attempt
to win seat in the general assembly. but DUR
Ing the session coming to close ne had
done nothing to single him out among his TEL
lows as conner"
They knew him as droll fellow who could ser
ernnn Off into gale OF laughter with one OF
his funny stories, told In his hlgh-pltched, sing
song nasal voice Yes. Abe Lincoln was good
company but there was reason to believe
that he would ever become famous. So the fact
that February II was his birthday didn't mean
a thing to the men who sat beside him In room
jE the little two-story brick building In van
dalla-the capital OF the sovereign state OF ILL
nots. II they could have looked into the future
and seen how that date was observed In every
part OF the United States, how their eyes would
have bulged with surprise Can't you hear them
exclaimng. I'm honor OF Abe Lincon2 Why.
faint possible. no-howl'!
so the celebration OF Lincoln's birthday
hundred years ago was no celebration at all. Tor
the very good reason that no one, not even the
q
hut 1t Is worthy of remembrance for the reason
that his bographer, Albert J. Beveridge, has
pointed ont In this paragraph from his Abraham
Lincoln, 1900 1872 (Houghton Mlflin company.
"Flnay by the dim light Of candles, the gen.
eral assembly finished Its work and. sometime
before midnight, February H. 1885, adjourned
sine die His first legislative experience thus
ended Lincoln went back to New Salem ana
again took up his surveying and handling OF the
scanty mail The sum OF his sotaHrn In VAN
dalla had been the making OF friends, lessons
In legislative procedure and manipulation, ana
the acquiring OF basic procedure and consitu-
tional principles. He had heard great questions
discussed by able and Informed men. He had
met cultivated women. too and In short had
visited a new world. Small wonder that, when
he reached New Salem, he plunged into stuuy
with such abandon that his health suffered ana
his friends thought him mentally affected Hence
forth the logcabn hamlet on the Snnramon
held little or nothing that was attractive to the
aspiring young Lincoln.
So perhaps II is not too much to say that the
greatness that TO be Abraham Lincolns
dates from that February day, hundred years
ago when he turned his back on the scene OF
his first appearance on the stage OF public af-
fairs Neither the scene nor his appearance upon
It were especially impressive. Ieverdge has
writes:
.upon the west bluff OF the Kaskaskia river,
sixty feet above high water. stood In 1884, per-
haps hundred buildings All bit two were OF
wood some OF them frame structures, but most
of them log cabins. A little frame Presbyterian
church house, without steenle nestled on
side street while still smaller building served
for all other religious denominations as well as
for school purposes and public gatherings
Five or six of the bigger houses were taverna
or boarding places two Of them would accommo-
date thirty ar forty persons though they were
not entirely finished
about eight hundred people, Including chill
dren, lived in the town. and thu adjacent country
was scantlly settled; but marriages were fire.
uuent For the most part the surrounding lane
was heavily tlmbered but to the north and ives
rolling nrairies stretched Into the horizon. Tit
river bottoms were covered thickly with grea
trees vines and all manner OF rank vegetation
and from this valley came at the seasonab
time clouds OF mosquitoes
"The streets of the village were eighty fee
In width, deep with mud or dust, according t
the weather There were no sidewalks. Two mai
roads ran through the place. one the Nationa
road scarcely opened as yet In this section
from Washington seven hundred and eighty on
miles distant to St Louis elghty-two miles t
the southwest. Malls from Philadelphia an
other eastern cities were between two and tire
weeks on the way.