E457 .M14 L^ ,.^ * '<^^V S'' rv - ^l?r , exercise book 1 6 Abraham Lincoln Abraham studied reading, writing, spell- ing, and arithmetic in a schoolhouse built by the neighbors. But the boys of this school were bent upon having fun. They wrestled, threw weights, and often indulged in fisticuffs. Abraham loved to learn, but he also loved all outdoor sports, except fighting. He never began a quarrel, and he permitted no one to pick a quarrel with him. Frequently the boys chose him to settle their differences, be- cause he was sure to do what was right. Three or four years went by. Abraham was fourteen when the next school was opened, some five miles from home. His third school in Indiana began when he was seventeen. He practiced writing with pen and ink. He was careful to copy tables, rules, and sums for future use, when the textbook might not be handy. The sums with which he took so much care were those of long measure, land measure, and dry measure. If we count all the time Abraham went to school we shall find it to be about one year. o xi ^ i8 Abraham Lincoln A lazy boy would have forgotten what he learned at one school before the next school began. Abraham made use of every bit of knowledge he gained to help him on to something better. His stepmother bore loving witness to his desire to know. "Abe read diligently. . . . He read every book he could lay his hands on; and, 'when he came across a passage that struck him, he would write it down on boards if he had no paper, and keep it there until he did get paper. Then he would re write it, look at it, repeat it." Before the fire, in evening time, young Lincoln would often seize the board shovel and cover it After a painting by Eaitmin Johnson . , Lincoln reading by the light of the fire With SUmS. **^--r The Man of the People ig Then he would take a shaving knife, shave off the sums, and begin again. Such a student would soon be far ahead of his companions. John Hanks, one of the boys that grew up with Lincoln, says, "When Abe and I returned to the house from work he would go to the cupboard, snatch a piece of corn bread, take down a book, sit down, cock his legs up as high as his head, and read." Books were few in that pioneer state, and Abraham had a hard time finding enough of them. He read the Bible, and reread it. He read in the same way Robinson Crusoe, ^sop's Fables, Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress, Weems' Life of Washington, and a history of the United States. He read them until he knew them. They were Hke old friends. Too poor to own books, he borrowed them from the neighbors. One book he came to own in a curious way. He per- mitted Weems' Life of Washington to get wet. The owner charged him three days' work at pulHng fodder for the wet book. Lincoln was now the proud owner of a 20 Abraham Lincoln Life of Washington. He read over and over again the many interesting stories Some o/ Lincoln s books told by Weems. Washington stood out in his mind as one of the greatest men that ever lived. As he grew older his longing to read increased. He told a friend once that he "read through every book he had ever heard of in that county, for a circuit of fifty miles." He even kept a book in the "cracks of his loft" so that he might read at peep of day. When he became a plowboy in the newly cleared, stumpy fields, he was often The Man of the People 21 seen perched on a stump reading while the horse rested. When Lincoln was in his teens a friend living in Rockport, not far away, had a good library. He let young Lincoln use it to his heart's content. Lincoln a Favorite Lincoln was always a favorite with the small boys, for he could never bear to see a large boy *'run over" the smaller ones. He always took the small boy's part when the quarrel was just. With so many persons in that one-room cabin, it was a miracle that Mrs. Lincoln kept the children from quarreling. But Abraham was peacemaker also, and gen- erally kept the family in good humor by his quaint stories, or by his explana- tions, in simple language, of something he had read. Mrs. Lincoln long afterwards gave loving words in his favor: "I can say, what scarcely one mother in a thou- sand can say, Abe never gave me a cross word or look, and never refused in fact or 22 Abraham Lincoln appearance to do anything I asked him. . I had a son John, who was raised with Abe. Both were good boys, but I must say, both now being dead, that Abe was the best boy I ever saw, or expect to see." Abe was a favorite in all kinds of frontier parties, such as house raisings, log roll- ings, corn huskings, and spelling matches, or any other kind of gathering which belonged to the rude life of the frontier. To the fun and frohc of such events Abraham could add the spice of telling stories. At the spelling school he was leader. Nobody could "spell him down." He was always the first to be chosen, for whoever won him , won the match . Finally he was ruled out and had to pronounce the words for the rest of the spellers. Young Lincoln possessed another gift that made him a rare favorite in a backwoods audience — the ability to imi- tate. His power to mimic persons he had heard was, in that rude time, quite an accomplishment. On some occasions he The Man of the People 2j mounted a stump or log, and imitated the gestures and tone of voice of some itinerant preacher. At other times, after he had been to the county seat and listened to some lawyer trying a case, he held a mock trial and indulged in oratory that he had heard in the court room. It is apt to be a boy's ambition to become a writer of rhymes. Most chil- dren have this ** disease," like an attack of measles, but once in a lifetime. But Lincoln kept plodding away at it until he really learned the art of making verses. A few of the jingles with which he used to amuse himself and the boys around him have come down to us. This verse is taken from his copy book : Abraham Lincoln, his hand and pen; he will be good but God knows when. In writing a "copy" for a friend he produced this: Good boys, who to their books apply, Will all be great men by and by. 24 Abraham Lincoln Later the pen of the ambitious young backwoodsman took another turn. One time he was working for a farmer. This farmer treated Lincoln unfairly, and be- cause he was easily teased about his nose young Lincoln took revenge by mak- ing rhymes about it. The farmer's nose was long and crooked, and when Lincoln finished his rhyming it surely did not appear any shorter or straighter. To the people of Gentryville this was a new way of "getting even," and it gave them a still higher opinion of young Lincoln's ability. Great Physical and Mental Powers In the friendly trials of muscle, Lincoln at the age of nineteen was the first man of his neighborhood. He grew so fast and so large that before he had reached this age he w^as six feet and four inches tall. His arms and legs were long and strong. He had very big hands and feet. He not only excelled older boys than himself in reading and reasoning, but he was easily The Man of the People 25 the champion when it came to trials of physical strength. ( He could outrun, out jump, outlift, and outwrestle the boys of his own age. He could chop down trees quicker, and split rails easier, than men far older. The mighty swing of his ax was so powerful that he buried it deep in the trees. He was in great demand, therefore, at all house raisings and log rollings. ) Three men were disput- ing one day as to how they should join in carrying a Lincoln's ax great log, when Lincoln stepped in, coolly picked up the log, and carried it where it was wanted. It was knowledge, not money, that Abraham wanted. He plowed fields, hoed corn, swung the scythe, flailed wheat, and chopped down trees to get books. He "would walk farther and work harder to get an old book than any one else around him would walk or work to get a new dollar bill.''^ 26 Abraham Lincoln He walked every week to the village store to read the newspaper, which came from Louisville. Some of the people liked to hear him read bits of great debates in Congress, and to listen to his odd say- ings about the men and their views. Sometimes he read news from the great world about which the men in the back- woods village knew so little. Lincoln used to astonish people by telling them that the sun did not move nor the moon go up or down, that it was really the earth that did the moving, sinking, and rising. Such ideas were strongly disputed by some of the people of that age in Indiana. Abraham could not bear to see his lit- tle dumb friends mistreated. So he wrote an essay on "Cruelty to Animals." He hated strong drink, and was always a temperate man. He saw around him many of the evils from drinking too much whisky. The pioneers always used whisky at gatherings. Seldom, if ever, was there a voice raised against it. But Lincoln The Man of the People 2y was bold enough to write an essay on "Temperance." A preacher, struck by its reasoning, had it published in a news- paper. Later Lincoln made another effort, this time in the direction of politics. He wrote a paper on **The American Govern- ment." In this essay young Lincoln took the ground that the "Constitution ought to be preserved and the Union ought to be kept from breaking up." Could it be that Lincoln had found in the debates in Congress a hint of the doctrines that some of its members were beginning to preach? A lawyer, after reading the pow^erful appeal in behalf of the Union, declared that "the world couldn't beat it." A New World Opens The Ohio River brought young Lin- coln a new opportunity. The work of carrying people across the river, or of taking them out in a rowboat to meet some passing steamer, brought Lincoln into new company. 28 Abraham Lincoln Long years afterwards, Lincoln told his great Secretary of State, Mr. Seward, this story of his boyhood days. "Did you ever hear how I earned my first dollar? After much persuasion, I had got the con- sent of my mother to go and construct a -^- Xjii^§:£k A Mississippi River flatboal flatboat. ... I was wondering whether I could make it stronger when two men with trunks came down to the shore in car- riages and, looking at the different boats, singled out mine, and asked, 'Who owns this?' 'I do.' 'Will you take us and our trunks out to the steamer?' 'Cer- tainly,' said L I was very glad to have the chance of earning something, and supposed that each of them would give The Man oj the People 2g me a couple of bits. The trunks were put in my boat, and I sculled them out to 1;he steamer. They got on board, and I lifted the trunks and put them on the deck. The steamer was about to put on steam again, when I called out, 'You have forgotten to pay me.' Each of them took from his pocket a silver half-dollar and threw it on the bottom of my boat. I could scarcely believe my eyes, . . . that I, the poor boy, had earned a dollar in less than a day. ... I was a more hopeful and thoughtful boy from that time." The leading man in the village near where Lincoln lived chose Lincoln as "bow hand" on his flatboat bound for New Orleans. This, indeed, was a big event in the life of this boy-man ! It took him away from the neighborhood, out of the company of the "nobodies" who lived around him. Mr. Gentry, for it was he that hired him, loaded his boat with corn, flour, pork, bacon, and other things which he could sell, and put his son Allan and Lincoln on JO Abraham Lincoln board and started them for New Orleans. Down the beautiful Ohio they floated until the Mississippi was reached. There they noticed changes in the trees and birds. Here and there a settler's clearing broke the dense forest. How lonely life must have been in those solitary cabins! Then Memphis was not the large city of to-day, but was made up of a few scattered cabins. At times Lincoln saw a great puffing steamboat going up or down the river. How insignificant seemed their small fiatboat compared with this throb- bing giant with its load of merchandise and passengers! When they reached Louisiana they were indeed in a strange region. They saw for the first time "live oaks," and other trees all festooned with gray-green moss, as if some one had hung it from branch to branch. They heard strange tongues, for they were now among people some of whom spoke either French or Spanish. One night, after the boat was tied up The Man of the People 31 to shore, these two boys were set upon by a gang of negroes, coming to rob them. A courtyard in New Orleans The boys leaped from their bunks, rushed out, and fell upon the negroes. Lincoln knocked two into the river, young Gentry j2 Abraham Lincoln knocked one of them down, and the others, frightened by the fate of their companions, took to their heels. The boys cut their boat loose and swung out into the river, where they could not be reached easily. On they floated until New Orleans was in view. Here were strange sights indeed ! Here they beheld a city situated below the river! The streets were below the great levees, or banks of earth, which had been put there by the Government to protect the city from the river. Scores of boats like theirs were to be seen at the wharves of the great city. Many steamboats also were there, some loading and some unload- ing their cargoes. The boys saw that most of the work was done by slaves. The cargo and boat both sold, the boys returned to Indiana on a steamboat. Mr. Gentry paid Lincoln eight dollars per month and his passage home on the steamboat. How can we tell how this trip of more than a thousand miles may have influenced Lincoln's life? The Man of the People jj Lincoln Leaves the Indiana Woods for the Illinois Prairies A few years after Lincoln's return from this voyage, his father caught the "fever" for moving to Illinois. John Hanks had already gone, and had written letters back to Indiana that awoke in Thomas Lincoln the desire to "move." Of course, John Hanks and his family were lonesome, and longed for their relatives and friends in Indi- whau-on lamp from the Lincoln ana. Besides, here were great ^^« ^^^^^ wide prairies with the richest soil. Along the streams were the finest kinds of oak, maple, walnut, and gum trees. If Thomas Lincoln would come to Illinois, John Hanks would choose one hundred sixty acres of good land for him, and would have the logs already cut for his cabin. This was more than the Lincolns could stand! They decided to go. There were no railroads then, no bridges across the streams, and no canals cut through the J4 Abraham Lincoln country. They must go in wagons drawn by oxen! They held a sale to get rid of those things they did not, or could not, take with them. The neighbors for miles around came to see them start and to say good-by. Many a boy and girl, no doubt, felt sorry to say "good-by" to the tall, awkward, but kindly young fellow who had been the center of so much fun for the neighborhood. As he was leaving the place on Pigeon Creek, a boy planted a cedar to keep alive the memory of young Lincoln. Little did he, or any one else, think that this would not be the only monument to the memory of Abraham Lincoln! The hurry and bustle of getting started took his attention, as it did that of the others. Abraham was just the one to drive the four-ox team which drew his father's wagon . The wagon was very old -fashioned . The wheels had no hubs, no spokes, and no tires, for they were made from rounded blocks of wood sawed from the end of some oak or maple tree. A hole was made The Man of the People jj in the center for the axle of the wagon to rest in. The patient oxen were driven without lines. They obeyed Abraham's voice and the motion of the whip every ox driver was sure to carry. On they went, crossing creeks and rivers, through the woods and out upon the broad prairies. At nighttime they camped, if possible, where there was plenty of wood and water. They cooked their meals of bacon and corn bread by the fire. When the meal was over, they sat around the fire and told stories, and then the women climbed into the wagon to find a bed. But the men, rolled in bearskins or other covering, slept before the fire. Meantime the oxen had been tied with long ropes to enable them to graze, and to keep them from straying too far. They made for the poorer timber lands on the Sangamon River, where they foimd that John Hanks had kept his word, and the logs were cut for the cabin. They settled in Macon County, ten miles west of Decatur. Here young Lincoln cut j6 A braham Lincoln and split rails enough to fence ten acres of land. Corn was planted and ' ' tended' ' and the crop harvested during the first season. When the summer of 1830 came around Lincoln was past twenty-one. He had, up to this time, turned his money over to his father. Now^ he meant to work for himself. The first work he must do was to get himself a pair of trousers, for his old ones were about worn out. He engaged to split four hundred rails for every yard of cloth, colored a butternut brown, which it took to make him a pair of trousers. It took fourteen hundred rails to pay for the trousers ! The Second Trip to New Orleans Lincoln had become acquainted with a trader named Offutt, who talked a great deal of the things he expected to do. Lincoln, John Hanks, and John Johnston hired out to Offutt to take a flatboat laden with provisions to New Orleans. They got a large canoe and floated The Man of the People 37 down the Sangamon River to the place where Jamestown now stands, then walked to Springfield, where they were to meet Model of Lincoln's device for lifting vessels over shoals Offutt. He had bad news: he could get no flatboat at Beardstown, the place from which they expected to begin their journey. Lincoln promptly said: *Xet us make one." He could use tools and had studied the plan of a flatboat when he had taken a trip to New Orleans before. The bargain was struck. A "shanty" was built on the river bank, in which the men slept and cooked and ate their meals. Lincoln took the lead as head carpenter. In April the boat was loaded and the boatmen bade good-by to the rustic crowd that gathered to see them off. They "poled" their way down the vSangamon until New Salem was reached. Here a ^8 Abraham Lincoln milldam had been built, and on this dam the flatboat stuck fast. They could neither push it over nor draw it back. A crowd gathered and watched the men trying to move the boat. Some of them laughed at one of the crew, tall, gaunt, and ugly, with ragged coat and battered hat. His trousers were torn and patched. He made rather a forlorn picture. A few of the crowd were bold enough to offer their advice, but no attention was paid to it. Lincoln thought the matter over and finally decided what should be done. The men agreed, and went to work at the boat. It finally moved over the dam in safety, and the crew "poled" on their way and left the crowd wondering about the awkward and overgrown fellow. On they went, down the Illinois to the Mississippi and down that river until New Orleans was reached. Lincoln must have tied the boat up where lay many other such boats, and where there were hundreds of flatboatmen from the "up country." New Orleans was growing The Man of the People 39 rapidly, and had many interesting sights for young Lincoln's eyes. One day he came upon a negro auction. It was indeed a new and a sad sight for Thf house Lincoln helped his father build in Coles County Lincoln. It is told that after looking at this scene for a time, he said: ''Boys, let's get away from this. If ever I get a chance to hit that thing, I'll hit it hard!" From New Orleans, Lincoln and his companions took passage on a noisy, puffing steamboat for St. Louis. From St. Louis, Lincoln walked all the way to Coles County, Illinois, where his father's family had already gone. He helped his father in building the best house he had 40 Abraham Lincoln ever lived in. It was made of "hewn" logs and contained two rooms. This was the last time Lincoln saw his father. Clerk in a Country Store From Coles County, Lincoln went to New Salem, where he had agreed to become a clerk in a store owned by Oifutt. But, Copyright by Francis D. Tandy Company, New York Interior of the Lincoln cabin at Goose Neck Prairie, Illinois as usual, Offutt had done more bragging than work, and neither Offutt nor the "store things" had come. The Man of the People 41 Lincoln had to wait. This meant that he had plenty of time to become acquainted with the villagers, about one hundred in all. The crowd remembered Lincoln as that queer fellow who had got Offutt's flatboat over the dam while they were laughing at the crew. Now Lincoln had a chance to show what he could do in a very different way. An election was to be held in the town of New Salem. One of the clerks was sick. Lincoln was asked if he could write. He said that he "could make a few rabbit tracks." At that time not many people in New Salem could write, so "rabbit tracks" were good enough. Lincoln was "sworn in." Every voter came up to the table where the judges and the clerks sat with a poll book before them. The voter told them for whom he wished to vote. His vote was then written down, and then another voter came. When voting became slow Lincoln entertained the crowd with his droll stories. Offutt's goods came, and the young 42 Abraham Lincoln flatboatman took his place in the store. Offutt added a mill to his business and put Lincoln in full charge of both store and mill. He had full confidence After a painting in the State Capitol at Spriugficld A view of New Salem in Lincoln's honesty. The people who traded with him learned to believe in him. One evening, so the story runs, as Lincoln was putting the shutters on, a woman came in and bought half a pound of tea. The next morning Lincoln was surprised to see from the weights on the scale that he had given the woman a quarter of a The Man of the People 4J pound instead of what she had called for- He closed the store and carried her the quarter of a pound of tea. He could not rest until he had made it right with the woman. The store became a meeting place for young and old. Here met the men from the town and the men from the country. They talked over the news of the day. Now and then they told stories, but more often they sat in open-mouthed wonder while Lincoln told one of his stories. Lincoln learned a great deal from the crowd of happy loungers that came to Offutt's store, some of it useful and some not. But it was a strange thing to see Lincoln joining in the fun and laughter of that rude crowd without himself being made ruder and coarser by it. Offutt was proud of his big clerk. He declared one day that Lincoln could "lift more than any other man in Sangamon County, and when it came to wrestling, he could throw the whole crowd." Just like boys, there were a number of young 44 Abraham Lincoln men who challenge. took Oifutt's words as a These young fellows were called the "Clary's Grove Boys." They were a rough lot, and kept the village from becoming too sleepy. They told the storekeeper to "trot out" his big clerk and he would find Jack Arm- strong a match for him. Lincoln did not wish to wrestle. He probably felt better things were in store for him. But there was no escape. If he did not do it the entire country round Salem would believe that he was afraid of Jack Armstrong. The day was set, and Clary's Grove was against New Salem. Most of the fellows took Jack Armstrong's side. They knew what he could do. But when the wrestlers took hold, Jack Armstrong had met his master. Do all he could, he could not throw Lincoln. He tried the tricks A matron of New Salem, showing the leghorn bonnet worn in Lincoln's day about New The Man of the People 45 that had won him so many victories, but all in vain. Finally he was put to it so hard that he tried a **foul." This act made Lincoln angry. He caught Arm- strong by the throat and, with his long arms, "shook him like a child." When the wrestling match was over Jack Armstrong grasped Lincoln's hand and declared that he was the "best fellow who ever broke into the camp." The "Clary's Grove Boys" liked Lincoln because he did not "crow" over his victory. He had won his. way to their hearts, and ever afterwards they were his true friends. But better than clerking in the store, and far better than practicing the art of wrestling, Lincoln loved learning. A friend told him about "grammar, and said he ought to study it if he was going to appear before the public. Lincoln had alread}^ made a number of speeches. When his friend told him there was but one grammar in the neighborhood, and that was six miles away, Lincoln walked the whole distance and obtained the book. 46 Abraham Lincoln From now on he gave much time to study- ing grammar. He often handed the book to a friend to hold while he recited definitions and rules. When he was not I r..l If >| U. jl, ji|- Frcm tL« '■ Menard-Salem-Lineoln bouvenir Album," courtesy the Women's Columbian Club of Menard Co. A New Salem interior, showing the furniture and costumes of Lincoln's time sure of the meaning he called in the school teacher. Lincoln learned grammar not only to know it, but to use it. He was putting what he learned into practice. But the store was "petering out," to use Lincoln's own words. Its owner owed more than he could pay, and the store was The Man of the People 47 "closed up." Lincoln was out of a job, but he soon found something to do. He was without doubt the most popular man in New Salem. He was only a little more than twenty-two years old, yet he had really thought of asking the peo- ple to vote for him to help make their laws, that is, to elect him to the State Legislature. His friends encouraged him, and we may suppose that the ** Clary's Grove Boys" were for Lincoln. He printed a statement declaring that he was in favor of making their own river, the Sangamon, fit for steamboats, and in favor of putting a stop to charging high rates of interest by passing a law against it. On the question of education, he said : "I can only say that I view it as the most important subject which we as a people can be engaged in." He asked the people to overlook his youth, and declared that he had spoken the truth. Not long after Lincoln had sent out these handbills, the people of his county were excited by the news that a steamboat 48 Abraham Lincoln from Cincinnati intended to bring a load of goods up the Sangamon River. This was good news. Meetings were held at towns on the ;iver to make plans for the coming of the steamboat. Finally word came that the boat was on its way. Lincoln went down the river to Beards- town to meet it. He was made pilot to guide the boat the rest of the way up, for he knew more about the river than most men. At every stop the boat made there was great shouting. Speeches were made, toasts were drunk, and in every way the people showed how happy they were. But the happiest man was Lincoln. Was not this steamboat proving that the Sanga- mon could be made fit for boats which could carry what they raised to market, and brag goods to them from the great cities of the world? After a week had gone by the boat started down the river. In the meantime the "high water" had run out and Lincoln had a harder time to get the boat down the river than he had had to get it up. The Man of the People 49 Captain Lincoln Hardly had Lincoln returned from his work as pilot, when all of Illinois was stirred by the news of Black Hawk's war. Black Hawk was an Indian chief. He had a bad name among the frontier whites. The governor called the men of the state to arms, and Lincoln and the boys of New Salem started immediately to the place of meeting. Only a part of them had rifles. No one had a regular uniform, but some had deerskin breeches and a few wore coonskin caps. Every man had come to fight the In- dians ! They must have a captain. There on that village green at Richland, Illi- nois, were two persons who wanted to be captain. One was Lincoln. Already he felt that he was going to be a "master of men." The men who wanted to be 4 Aft officer in the Black Hawk War Choosing LtHcoln captain The Man of the People 51 captain stepped to different parts of the ground, and the other men immediately flocked around their favor- ites. Lincoln was greatly surprised and pleased to find that three fourths of the "boys" were on his side. We may be sure that the "Clary's Grove Boys" were among the first to go to Lincoln's side. This was probably the first time any part of the people had a chance to show their Powder horn, knife, loveforyouneLmcom. Long and tomahawk J ^ ^ used in the afterwards he declared, "I Biack Hawk war have not had any success in life which gave me so much satisfaction." Very little did Lincoln know about army rules. The men obeyed him because they admired him. But in this campaign against the Indians some of Lincoln's qualities were brought out strongly. One day an old, friendly Indian came into Lincoln's camp bearing a letter from General Lewis Cass. The very sight of an 52 Abraham Lincoln Indian set the soldiers on fire. They were for killing him right off, and started after him. Lincoln saw he must be. quick, and sprang between the Indian and the men, declaring that he would shoot the first man who laid hands on him. But it was around the camp fire that Captain Lincoln was at his best. He told the soldiers many quaint tales, and won a name as a joker. This bit of military life gave Lincoln a wider view of men and things. He saw regular soldiers, how they w^ere uniformed, drilled, and armed. At the same time he became acquainted with men from different parts of the state. Trying to Get Oflfice Lincoln got back to New Salem only a few days before the election which he w^as getting ready for when the Black Hawk War broke out. The men who had been in Lincoln's company and the men who knew him at New Salem were working hard to get him votes. The Man of the People 5J Only a few chances came to Lincoln to speak to the voters. He heard of a sale several miles away. He knew that nearly every one went to a sale in those days, and he knew candidates for office would be there. Lincoln went, too, a tall young man, wearing a blue jeans, claw hammer, bobtail coat, tow-and-wool trousers, cow- hide boots, and a straw hat! When Lincoln's time came to speak he said: ''Gentlemen and Fellow-citizens, I presume you all know who I am. I am humble Abraham Lincoln. . . . My politics are short and sweet, like the old woman's dance. ... If elected, I shall be thankful; if not, it will be all the same." While he was speaking, a drunken fellow began quarreling with one of Lincoln's friends. Lincoln sprang from the plat- form, seized the bully by the neck, and threw him out of the crowd. Then he returned to the stand, and continued speaking as if nothing had happened. The people of Illinois were dividing into 54 Abraham Lincoln two parties — the Democratic and the Whig. Those who shouted for a great soldier, Andrew Jackson, who had already been President once, were Democrats. Those who followed the teachings of another great man, Henry Clay, were called Whigs. The great majority of the people of Illinois were for Jackson. But Lincoln was a Whig, whose idol was Henry Clay. He had small chance of being elected, for he was not yet widely known. Lincoln was defeated, the only time in his life when the people voted. But in New Salem he won two hundred seventy- seven votes out of three hundred! Lincoln's National Debt Offutt's store had failed and Lincoln had nothing to do. He felt then that he must meet and talk with men. Books and men were to be his compan- ions. He joined with a young man named Berry, and bought a store in New Salem. The Man of the People 55 Berry was no richer than Lincoln, so they went in debt for the store. There were two other stores in the village. Lin- coln and Berry bought them out in the same way — by promising to pay! Berry and Lincoln's store as it looked in 1895 One day a man moving West sold Lin- coln a barrel. In that barrel filled with rubbish Lincoln found a copy of that great law book, Blackstone's Commentaries. During the long summer days, when the farmers were busy at home and customers 5<5 Abraham Lincoln were few, Lincoln was busy with his Black- stone. He lay in the shade of a large tree near the store, and read to his heart's con- tent. Unfortunately, Berry w^as **busy" in the back end of the store, where strong drink was kept ! Berry drank and Lincoln read! The storekeeping w^as a failure. They sold out. The men gave their note just as Berry and Lincoln had done. Pretty soon the new storekeepers ran away, and Berry died. Lincoln had to shoulder the entire debt. He told the men whom he owed that he had no money, but that they should have it as soon as he could get it. It w^as a mountain of debt to that poor young man. He called it his "national debt," by way of a joke. But it was no joke for a poor young man to pay out a thousand dollars in a country where money was scarce. He paid every cent of it — interest and all. It took him seven- teen years to do it ! What a burden to hang over one like a cloud! After that people called him "Honest Abe." The Man of the People 57 Two Offices Given Lincoln by the Democrats Before he was out of the store Lincoln's friends asked President Jackson to make him postmaster at New Salem. The Presi- dent and many of Lincoln's friends were Democrats, but this made no difference. Being postmaster was not a big office, and it gave Lincoln time to read and study. It is said that he "carried the post office in his hat." When he met a person for whom he had a letter Lincoln took off his hat and handed him the letter. When he w^ent about the country he took the mail in his hat, and as he passed the cabins he handed it out. He was a sort of first Rural Free Dehvery. Pretty soon a better chance came to him. The surveyor of Sangamon County found he needed help. He sent word to Lincoln that he wanted him as deputy surveyor. Lincoln talked the matter over with the man and said he would take the position if he did not have to ^8 Abraham Lincoln change his poHtics! The surveyor was a Democrat; Lincoln was a Whig. It was agreed. But Lincohi knew nothing about surveying. He obtained a book on sur- veying and began the work of mastering it. Day and night he studied, sometimes Lincoln's surveying instruments until early morning hours. He called upon his friend the school teacher for help. In a few weeks he reported for business. For every day's work as surveyor he received three dollars. A princely sum! He had never earned so much money for a day's work before. One great use to which he put his work as surveyor was to get acquainted with people. While he was acting as postmaster and surveyor, Lincoln never failed to do a kind deed when he saw a chance. The people of New Salem said Lincoln was "obliging." The children of the neighbor- hood all loved him. The Man of the People 5p Hannah, wife of Jack Armstrong, treated Lincoln like one of her family. **Abe would come out to our house, drink milk, eat mush, corn bread and butter, bring the children candy, and rock the cradle while I got him something to eat." It was but a short time before Lincoln had to have a horse. The surveyors had to go long distances. But Lincoln had no money. How was he to get a horse without money ? He bought one on credit LincoWs saddlebags and promised to pay at some future time. He obtained a pair of saddlebags, in which he carried a compass, a chain, his surveying books, and other useful things. But the man grew tired of waiting for his money, so one day an officer of the law stopped Lincoln, seized the horse, and was bound to have the money. But Lincoln could not pay. He was hardly able to find money for his board, and to keep himself in decent clothes. A friend came to his rescue, paid for the horse, and 6o Abraham Lincoln turned him over to Lincoln. So it was that Lincoln found friends at every turn. Lincoln never forgot this act of friend- ship. Years aftenA^ard, when he was President and this old friend was living in California, he received a letter from Lincoln naming him for an office with a good salary. Elected to the State Legislature Two years had gone by since Lincoln's defeat. He had made many friends in that time. They encouraged young Lin- coln, and he finally told the people that he wanted their support for the State Legislature. During the spring and summer he went to all house raisings, horse races, shooting matches, sales, or auctions as we would say, wherever the people came together. This was just the sort of thing he liked best. He could be a judge at a horse race, make a speech on the Con- stitution, act as peacemaker between two The Man of the People 6i quarreling fellows in such a way as to leave them both thinking him the fairest and most honest man in the county. Lincoln's great strength, long reach of arm, and still longer legs, made him a great favorite in running, jumping, or wrestling. An old farmer has left us a story of the way Lincoln won votes. "He came to my house . . . during harvest," says the farmer. ''There were some thirty men in the field. He got his dinner and went out in the field where the men were at work. I gave him an introduc- tion, and the boys said that they could not vote for a man unless he could make a hand. 'Well, boys,' said he, 'if that is all, I am sure of your votes.' He took hold of the cradle, and led the way all the round with perfect ease. The boys were satisfied, and I don't think he lost a vote in the crowd." When the votes were counted, Lincoln was elected. He stood next to the high- est on the list. The people had stood by him. 62 Abraham Lincoln When Abraham Lincoln went to the town of VandaHa, the meeting place of the Legislature, he crossed a new line in life. He was still the same simple, unpretend- Ki»' The State House at Vandalia ing young man. He was still poor, and had to struggle. But he began in that Legislature to know, and to be known by, a different set of men. A great future was before him. Now indeed began a new world for Lincoln. But he never forgot his old friends, made in the days when he was young and most in need of friends. He never lost his love for children. The Man of the People 6j His home for many years had been in the woods, and New Salem was not much better. He had never before lived where there was a church. Vandalia was not a large town, but it was the meeting place of the Legislature. There he met some men who were already great men in the opinion of the state of Illinois, the gover- nor, a few judges, and still few^er members of the Legislature. Here Lincoln met Stephen A. Douglas for the first time, and little did he think that the "smallest man he ever saw" was the one man who was to be his greatest opponent in the battles of the future. From this time on, to the end of Douglas' life, first at long intervals but later more frequently, they continued to meet, and a fierce struggle was fought between these two men. Lincoln did not push himself to the front at Vandalia, but modestly kept a back seat. He learned a great deal from seeing how different men fought for their bills before the House. There was one thing in which he 64 Abraham Lincoln was already experienced — shaking hands. When Lincoln took a man's hand in his he made that man feel that Lincoln's whole heart was in the greeting. In still another way Lincoln was the equal of any man in Vandalia. That was in his great power as a story-teller. We have noted this power in his boyhood. What holds young and old alike so well as a good story ! When not at work making lav/s, Lincoln usually had a crowd around him to whom he was telling some story. Lincoln Reelected a Second, a Third, and a Fourth Time When the time came, again Lincoln was a candidate for the State Legislature. He had a still better chance of winning in the election, because he was more widely known. But he had to take the same steps as before — to tell the people what his principles were, to make stump speeches, to shake hands with everybody, and to be polite to the ladies. The Man of the People 65 After the voting was over it was found that Sangamon County had elected nine members to the Legislature, all Whigs! Lincoln led all the others. It was a time I :Mfift The Capitol at Springfield of great excitement in the Legislature. Lincoln voted with the majority for im- proving the rivers and building canals. But most of Lincoln's attention was given to a measure for changing the capital from Vandalia to Springfield, in Lincoln's own county. The measure was 66 Abraham Lincoln passed, and the people of Sangamon County believed in him more than ever. At this time the slavery question was being discussed in all parts of the United States. The Abolitionists were a small body of men who were bound to stir up the people over the slavery question. At that time the great majority of people hated the Abolitionists. In many parts of the North mobs tried to scare the Abolitionists, and in Illinois itself a mob had murdered Elijah P. Lovejoy while he was defending his newspaper. The Legis- lature of Illinois took up the question and bitterly denounced the Abolitionists. Abraham Lincoln, then only twenty- eight years old, with another member signed a protest against this action of the Legislature. These two men were not Abolitionists, for they thought the Aboli- tionists did more harm than good. But they declared that "slavery is founded on both injustice and bad policy." Just two men, among the whole body of the Legis- lature, were bold enough to stand out The Man of the People 6y from the rest and declare slavery wrong — a double wrong. For the sake of being in the right Lincoln did not fear public opinion. This protest against the resolu- tions of the IlHnois Legislature was signed more than a quarter of a century before slavery was abolished. Once more he ran for the Legislature. The man who ran against him was named Taylor. While making a speech before a large crowd, Taylor had said that Demo- crats were poor men, while Whigs were rich and lived in fine houses. When Lincoln's turn came, he said: "My opponent accuses the Whigs of rid- ing in fine carriages and wearing rufBed shirts, kid gloves, and gold watch chains. Well, I was once a poor boy and worked on a fiatboat for eight dollars a month and had only a pair of buckskin breeches. Now if you call that aristocracy, I plead to the charge." Lincoln knew that Taylor was trying to fool the people, so while speaking, with a sweep of his long arm he caught Taylor's vest, jerked it open, and 68 Abraham Lincoln the people saw a ruffled shirt and a gold chain! They roared with laughter, and Taylor, red in the face, left the stand. Lincoln was elected. Lincoln hated shams and loved fair play. In Springfield he had his law office above a hall. One evening his friend Baker was making a Whig speech in this hall. Lin- coln was in his law office above. He lifted the trapdoor in order to hear Baker speak. Baker said something that made the Democrats in the crowd very angry. "Pull him down! Put him out!" they cried, and started for the platform. Just then they saw the legs, then the body, and finally the head of Abraham Lincoln dropping down from above on to the platform by the side of Baker. He raised a hand, but the men were angry and did not stop. They saw him seize a stone pitcher, and heard him say: "I will break this over the head of the first man who lays a hand on Baker. Hold on, gentlemen! This is a free country, a land of free speech. Mr. Baker has a right to The Man of the People 69 be neard, and I am here to protect him!" The crowd drew back, and Baker finished his speech. Lincoln's last campaign for the Legis- lature was very different from the others. A Whig campaign parade It was a national campaign — one for the election of a President for the United States. Martin Van Buren, of New York, was the candidate of the Democrats, and General Harrison, of Ohio, of the Whigs. Hundreds of orators went about the country speaking to great crowds of peo- ple, sometimes as many as fifty thousand, sometimes one hundred thousand. yo Abraham Lincoln The Whigs had the largest meetings. Great wagons drawn by many horses were filled with young women. In the parades were log cabins, such as General Harrison had lived in. Coon skins were stretched on the cabin doors. Sometimes a live coon would be seen sitting on the top of a cabin. There were barrels of cider, and big balls roUing on to victory. There were barbecues, where they roasted oxen, sheep, and pigs, to feed the hungry crowds. A monster meeting was held by the Whigs in Springfield. Twenty thousand people came to town that day. It took fourteen teams of horses to bring the people that came all the way from Chicago. They were three weeks on the road. On that day Springfield was filled with raccoons, log cabins, and barrels of cider. One cabin was on a wagon drawn by thirty yoke of oxen. By the side of this cabin a hickory tree was planted. In this tree raccoons were seen playing. A barrel of cider stood by the door. Lincoln was already a favorite speaker, The Man of the People 71 although but thirty -one years old. He had a great hold on the people because he used plain, simple language, and always seemed to be frank and honest. He told stories, sometimes to keep the people in good humor, and sometimes to point a hard-hitting argument. He fully en- joyed this campaign of fun and frolic. The Whigs carried the election, and Lincoln went to the Legislature for the last time. He Decides to Become a Lawyer Long before, Lincoln had decided to become a lawyer. We have already seen how he had a^ taste of Blackstone's Com- mentaries. But Major John T. Stuart advised him to study law. Major Stuart lived in Springfield, and was himself a lawyer. He probably saw in Lincoln's keen mind and logical way of thinking the traits of a good lawyer. At any rate, at that time the law was the surest way to public favor in Illinois. y2 Abraham Lincoln The usual way to get a start was to study in the office of some lawyer who had already made a name for himself. But Lincoln started studying alone. He walked twenty miles to borrow law books from Major Stuart. It is said that he some- times read them on the road as he tramped back and forth. He saw how a knowledge of what the law books contained would be of great aid to him in the Legislature. One day after he had come back from the Legislature he decided to leave New Salem and move to Springfield. Springfield was a town of only fifteen hundred, but Lincoln had many warm friends there, for he was one of the men who had had most to do in makjng Springfield the capital of the state. When he reached Springfield, on a borrowed horse, he car- ried everything he owned in his saddlebags. He went to a storekeeper and asked how much a bedstead, bedding, and cer- tain other things would cost. It figured up seventeen dollars. Lincoln said that he did not have the money. But if the The Man of the People 73 storekeeper would give him credit until Christmas, and his experiment of being a lawyer turned out well, he would pay him. If he failed he did not know that he should ever be able to pay him. The storekeeper's sympathy was aroused. He told Lincoln that "upstairs" was a room with a double bed, and that he was welcome to use the room and to share the bed with him. Lincoln carried his saddlebags upstairs. Soon he came down with a broad smile on his face, and said, "Well, Speed, I've moved." Lincoln began his career as a lawyer in the office of his friend Major Stuart. These early days at the law were hard days. It was not very long, however, before Lincoln was able to make his liv- ing at the law. But his creditors ! They were given everything he made above what Lincoln needed to live on. One day an agent of the Post Office 74 Abraham Lincoln Department reached Springfield. He came to collect seventeen dollars which Lincoln owed the Government as post- master at New Salem. Lincoln walked across the room to a little trunk. He drew forth an old cotton rag containing the exact amount in silver money. He paid the agent. The men who saw this were amazed, for they knew how much he had often needed money. Why did he not use it in those days of pinching poverty? He simply said that he had made it a habit not to spend money belonging to others. Lincoln's First Love Not until Lincoln reached the age of twenty- five did he fall in love. While he was living at New Salem, Ann Rutledge captured his heart. She was the daughter of the tavern keeper, and had been to school at Jacksonville, a rare thing in that day. The people who knew her declare that she was a young woman of many virtues. She was winsome in her ways, with a grace The Man of the People 75 and charm that caused the young men who visited her father's tavern suddenly to become quiet when Ann Rutledge came near. Unfortunately for Lincoln, she had given her heart to another. A young man had won her. He had come to New Salem from somewhere in the East, and now that he had made his way, he would go back to bring his parents to New Salem, and then claim his bride. After he had gone, his letters finally stopped coming, and no one knew what had become of him. Ann Rutledge was a heart-broken girl. For a time she could think of but little else. The silence of her lover hung over her like a great cloud. Before she had forgotten her sorrow Abraham Lincoln had fallen in love with her. But Lincoln was poor and had nothing to offer but a great heart full of human love. Would Ann Rutledge accept Lincoln ? It is a tradition at New Salem that Lincoln first told her of his love at a y6 Abraham Lincoln ** quilting bee" to which they had gone. For a long time the very quilt over which her nervous fingers flew was kept by friends as proof of her great excitement, for the uneven stitches tell the story. Ann Rutledge did not give him an answer that evening. Might not her old lover come back? Once more a letter w^as sent, but weeks grew into months, and no answer ever came. She accepted Abraham Lincoln, and the two lovers were happy. But poverty stood between them and marriage. They had to put off the wedding. When Lin- coln should come back from the Legisla- ture, and after she had returned from another year at school in Jacksonville, they were to be married. The world seemed brighter to Lincoln. Friends seemed gladder to see him. But Ann Rutledge could not get rid of the shadow of her first lover. The thoughts of him still haunted her. She could not shake them off. Had she not pledged her word to remain true to him?