Proctor High School - Proctorian Yearbook (Proctor, VT)

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8 THE SUTHERLAND under a beautiful tree. This was all the funeral service there was as there was no minister for miles around. Abe grieved sorely for his mother, who was so dear to him. His father tried to comfort him by saying he would get him another book. But books were hard to obtain at that time and it was quite a while before his father succeeded in securing him a book. Soon a young man, who knew how to write, moved into the vicinity and offered to teach Abe. The offer was accepted at once. He wrote all over the stools. tables and even the trunks of trees. One day he wmte his name on the ground in his father's corn field. Little did he realize that some day that name would be written in gold in every state in the Union and that it would glitter with brightness as the world stood. Abe Lincoln learned to write so well that he wrote a letter to a minister asking him to come and preach a sermon over his mother's grave. When' people learned that Abe could write, many had him write letters for them. About one year after the death of his first wife, Thomas Lincoln married again. Abe loved his new mother and in re- turn he gained her love. She, too, was very eager to have Abe go to school. At this time a man named Mr. Crawford moved into this vicinity, and opened a school. Mrs. Lincoln dressed Abe up and sent him to school. Mr. Crawford learned to love Abe a great deal. One reason why he liked him so well was because he was honest. Many times he was tried but always found to be absolutely truthful. Abraham Lincoln could memorize very easily. Sometimes after hearing a sermon preached he would preach nearly the exact words to his school mates. Among these chums he was ' thought of as the peaoevmaker. He would always settle an argument and make peace among his friends. The whole of Abralhamls education amounted to about one year. His parents wanted him to go to school, but they were poor and needed him at home. After he left school he split logs quite awhile. One day a man came and offered Abe a position at ten dollars a week, on a flat-boat. They, Abe and the man's son. were to take the boat down the river and stop at stores with the goods. Abe accepted the offer and the two boys went on their journey. They had many queer experiences. The trip, on the whole, was very successful. Mr. Lincoln again had the moving fever. There were two

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THE SUTHERLAND 7 reached. Having left his goods with neighbors, he started back on foot for his family. His family was waiting and ready to start. It was quite a sight to see the Lincoln family start out for their new home. Mrs. Lincoln and Nancy rode on one horse. while Abe and his father had a horse each. The horses were so loaded down with bundles that only their heads and tails could be seen. Little space was left for the rider. For seven days they proceeded in this manner. stopping only when too tired to go on. At night they all lay on one blanket and covered up. with another. When the end of the seven days came, Mr. Lincoln told them they had reached their new home. There was no house on the spot. just a,clump of trees and brush. The family slept on the ground that night but early next morning Mr. Lincoln told Abe that he must help. He set to work chopping away merrily. Later in the day a neighbor who lived two miles away came to help, and brought good things for dinner. All hands worked hard. Mrs. Lincoln lend- ing her aid when possible. When night fell a rough: shack had been erected. Although there were only three sides to the house. the family lived in it for a year. At the end of this time they had another better made hut built. There was but one mom and no floor to this building. When whiter came again, Abe went back to his studying, with his mother for a teacher. Before spring came. they had mastered their whole library. which consisted of three booksa the Bible, the Cathechism, and the 01d spelling book. Abe could not study all the time. He had to help his father chop wood. and he practised shooting. As at that time - there were no butchers' carts, if a piece of meat was wanted, someone had to go out and shoot an animal from which they could get meat to eat. They lived happily in this manner until the day Abe's mother was taken iii. Evelyone did all that was possible for her. One day she called her son to her bedside and told him to remember all the things she had taught him. and to be a good boy. It nearly broke Abeis heart to hear his mother say this and he did all he could to bring her back to good health. After a few weeks of suffering. however. his mother died. Poor little Abe cried a long time. Prayers were said over the body and then it was buried

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TH E S U TH ERLAND 9 other families that wanted to move farther west, too. So they all set out. At last they came to the County of Macon; it was in this vicinity they decided to live. Abe and his father built a house on their ten acres of land. Splitting rails to build a fence around the ten acres of land was the great task Abe ac- complished. These were the t'celebrated rails we have heard so much about. Everyone has heard the story of the rest of Lincoln's life. But stop and think,u-uthink of living the early life he did and then becoming the President of the United States. wAnna Williams, '29. LINCOLN, THE EMANCIPATOR iA-im-rded First Prize in the Lined?! Essay Canteen When a young man, Lincoln made a voyage down the great Mississippi to New Orleans where he first saw a public auction of slaves. To the big-hearted, kindly, fellow-loving youth this scene never ceased to be hateful. It pierced his very soul, like a sword cleaving silk, and there left an im- pression, a resolution that if it should ever enter his power to do so, he would free their toils of slavery and oppression, giving them citizenship and freedom. When he came back from this voyage to his new home in Iiiinois he was simply a youth ambitious of an honorable part in the life of the young country, of which he was so just- ly proud. He regarded the liberation of the slaves, which will always be associated with his name, as a part of a larger work, the restoration of his country to its earliest and noblest traditions. Along With Lincoln's self-training, an ambition, Which showed itself early and which was from the first a clean and high ambition. enabled him to work himself up step by step, so that at the age of twenty-five he entered political life. which for him was the door to the Presidency of the great- est republic of the worldi When Lincoln finally reached his hard-fought-for goal. he was faced by two of the biggest issues that ever confronted any former President of the United States. These two great issues were-firet, the preservation of the Union, by rein- corporating the seceded states; and. second, the emancipation of the slaves by peaceful means if possible 01-, if necessary. by forcibly taking them from their owners and making them flee citizens of the United States.