Abraham Lincoln : his life and public services . PilgrimsProgress,^ ^sops Fables, and the Life of Washington,were his favorites. In these we recognize the workswhich gave the bias to his character, and which partlymoulded his style. His early life, with its varied strug-gles, joined him indissolubly to the working masses ; andno elevation in society diminished his respect for the sonsof toil. He knew what it was to fell the tall trees of theforest, and to stem the current of the broad Mississippi. 22 ABRAHAM LINCOLN. His home was in the growing West, the heart of the Re-public ; and, invigorat
Abraham Lincoln : his life and public services . PilgrimsProgress,^ ^sops Fables, and the Life of Washington,were his favorites. In these we recognize the workswhich gave the bias to his character, and which partlymoulded his style. His early life, with its varied strug-gles, joined him indissolubly to the working masses ; andno elevation in society diminished his respect for the sonsof toil. He knew what it was to fell the tall trees of theforest, and to stem the current of the broad Mississippi. 22 ABRAHAM LINCOLN. His home was in the growing West, the heart of the Re-public ; and, invigorated by the wind which swept overits prairies, he learned lessons of self-reliance which sus-tained him in seasons of adversity. Bishop Simpsons allusion to Abrahams efforts on thebroad bosom of the ^^ Father of Waters was founded,doubtless, on the fact, that, when about nineteen yearsof age, Abraham accompanied the son of the owner of aflatboat, who intrusted a valuable cargo to their care, tothe city of New Orleans. He was hired at the rate of. FLATBOAT. ten dollars a month, and the twain composed the onlycrew. With only one companion, it was rather a danger-ous journey. At night they tied up alongside of thebank, and rested upon the hard deck, with a blanket fora covering ; and during the hours of light, whether theirlonely trip was cheered by a bright sun, or made dis-agreeable in the extreme by violent storms, their craftfloated down the stream, its helmsmen never for a mo-ment losing their spirits, or regretting their acceptance EARLY DAYS IN OBSCURITY. 23 of the positions they occupied. Nothing occurred tomar the success of the trip, nor the excitement naturallyincident to a flatboat expedition of some eighteen hun-dred miles, save a midnight attack by a party of negroes,who, after a severe conflict, were compelled to flee. In the spring of 1830, the Lincoln family again soughta new home. Their journey, in a region where roadswere rough and railroads unknown, was made in f
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