high degrees of ornamental finish. Exactly when or where spinning and weaving originated is not known. At the first interview of the Almighty with Adam and Eve after the fall He made "coats of skin and clothed them" (Gen. 3:21).

The discovery of the properties of iron and the making of iron tools must have been among the earliest of important discoveries and inventions. We can scarcely conceive the possibility of making much of anything else without the use of iron tools. Indeed an iron hammer must have been very much needed to make the first iron hammer with. A stone probably served as a substitute. How could the "gopher wood" for the Ark have been gotten out without an axe? It seems to me an axe or a miracle was indispensable. Corresponding with the prime necessity for iron we find at least one very early notice of it. Tubal-Cain was "an instructor of every artificer in brass and iron" (Gen. IV: 22). Tubal-Cain was the seventh in descent from Adam; and his birth was about one thousand years before the flood. After the flood frequent mention is made of iron and instruments made of iron.

As man's food - his first necessity - was to be derived from the vegetation of the earth it was natural that his first care should be directed to the assistance to that vegetation. And accordingly we find that even before the fall, the man was put into the garden of Eden "to dress it and to keep it." And when afterwards, in consequence of the first transgression, labor was imposed on the race as a penalty — a curse we find the first born man the first heir of the curse was a "tiller of the ground." This was the beginning of agriculture; and although both in point of time and of importance it stands at the head of all branches of human industry it has derived less direct advantage from Discovery and Invention than almost any other. The plow, of very early origin; and reaping and threshing machines, of modern invention are, at this day, the principal improvements in agriculture. And even the oldest of these, the plow, could not have been conceived of until a precedent conception had been caught and put into practice - I mean the conception or idea of substituting other forces in nature for man's own muscular power. These other forces, as now used, are principally the strength of animals and the power of the wind, of running streams and of steam.

HERNDON ENTERS THE LECTURE FIELD 249

Of all the forces of nature, I should think the wind contains the largest amount of motive power- that is power to move things. Take any given space of the earth's surface - for instance Illinois; and all the power exerted by all the men and beasts and running water and steam over and upon it shall not equal the one hundredth part of what is exerted by the blowing of the wind over and upon the same space. And yet it has not so far in the world's history become proportionately valuable as a motive power. It is an untamed and unharnessed force; and quite possibly one of the greatest discoveries hereafter to be made will be the taming and harnessing of it. That the difficulties of controlling this power are very great is quite evident by the fact that they have already been perceived and struggled with more than three thousand years; for that power was applied to sail-vessels, at least as early as the time of Isaiah.

The advantageous use of Steam-power is, unquestionably, a modern discovery. And yet, as much as two thousand years ago the power of steam was not only observed, but an ingenious' toy was actually made and put in motion by it at Alexandria in Egypt. What appears strange is, that neither the inventor of the toy, nor any one else, for so long a time afterwards, should perceive that steam would move useful machinery as well as a toy.

The criticism of Herndon that Lincoln's lecture was a commonplace effort and in some respects beneath the latter's standard of excellence is hardly warranted and may not after all have been strictly in accordance with his original estimate. It is possible Herndon may have cherished the idea that he could surpass Lincoln's effort - in fact, there is evidence that he was so pleased with his partner's success and confident of his own ability in the same line that he decided to venture upon the platform himself. Accordingly in the number of the "Springfield Journal" issued March 15, 1860, appeared this item:

W. H. Herndon will lecture before the Springfield Library Association at Cook's Hall this evening. His subject will be

"The Sweep of Commerce." He will no doubt handle it in an able manner. Let there be a large audience, for the treasury of the Library Association is not quite full and every twenty-fivecent piece left at the door of the hall this evening will be so much clear gain to the association.

The character and extent of the people's response to Herndon's effort is indicated by the following editorial in the next day's "Journal":

The lecture by Mr. Herndon at Cook's Hall last night was altogether too good for the size of the audience which did not number one hundred persons. The subject of the lecture was "The Sweep of Commerce" and ample justice was done to it by the talented lecturer. We cannot close our eyes to the fact that a generous outpouring of people gathered night before last to hear Lola Montez, a woman who has violated every known rule of life, mocked the sacredness of the marriage relation and publicly set at naught all that is beautiful and modest in womankind. The lecture by Mr. Herndon was for the most part historic and could not fail to interest all, and when the lecturer indulged in anticipations of the future or moralized on the past it was in the clear and comprehensive view of a man who has studied well his subject and shown himself capable both to please and interest.

CHAPTER XVIII

An epoch in Lincoln's life - His political baptism-Signs the call for the Bloomington Convention - Herndon's account of the incident - How Stuart tried to retard him — Lincoln announces himself— His speech at the Bloomington Convention - The prediction of Jesse K. Dubois described by Whitney - Lincoln invited to speak in New York - Effect on his neighbors in Springfield-What John T. Stuart said - The Cooper Institute address His speeches in New England - How he impressed the Eastern people Mentioned for President by the press County convention in Springfield endorses him for President - He attends the Decatur meeting where John Hanks brings in the famous rails-Crowds of Lincoln's friends head for Chicago leaving him at Springfield - The Chicago Convention - What Lincoln was doing at home - The nomination on Friday - How Lincoln received the news The account by Clinton L. Conkling - The effect at Springfield — Marching to Lincoln's house - His speech - Arrival of notification committee from Chicago Incidents of their visit - The notification ceremony in the parlor of Lincoln's home - Incidents of the campaign — All paths lead to Springfield

The great rally in August - Letter of John Hanks supporting the claims of his cousin Abe Lincoln-Some local campaigners-Herndon's speech at Petersburg - Comments of the local papers.

HAVING devoted more or less space to an account of Mr. Lincoln's activities as a lawyer, lecturer, and inventor, it follows that in order to acquaint the reader with a comprehensive review of the real man, his evolution as a political leader should not be omitted. In the endeavor to arrive at the truth in this regard, however, I shall avoid as fully as I can the repetition of the things with which the public is already familiar and in relating the story of his development view him through the eyes of his neighbors and close friends. This and a retrospect of conditions as reflected in the local press cannot fail to add to the interest of the narrative.

Those who have carefully studied the life of Lincoln will, I believe, agree with his biographers that the

year

of

1854 marks the beginning of an eventful epoch in his career. We have his own testimony that for a period of five years prior thereto beginning with the close of his only term in Congress in 1849 he had practically forsaken politics and concentrated his energy and masterly ability on the practice of law. And doubtless he would have continued thus politically inactive during the remainder of his days but for a circumstance mentioned in the notes prepared by him for an autobiography in which he makes the sententious declaration that "in 1854 his profession had almost superseded the thought of politics in his mind when the repeal of the Missouri Compromise aroused him as he had never been before."

His first decisive and noteworthy utterance after the great bolt from the political sky was the speech at Springfield October 4, 1854, in answer to one by Stephen A. Douglas at the same place the day before. Twelve days later he repeated it at Peoria. On this occasion he wrote it out in full and, fortunately for history, it was published word for word in the Springfield papers. It was a profound and masterly argument. "After the lapse of more than a quarter of a century," wrote one of his biographers, "the critical reader finds it a model of brevity, directness, terse diction, exact and lucid historical statement and full of logical propositions so short and strong as to resemble mathematical axioms. Above all it is pervaded by an elevation of thought and aim that lifts it out of the commonplace of mere party controversy. The main broad current of his reasoning was to vindicate and restore the policy of the fathers of the country in the restriction of slavery. But running through this like a thread of gold was the demon