isa-normaladvance-1909-00141

Description:	THE NORMAL ADVANCE141Some one has said that we love best thosethings which cost most. This is true to a certain extent, and should a man who has hadto work so hard for a wife not value her morethan the man who gets a wife by just askingfor her? You remember that Jacob loved thewife for whom he labored fourteen years better than the one for whom he labored onlyseven years. The work made him love her allthe more when he had finally won her. Thiscertainly was a long courtship but in the end,I believe, it was a benefit to both persons concerned as far as we know, Jacob never askedfor a divorce from his wife.—New hope may bloom, and days may come,Of milder, calmer beam,But theres nothing half so sweet in life,As loves young dream.Sidelights on The Great EmancipatorOn one occasion in going to meet an appointment in the southern part of the SuckerState—that section of Illinois called Egypt—Lincoln, with other friends, was traveling inthe caboose of a freight train, when thefreight was switched off the main track toallow a special train to pass.Lincolns more aristocratic rival, StephenA. Douglas, was being conveyed to the sametown in this special. The passing train wasdecorated with banners and flags, and carrieda band of music, which was playing Hail tothe Chief.As the train whistled past, Lincoln brokeout into a fit of laughter, and said, Boys,the gentleman in that car evidently smelt noroyalty in our carriage.President Lincoln had not been in the WhiteHouse very long before Mrs. Lincoln becameseized with the idea that a fine new barouchewas about the proper thing for the first ladyin the land. The President did not care particularly about it one way or the other, andtold his wife to order whatever she wanted.Lincoln forgot all about the new vehicle andwas overcome with astonishment one day when,having acceded to Mrs. Lincolns desire to godriving, he found a beautiful barouche standing in front of the door of the White House.His wife watched him with an amused smile,but the only remark he made was, Well, Mary,thats about the slickest glass hack in town,isnt it?When the Emancipation Proclamation wastaken to Mr. Lincoln by Secretary Seward, forthe Presidents signature, Mr. Lincoln tooka pen, dipped it in the ink, moved his hand tothe place for the signature, held it for a minute,then removed his hand and dropped the pen.After a little hesitation, he again took up thepen and went through the same movement asbefore. Mr. Lincoln then turned to Mr. Sewardand said:I have been shaking hands since nine oclockthis morning and my right arm is almost paralyzed. If my name ever goes into history itwill be for this act, and my whole soul is in it.If my hand trembles when I sign the Proclamation, all who examine the document hereafterwill say, He hesitated. He then turned to the table, took up the penagain, and slowly, firmly, wrote, AbrahamLincoln, with which the whole world is nowfamiliar.He then looked up, smiled, and said: Thatwill do.President Lincoln was censured for appointing one who had zealously opposed his secondterm.He replied: Well, I suppose Judge E., having been disappointed before, did behave prettyugly, but that wouldnt make him any less fitfor the place and I think I have Scripturalauthority for appointing him.You remember when the Lord was onMount Sinai getting out a commission for
Source:	http://indstate.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/ref/collection/isuarchive/id/34171
Collection:	Indiana State University Archives

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