The Republican., 1935-02-14
The Life of Abraham Lincoln


Abraham Lincoln was born on Feb
ruary IL, 1909, on the frontier of
Kentucky. When he was seven years
old the family moved into Indiana.
They had been there only little while
when his mother died and was buried
in a plain box in the forest. 1t was
three months before they could get
preacher to preach the funeral SER
vice. His father married again and
his new mother did the best she could
for him.
When Abe was ten years old he
could do a mans work on farm and
could handle an axe. The little money
he earned was made by working out
for the neighbors at twenty-five cents
a day. One day he borrowed book on
"The Life of Washington" That night
he went to bed and left the book IN
the caves of the cabin. During the
night it rained and the rain came
through the cracks. The next morning
when he awoke he found the book
soaked. Finally he got courage enough
to go and tell the owner what had
happened. He made Abe work two
weeks as a chore boy to pay for the
book.
At night he had to study from the
light of the fire. He used the wooden
shovel to figure on and he usually
"stood up" the longest in a spelling
bee.
The only news he could get was to
90 to the nearest store where store
keeper took a newspaper. Once he
NTo,,- Will man who
was taking a boatload fittings down
the Mississippi. There he saw different
people who lived a different kind OF
life.
When Abraham was twenty-one his
father moved to Illinois. One of Abe's
friends planted a cedar tree in his
memory. This was the first of many
monuments erected in his memory. He
was with his family long enough to
build the house and fence. Then ne
started out in life for himself, sad
eyed boy, feet four inches tall, very
poorly dressed and not cent in the
world.
After a second trip to New Orleans
he became a clerk in a store. Yet ne
still spent all his spare time on books
He was determined to do something
worth while. Then he ran for a state
office but wasn't elected. There was
nothing else to do so he set up store
of his own, but went in debt so much
that it took him fifteen years to pay
for it. Once he found a set of books
on law in the bottom Oh an old barrel.
He then became a surveyor, which
was his last chance to earn a living.
After he had finished surveying he
ran for a state office and this time he
was elected. After he served his term
he decided to move to the state capital
and become lawyer. AS time went on
he was elected to Congress. He was
one of the least known Congressman
in Washington. After his term IN Of
fee ended, he went back to private life
in Illinois.
When the year 1860 arrived it was
time to choose another President. The
Republicans in Illinois took Lincoln
as their choice and he was also ac-
cepted by all of the Republican repre-
sentatives at a meeting in Chicago.
He was very little known only as
sneaker. The Southerners hated Lin
coin and the Republican party. They
declared that if Lincoln was elected
they would secede from the Union
and form a government of their own.
But when the votes were counted Lin
coin won and the South seeded. The
Government had fort at Charleston,
South Carolina and the South began
to fire upon it and destroy it. This
meant war and a mighty bad one. In
stantly the North raised troops. After
four years of hard battling the North
finally won.
About a week after the war was
over Lincoln and his wife went to
Ford's Theatre in Washington to see
a play. Right after the play an actor
who had worked hard for the South,
ran over to Lincoln and assassinated
him. The actor escaped across the
stage but they caugh him. Lincoln
was taken to a house across the
street. The next morning he died.
Lincoln established himself as one
of the two greatest Americans in the
memory of the people.
RTT Nv STFMPI Fl.