The Life of Abraham Lincoln | Page 6

sorrow. A brother had been born in the cabin and had died in infancy.
The little grave was in the wilderness, and before leaving that country
forever, the mother, leading her six-year-old boy by the hand, paid a
farewell visit to the grave. The child beheld with awe the silent grief of
the mother and carried in his memory that scene to his dying day.
The father returned with glowing accounts of the new home. The
family and the furniture,--to use so dignified a name for such meager
possessions,--were loaded into a wagon or a cart, and they were soon
on the way to their new home.
The traveling was slow, but the weather was fine, the journey
prosperous, and they arrived duly at their destination. They pushed
northward, or back from the river, about eighteen miles into the woods
and settled in Spencer County near to a hamlet named Gentryville.
Here they established their home.
The first thing, of course, was to stake off the land, enter the claim, and
pay the government fee at the United States Land Office at Vincennes.
The amount of land was one quarter section, or one hundred and sixty
acres.
The next thing was to erect a cabin. In this case the cabin consisted of
what was called a half-faced camp. That is, the structure was entirely
open on one of its four sides. This was at the lower side of the roof, and
the opening was partly concealed by the hanging of the skins of deer
and other wild animals. This open face fully supplied all need of door
and window.
The structure was built four square, fourteen feet each way. Posts were
set up at the corners, then the sides were made of poles placed as near
together as possible. The interstices were filled in with chips and clay,

which was called "chinking." The fireplace and chimney were built at
the back and outside. The chief advantage of this style of domicile is
that it provides plenty of fresh air. With one side of the room entirely
open, and with a huge fireplace at the other side, the sanitary problem
of ventilation was solved.
There were no Brussels carpets, no Persian rugs, no hardwood floors.
The bare soil was pounded hard, and that was the floor. There were two
beds inn the two rear corners of the rooms. The corner position saved
both space and labor. Two sides of the bed were composed of parts of
the two walls. At the opposite angle a stake, with a forked top, was
driven into the ground, and from this to the walls were laid two poles at
right angles. This made the frame of the bed. Then "shakes," or large
hand-made shingles, were placed crosswise. Upon these were laid the
ticks filled with feathers or corn husks, and the couch was complete.
Not stylish, but healthful and comfortable.
The produce of his farm was chiefly corn, though a little wheat was
raised for a change of diet. Doubtless there were enough of the staple
vegetables which grow easily in that country. Butcher shops were not
needed, owing to the abundance of wild game.
The principal portion of the life of the average boy concerns his
schooling. As nearly as can be determined the aggregate of young
Lincoln's schooling was about one year, and this was divided between
five teachers--an average of less than three months to each--and spread
out over as many years. The branches taught were "readin', writin', and
cipherin' to the rule of three." Any young man who happened along
with a fair knowledge of the three great R's--"Readin', 'Ritin', and'
Rithmetic"--was thought fit to set up a school, taking his small pay in
cash and boarding around--that is, spending one day or more at a time
as the guest of each of his patrons.
There was nothing of special interest in any of these teachers, but their
names are preserved simply because the fact that they did teach him is a
matter of great interest. The first teacher was Zachariah Riney, a
Roman Catholic, from whose schoolroom the Protestants were
excluded, or excused, during the opening exercises. Then came Caleb

Hazel. These were in Kentucky, and therefore their instruction of
Lincoln must have come to an end by the time he was seven years old.
When ten years old he studied under one Dorsey, when about fourteen
under Crawford, and when sixteen under Swaney.
It can hardly be doubted that his mother's instruction was of more
worth than all these put together. A woman who, under such limitations,
had energy enough to teach her husband to read and write, was a rare
character, and her influence could not be other than invaluable to the
bright boy. Charles Lamb classified all literature in