. Abraham Lincoln and the battles of the Civil War . a betterhandful of classics for a youth in his circum-stances than the few volumes he turned witha nightly and daily hand — the Bible, ^EsopsFables, Robinson Crusoe, The Pilgrims Prog-ress, a History of the United States, andWeemss Life of Washington. These were thebest, and these he read over and over till heknew them almost by heart. But his voracityfor anything printed was insatiable. Hewould sit in the twilight and read a dictionary to think of this great-spirited child, battlingyear after year against his evil star, wastinghis ingenuity
. Abraham Lincoln and the battles of the Civil War . a betterhandful of classics for a youth in his circum-stances than the few volumes he turned witha nightly and daily hand — the Bible, ^EsopsFables, Robinson Crusoe, The Pilgrims Prog-ress, a History of the United States, andWeemss Life of Washington. These were thebest, and these he read over and over till heknew them almost by heart. But his voracityfor anything printed was insatiable. Hewould sit in the twilight and read a dictionary to think of this great-spirited child, battlingyear after year against his evil star, wastinghis ingenuity upon devices and makeshifts, hishigh intelligence starving for want of thesimple appliances of education which are nowoffered gratis to the poorest and most indiffer-ent. He did a mans work from the time heleft school; his strength and stature werealready far beyond those of ordinary men. Hewrought his appointed tasks ungrudgingly,though without enthusiasm • but when hisemployers day was over, his own Hanks says: When Abe and I re-. MILL AND DAM ON MAIN NOLIN CREEK, THREE MILES FROM LINCOLNS BIRTHPLACE; TOWN OF HODGENSVILLE IN THE BACKGROUND. as long as he could see. He used to go toDavid Turnhams, the town constable, anddevour the Revised Statutes of Indiana, asboys in our day do the Three the books he did not own he took volu-minous notes, filling his copy-book with choiceextracts, and poring over them until theywere fixed in his memory. He could not af-ford to waste paper upon his own originalcompositions. He would sit by the fire atnight and cover the wooden shovel with essaysand arithmetical exercises, which he wouldshave off and begin again, ft is touching turned to the house from work he would goto the cupboard, snatch a piece of corn-bread,take down a book, sit down, cock his legs upas high as his head, and read.* The picturemay be lacking in grace, but its truthfulness isbeyond question. The habit remained withhim always. Some of his greate
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade188, booksubjectgenerals, bookyear1887
