| Few have succeeded born into so many | | | | admonishments to both but one a clear winner. |
| disadvantages as Abraham Lincoln. His father | | | | And do you know who that would inevitably be? |
| drifted from a poor farm in Kentucky to worse in | | | | And why? |
| Indiana, where his sickly wife died. He left the | | | | That law book had in it a judgment made in the |
| young boy and his younger sister, and soon | | | | Supreme Court of Justice of the United States of |
| returned with a jolly widow who had been a | | | | America. In his summary, the presiding judge had |
| childhood sweetheart. She had three friendly | | | | made a long statement in support of this decision |
| children, and Abraham had the loving mother of | | | | of the Court, and then he had added in his |
| his life. In fact, if dad had his way, the lad would | | | | summary, that in law and justice, from Greek |
| have no schooling at all. | | | | democracy, in a democratic state the rights of |
| But his nurturing new mom prevailed, and | | | | the citizen must be upheld, and any laws of man, |
| between fits and starts over the next few years, | | | | under God, must not intrude on the rights of that |
| young Mr. Lincoln now had one full years schooling | | | | individual . |
| under his belt. And he was a voracious book | | | | And this teen age boy with one year of school |
| reader, and as he grew, between helping with his | | | | education stood up alert, as if called. And perhaps |
| chores, off earning cash splitting rails, clerking in | | | | he had been. Who put that Book there then? |
| several stores, he would read every book he | | | | From that moment, Abraham Lincoln trained to |
| could put his hands on. | | | | be a lawyer, and he would take on the case of |
| He became the village scholar, and he would be | | | | the individual he felt was in the right, not he could |
| called to settle a debate: the case for and against | | | | more likely pay his bill. And all the lawyer jokes in |
| the chaps about to come to blows. Abraham | | | | Springfield were not ever aimed at this man who |
| would hear both sides, and what he had learned in | | | | would become known as Honest Abraham. |
| one of those law books made the difference to | | | | He could not be bribed, bullied, intimidated, or put |
| all our lives, and his deliberations and considerations | | | | off if he saw an injustice . He dressed in black, |
| of sides, their merits and defects, would be heard | | | | and even carried his papers inside his top hat. But |
| by all. | | | | he had the mind of genius and a heart connected |
| And all would be then in great suspense to hear | | | | directly to God and the good. And some how, he |
| what this great villager was prepared to say what | | | | rose up through the politics to simply be there the |
| he thought would be a fair and reasonable | | | | moment America was breaking apart and needed |
| judgment. And when he spoke his opinion or | | | | an extremely healing healer. And there He was. |
| judgment, the villagers as one would sigh and | | | | God bless America: as happened then, and time |
| agree that what was being said was not only right | | | | and again. |
| and reasonable, give and take of respect of | | | | |