Extra Credit Questions

[Anita]

Roger, you didn't say no Googling! Don't know where I've been but I missed this!

Chapter 14: Abraham’s School Days, 1823 http://www.evansvilleliving.com/articles...neer-child

Abraham Lincoln attended school only a few weeks off and on in Kentucky. Or, as he put it, “I went to school little by little.”

The Indiana school days were happy ones for Abraham. The first school that he and sister Sarah attended was only one and a half miles from the Lincoln cabin and was taught by Mr. Hazel Dorsey. The door was rather low, and with Abraham being six feet tall by 14 years old, he had to duck his head when he walked through.

Mr. Andrew Crawford was the schoolmaster in the winter of 1822 to 1823 and taught in the same building. All the students looked up to Abraham, not only physically, but when they were stumped, as they expressed it, not being able to find the answer, they went to Abraham for help. It seemed he always knew the solution. Some of his schoolmates recalled later how he saved the day for them on one occasion.

They were having a spelling match and were in line against the two opposite walls. The word was ‘defied’ and several had gone down. Mr. Crawford became annoyed, “Hadn’t nary a one studied the spelling words?” he asked. He then threatened to keep them there until someone correctly spelled the word, even until dark if need be. Abraham knew how to spell it but his heart sank, as did the others in the room as well. He was the last in the line.

Abraham’s mind was working and light came to his eyes. He looked across the room at the speller, Anne Roby. There she stood with her eyes rolled toward the ceiling, as if the answer would magically appear written among the rafters. She had gotten as far as ‘d-e-f’ but couldn’t make up her mind whether a ‘y’ or an ‘i’ came next. Her eyes came down from the roof as Mr. Crawford asked: “Do you give up?” She glanced, by chance, at Abraham and saw an odd gleam in his mischievous eyes. He was pointing to his eye and it was no accident.

Immediately she finished the word with ‘i-e-d.’ They were dismissed on scheduled time. Abraham had a high regard for this pretty little girl, Ann Roby, and was accused often of having a mash on her. It was his very good friend, Allen Gentry, who had the honor of making her his wife a few years later.

[RJNorton]

Kudos, Gene and Anita. And thank you to Anita for posting the whole story.

Here is the story as Mrs. Allen Gentry (Katie Roby) told it to William Herndon in 1865:

"I knew Mr L well — he and I went to school together — I was 15 ys old — Lincoln about the same age — we went to school to Crawford in 1822 or 3 I think — I used Websters Spelling book — Lincoln the same — One day Crawford put a word to us to Spell: the word to Spell was defied. Crawford said if we did not spell it he would keep us in school all day & night — we all missed the word — Couldn't Spell it. We spelled the word Every way but the right way — . I saw Lincoln at the window: he had his finger On his Eye and a smile on his face. I instantly took the hint that I must change the letter y into an I. Hence I Spelled the word — the class let out. I felt grateful to Lincoln for this Simple thing. Abe was a good — an Excellent boy."

[RJNorton]

Fill in the blank:

Maybe just me but I found this a little surprising when I read it. One of Abraham Lincoln's friends from his years in Indiana told William Herndon that Lincoln "sometimes _________ on Sundays.

The answer is one word - what is it?

[Gene C]

This is a guess but "sometimes worked on Sundays"

[AussieMick]

I like Gene's but I'll guess "whistle ". I recall that boys would be reprimanded for whistling on a Sunday in Wales and Scotland.

[Steve]

"hunted"

[RJNorton]

Good guesses, Gene and Michael, but Steve got it. Kudos, Steve! I was surprised when I read it because I had known of the old "turkey story" in which 8=year-old Abraham had shot and killed a turkey. Then, when he took a look at the dead turkey, he felt really bad. And I had (perhaps naively) thought that Lincoln never hunted afterwards. But, according to Indiana friend, David Turnham, Lincoln sometimes hunted on Sundays.

[Eva Elisabeth]

Good guesses, Gene and Michael, but Steve got it. Kudos, Steve! I was surprised when I read it because I had known of the old "turkey story" in which 8=year-old Abraham had shot and killed a turkey. Then, when he took a look at the dead turkey, he felt really bad. And I had (perhaps naively) thought that Lincoln never hunted afterwards. But, according to Indiana friend, David Turnham, Lincoln sometimes hunted on Sundays.

Well, but he wasn't a vegetarian, was he? If you eat meat, animals have to be killed (unless you only eat those who died from disease or old age). I personally think it weird that some people (a lot of actually) only eat meat when others do the killing. I also think in those days it was much more a natural need to survive. And it is a part of nature - some animals can only feed on meat. Like Lincoln's favorite ones - cats. You kill them when you try to make a vegetarian of them.

[RJNorton]

To show the depth in which Abraham Lincoln's life has been scrutinized, a person once wrote a 400+ page book on something that is missing. What am I talking about and who is the author?

[Anita]

Are you referring to Lincoln's private life. I have the book "Lincoln in Private" by Ronald C. White. It's a new book out this year. I haven't read it yet. I'm not sure it's 400+ pages.

[RJNorton]

Are you referring to Lincoln's private life.

Nope, not his private life.

[Rob Wick]

Lincoln's lost speech by Elwell Crissey.

Best
Rob

[RJNorton]

Right on, Rob! That is indeed what I was seeking. No historically accurate word-for-word text of the speech exists.

Mr. Crissey put 13 years of research into his fascinating effort. His paternal grandfather was in the audience for Lincoln's historic speech in Bloomington.

Major's Hall, where Abraham Lincoln gave his Lost Speech, was built in 1852 by William Trabue Major. It was a three story building, and the auditorium in which Lincoln spoke comprised the third floor.

Major's Hall

[RJNorton]

Why is there a historical marker here?

[mbgross]

Wow! That's tough.