Imperial Valley press., 1937-02-07
Abraham Lincoln Great Heart Great American
Ex-President'S S Life An
Inspiration to All Men

AtOI1Ra ABtAOkH ~ iii IfACAR
THE LIFE STORY of Abraham Lin.
L coin is told in many lands like
favorite Bible story. His career is as fa-
miliar among the nations as that of his
ancient prototype, Moses. No mans life
in all the history of the world shines out
with so many story gems as the everyday
life of the "Great Emancipator.' No Incl
dent in which he figured, even during the
barren days of his boyhood, was too
homely or too trivial to be invested with
the quaint charm of his striking person
ality. The Lincoln Story" has its own or.
iginal flavor-easy to enjoy, yet impos-
sible to describe.
Lincoln's wonderful career abounds in
the strong contrasts which are now radiant
in reflected light from the White House.
Other presidents began their lives in
humble log cabins, but the fact is not uni
versally known. While it is true that Lin
coin suffered many privations, the ac-
counts of his extreme poverty have been
exaggerated by political friends and foes.
His enemies tried to make out that the
Lincoln family belonged to the weak and
lazy class known in the South as poor
white trash" They even attempted to cast
a stigma upon his birth. But Abraham
Lincoln was descended on both sides from
long lines of honest, thrifty and respected
English and American ancestors, of whom
his immediate family, with the true
pioneers indifference to pedigree, knew
little and cared less. The poverty in which
Lincoln grew up was like that of most of
the early settlers of the western wilds in
which he lived. Even the wealthier pio-
neers endured greater hardships than the
poorest laborers in the United States of
the present day.
Lincoln's life was stepped in pathos.
Long before his assassination, he showed
the true martyr spirit. The humor which
people saw in him was like the rare com.
edy that relieves the majestic tragedies of
Shakespeare He bubbled over with funny
stories because, beneath the surface, his
soul was seething with the sorrows of
everyday Life. He went about trying to do
good to every creature - from cutting
wood for neighboring widow to climb
ing trees in patient search for the birds
nest from which two Aedglings had fallen.
When his lawyer companions laughed at
him for wasting his time in such childish
pursuit, he exclaimed with deep feeling:
II could not have slept if l had not
restored those little birds to their mother"
AGAIN when Lincoln was practicing
"A law he used to 60 from one town to
another to try cases before different courts.
There were no railroads in those days, and
travelling ION the circuit" or going around
from court to court, was done mostly on
horseback.
One Gay, when several lawyers besides
Lincoln were travelling in this way, they
came to very muddy place in the road,
and at one side, near the rail fence, was a
poor pig stuck fast, and squealing loudly
and pitifully. The men thought this very
humorous and laughed at the unfortunate
pig, but Lincoln said:
LET us stop and help the poor thing
out"
"Oh, Abe" said one of his companions.
you must be crazy! Your clothes would
look pretty after you had lifted that dirty
pig up, wouldn't they?"
The others all poked fun at Lincoln,
and so they rode on until they were out
of sight and hearing of the suffering
porker.
Lincoln rode on with them also, but
little by little he went slower. He was
thinking about the pig and the farmer
who owned him. He thought: what
pity for him to lose that pig; he can't
afford it! 1t means shoes for his little