Newspaper Page Text
Abraham Lincoln, 1809-1865
On February 12, 1809, a baby destined
to be the sixteenth president of the
United States, was born in a rude farm
cabin near Hodgeville, Kentucky, the first
son and second chi Id of Thomas Lincoln
and Nancy Hanks. Eight years later Mr.
and Mrs. Lincoln left Kentucky, and
moved to Indiana, where, unfortunately,
Mrs. Lincoln died soon afterwards, leav
ing the care of the home upon Abraham’s
sister.
Fourteen months after Mrs. Lincoln’s
death, the father married Sarah John
ston, also from Kentucky. Sarah inproved
the family circumstances and exerted a
good influence on the children by her
kind and cheery nature. She encouraged
her step-son in studying, even though his
father considered this a waste of time.
Abraham had less than a year and a
half of school attendance, but he learned
to read and write with Mrs. Lincoln’s
help.
As the boy grew older, he eagerly
read the few good books that were avail
able; he thought about what he read and
diligently exercised the knowledge
gained. Thus he developed a seriousness
not usual in a boy; yet, despite this, he
loved fun.
Lincoln had his first conscious contact
with slavery when he was nineteen. While
working as a clerk in a store he ac
companied the merchant’s son on a flat-
boat trip for trading purposes. When
returning on a packet, Lincoln witnessed
along the banks of the river auction sales
of Ne groes. Then and there he vowed
that “if he ever had the opportunity to
hit the system, he would hit it hard.”
In the spring of 1830, the family set
tled near Decatur, Illinois. Young Lin
coln helped to clear the prairie farm
land but later, with his well-muscled
frame, and a “mind matching his great
statue in native strength and manners,”
he faced the world for himself. He went
to New Salem on the Sangamon near
Springfield; here he quickly won the
favor of a merchant and settled per
manently in the village, where he served
successfully as a millhand, clerk, post
master, and deputy surveyor. The in
creasing responsibility imposed by these
positions gave the first sign of Lincoln’s
growth in public esteem.
Another example of the recognition of
his qualifications occurred at the out
break of tthe Black Hawk War. Lin
coln volunteered as a private, but was
immediately elected captain. After serv
ing the short time the war lasted, the
young captain returned to Salem and be
came a candidate for the legislature. He
received practically the entire vote of
Salem and the vicinity, but was defeated.
CAMPUS M 1 R R 0 R
After having failed in this, he entered
into partnership with a man as poor as
himself to operate a store. The business
was not a success and all the bills fell on
Lincoln’s shoulders. It was only after
he had received his first pay as a con
gressman that he was able completely
to pay off the debts. Following this mis
fortune came the death of his fiancee,
Ann Rutledge, soon after their engage
ment had been consummated.
Beginning in 1834, however, Lincoln
seemed to have been more fortunate in
his undertakings. He was sent to the
legislature and re-elected three times.
Then, two years later, he was admitted to
the bar, having received his knowledge
from borrowed law books, and he there
after practiced in Springfield, Illinois.
Lincoln married Mary Todd following
his term as congressman and to this
union were born four sons. In the mean
time his reputation as a case lawyer was
growing. The death of President Harri
son caused his interest in political af
fairs to be reawakened, especially since
the issue of greatest interest was the
slave question.
Abraham Lincoln was elected president
of the United States in 1861. As com
manding officer of the nation, he was
never allowed by his analytical mind to
forget that he was a minority president,
that he had been nominated from a con
vention two-thirds in favor of his com
petitors.
Briefly, the key to Lincoln’s fame rests
upon his unerring understanding of the
great task before him and his matchless
skill in phrasing basic facts in timely
and convincing words so that the minds
of all honest men had to acknowledge
and yield to his reasoning.
The First President of the
United States
(Continued from page 4)
President of the United States.
A second time Washington consented
to hold the reins of power. He was un
willing to serve a third term, and when
his eight years of civil service ended,
he said wise words of farewell to the
people he had served through a genera
tion. He gave them the simple advice
that they most needed. Tears coursed
down his cheeks as he turned for the last
time from the throng that had listened
to him in love and sorrow. Three years
he lingered in retirement at Mount Ver
non and then died, as he had wished to
live, “amid the mild concerns of ordinary
life.”
Mrs. Grace Sloan Overton
Speaker At Spelman
College
Mrs. Grace Sloan Overton is renowned
as one who from early childhood has de
voted her life and service to religious
work. At a startlingly youthful age Mrs.
Overton became pastor of a church. She
has also been a member of several
preaching missions.
On Sunday, January 30, she was guest
speaker at our vesper service. The sub
ject of her talk was “How war affects
man’s thinking or his total personality.”
Mrs. Overton declared that war masses
people, both in action and thought; that
it is difficult at such times for the so
ciologist, psychologist or religionist to
be conscious of individual personality
and its function. She further stated that
it takes courage to hang on to individual
personality in the midst of mass action.
It was reiterated that all social skills
are in the beginning individual skills;
the learning how to be gracious socially
is the result of the coming together of
individual skills.
The effects of war were discussed at
length. The speaker asserted first that
war blocks vocation, and as a result the
man compensates through exaggeration
of romance. Second, he thinks of women
differently. It is not easy to classify
men into good and bad, because all men
have to contend with this compensatory
impulse. Third, vocational opportunities
are exaggerated; therefore, you have
more women attending college, and
fourth, war revolutionizes the thoughts of
women.
The women of World War II are more
realistic than those of World War I;
they are aware of the situations facing
them. They are asking three major
questions: First, can I live happily with
out marriage — what about war marri
ages? These matters are fundamental;
every woman does well to inquire into
her destiny. The second major question:
Will war make us relax morally? With
the realistic woman there will be no re
laxation. but adjustment. If one wants a
fine and well constructed life, one must
be stable, heroic, and keep intact the
family life. The third and last major
question is, What is my vocational fu
ture? The realistic person is going to face
life as it comes. The many capacities
of women are to be admired by men,
without being displayed behind an execu
tive desk. Without being paraded as a
career woman, she, for instance, may go
into libraries and work on research.
The woman of tomorrow will be a pioneer
in the post war world. Wherever she is,
the college woman is expected to fit.