Fifteenyearspassedbeforeagainhewasafreemanfinancially。
Anewandpowerfulinfluencecameintohislifeduringthehalfidlenessofhisunsuccessfulstorekeeping。Itisworthrepeatinginhisownwords，orwhatseemstobethefairlyaccuraterecollectionofhiswords：“OnedayamanwhowasmigratingtotheWest，droveupinfrontofmystorewithawagonwhichcontainedhisfamilyandhouseholdplunder。HeaskedmeifIwouldbuyanoldbarrelforwhichhehadnoroominhiswagon，andwhichhesaidcontainednothingofspecialvalue。IdidnotwantitbuttoobligehimIboughtitandpaidhim，Ithink，ahalfadollarforit。WithoutfurtherexaminationIputitawayinthestoreandforgotallaboutitSometimeafter，inoverhaulingthings，Icameuponthebarrelandemptyingituponthefloortoseewhatitcontained，I
foundatthebottomoftherubbishacompleteeditionofBlackstone’sCommentaries。Ibegantoreadthosefamousworks，andIhadplentyoftime；forduringthelongsummerdayswhenthefarmerswerebusywiththeircrops，mycustomerswerefewandfarbetween。ThemoreIread，themoreintenselyinterestedIbecame。Neverinmywholelifewasmymindsothoroughlyabsorbed。IreaduntilIdevouredthem。“[7]
Themajestyofthelawatthebottomofabarreloftrashdiscoveredataventureandtakinginstantpossessionofthediscoverer’smind!LikethegeniusissuinggrandlyinthesmokecloudfromthevasedrawnupoutoftheseabythefisherintheArabiantale!Butthisgreatbookwasnottheonlymagiccasketdiscoveredbytheidlestore-keeper，thebrokensealsofwhichreleasedmightypresences。BothShakespeareandBurnswererevealedtohiminthisperiod。Neverafterdideitherforamomentceasetobehiscompanion。TheseliterarytreasureswerefoundatSpringfieldtwentymilesfromNewSalem，whitherLincolnwentonfootmanyatimetoborrowbooks。
Hissubsistence，afterthefailureofBerry&Lincoln，wasderivedfromthefriendlinessoftheCountySurveyorCalhoun，whowasaDemocrat，whileLincolncalledhimselfaWhig。
Calhounofferedhimthepostofassistant。Inaccepting，Lincolnagaindisplayedthehonestythatwasbeginningtobeknownashischaracteristic。Hestipulatedthatheshouldbeperfectlyfreetoexpresshisopinions，thattheofficeshouldnotbeinanyrespect，abribe。Thisbeingconceded，hewenttoworkfuriouslyonatreatiseuponsurveying，andastonishinglysoon，withthegeneroushelpoftheschoolmasterofNewSalem，wasabletotakeuphisduties。Hisfirstfeewas“twobuckskinswhichHannahArmstrong’fixed’onhispantssothebrierswouldnotwearthemout。“[8]
Thustimepasseduntil1834whenhestakedhisonlywealth，hispopularity，inthegambleofanelection。Thistimehewassuccessful。DuringthefollowingwinterhesatintheLegislatureofIllinois；ahuge，uncouth，mainlysilentmember，makingapparentlynoimpressionwhatever，veryprobablystrikingtheeducatedmembersasanonentityinhomespun。[9]
Inthespringof1835，hewasbackinNewSalem，busyagainwithhissurveying。Kindfriendshadsecuredhimtheofficeoflocalpostmaster。Thedeliveryofletterswasnowcombinedwithgoingtoandfroasasurveyor。Asthemailcamebutonceaweek，andaswhateverhehadtodelivercouldgenerallybecarriedinhishat，andaspaymentwasinproportiontobusinessdone，hisrevenuescontinuedsmall。Nevertheless，intheviewofNewSalem，hewasgettingon。
Andthensuddenlymisfortuneovertookhim。Hisgreatadventure，thefirstofthosespiritualagoniesofwhichhewasdestinedtoenduresomany，approached。Hitherto，sincechildhood，womenhadplayednopartinhisstory。Alltherecollectionsofhisyoutharevagueintheirreferencestothefeminine。AsaboyatPigeonCreekwhenoldThomaswashiringhimout，thewomenofthesettlementlikedtohavehimaround，apparentlybecausehewaskindlyandeverreadytodooddjobsinadditiontohisregularwork。However，until1835，hisstoryisthatofaman’sman，possiblybecausetherewassomuchofthefeminineinhisownmake-up。In1835cameachange。AgirlofNewSalem，aprettyvillagemaiden，thebestthepoorplacecouldproduce，revealedhimtohimself。SweetAnnRutledge，thedaughterofthetavern-keeper，washisfirstlove。Butdestinywasagainstthem。Abriefengagementwasterminatedbyhersuddendeathlateinthesummerof1835。Ofthisshadowylove-affairverylittleisknown，——thoughmuchromanticfancyhasbeenwovenaboutit。Itssignificanceforafter-timeisinLincoln’s“reaction。“TherehadbeenmuchsicknessinNewSalemthesummerinwhichAnndied。Lincolnhadgivenhimselffreelyasnurse——thedepthofhiscompanionablenessthusbeingproved——andwasinanoverwroughtconditionwhenhissorrowstruckhim。Alastinterviewwiththedyinggirl，atwhichnoonewaspresent，lefthimquiteunmanned。Aperiodofviolentagitationfollowed。Foratimeheseemedcompletelytransformed。ThesunnyLincoln，thedelightofClary’sGrove，hadvanished。Inhisplacewasadesolatedsoul——abrothertodragons，intheterribleimageryofJob——adwellerinthedarkplacesofaffliction。Itwashismotherreborninhim。Itwasalltheshadowinessofhismother’sworld；allthatfranticrevelinginthemysteriesofwoetowhich，hitherto，hersonhadbeenanalien。Tothesimplemindsofthevillagerswiththeirhard-headed，practicalwayofkeepingallthings，especiallyloveandgrief，intheouterlayerofconsciousness，thisrevelationofanemotionalterrorwaspastunderstanding。Someofthem，truetotheirtype，pronouncedhiminsane。Hewaswatchedwithespecialvigilanceduringstorms，fogs，dampgloomyweather，“forfearofanaccident。“Surely，itwasonlyacrazyman，inNewSalempsychology，whowasheardtosay，“Icanneverbereconciledtohavethesnow，rainsandstormsbeatuponhergrave。“[10]
Inthiscrucialmomentwhentherealbaseofhischaracterhadbeensuddenlyrevealed——allthepassionatenessoftheforestshadow，theunfathomablegloomlaidsodeepatthebottomofhissoul——hewascarriedthroughhisspiritualeclipsebythelovingcomprehensionoftwofinefriends。NewSalemwasnotallofthesortofClary’sGrove。Nearbyonafarm，inalovely，restfullandscape，livedtwopeoplewhodeservetoberemembered，BowlinGreenandhiswife。TheydrewLincolnintotheseclusionoftheirhome，andthereinthegleamingdaysofautumn，wheneverywhereinthenearwoodsflickereddownward，slowly，idly，thefallingleavesgoldenandscarlet，Lincolnrecoveredhisequanimity。[11]ButtheheroofPigeonCreek，ofClary’sGrove，didnotquitecomehack。Intheoutwardlife，tobesure，adaycamewhenthesunnystory-teller，thevictorofJackArmstrong，wasoncemorewhatJackwouldhavecalledhisrealself。Intheinnerlifewherealonewashisreality，thetemperwhichafflictionhadrevealedtohimwasestablished。Everafter，atheart，hewastodwellalone，facing，silent，thoseinscrutablethingswhichtotheprimitivemindarethingsofeveryday。Always，hewastohaveforhisportioninhisrealself，thedimnessoftwilight，oratbest，thenightwithitsstars，“neverglad，confidentmorningagain。“
IV。REVELATIONS
FromthistimeduringmanyyearsalmostallthemenwhosawbeyondthesurfaceinLincolnhaveindicated，inonewayoranother，theirvisionofaconstantquality。Theobserversofthesurfacedidnotseeit。Thatistosay，Lincolndidnotatoncecastoffanyofhispreviouscharacteristics。Itisdoubtfulifheeverdid。Hisexperiencewastenaciouslycumulative。Everythingheonceacquired，heretained，bothintheouterlifeandtheinner；andtherefore，tothosewhodidnothavethecluetohim，heappearedincreasinglycontradictory，onethingonthesurface，anotherwithin。
Clary’sGroveandtheevolutionsfromClary’sGrove，continuedtothinkofhimastheirleader。Ontheotherhand，menwhohadpartedwiththemerehumanismofClary’sGrove，whowereabitanalytical，whothoughtthemselvesstillmoreanalytical，seeingsomewhatbeneaththesurface，reachedconclusionssimilartothoseofashrewdCongressmanwholongafterwardsaidthatLincolnwasnotaleaderofmenbutamanagerofmen。[1]ThisastutedistinctionwasnottrueoftheLincolntheCongressmanconfronted；nevertheless，itbetraysmuchbothoftheobserverandofthemanhetriedtoobserve。IntheCongressman’sday，whathethoughthesawwasinrealitytheshadowofaLincolnthathadpassedaway，passedsoslowly，soimperceptiblythatfewpeopleknewithadpassed。Duringmanyyearsfollowing1835，thedistinctioninthemainapplied。Sothoughtthemenwho，likeLincoln’slatestlawpartner，WilliamH。Herndon，werenotderivativesofClary’sGrove。TheLincolnofthesedayswastheonlyoneHerndonknew。HowdeeplyheunderstoodLincolnisjustlyamatterofdebate；butthis，atleast，heunderstood——thatClary’sGrove，inattributingtoLincolnitsownideaofleadership，wasdefinitelywrong。HesawinLincoln，inallthelargermatters，atendencytowaitonevents，totaketheleadindicatedbyevents，todowhatshallowpeoplewouldhavecalledmeredrifting。Toexplainthis，helabeledhimafatalist。[2]Thelabelwasonlyapproximate，asmostlabelsare。
ButHerndon’sefforttofindoneissignificant。Intheseyears，Lincolntooktheinitiative——whenhetookitatall——inawaythatmostpeopledidnotrecognize。Hisspiritwaseveraloof。Itwasonlytheevery-day，theexternalLincolnthatcameintopracticalcontactwithhisfellows。
Thisisespeciallytrueofthegrowingpolitician。HeservedfourconsecutivetermsintheLegislaturewithoutdoinganythingthathadthestampoftrueleadership。Hewasnotlikeeitherofthetwotypesofpoliticiansthatgenerallymadeupthelegislaturesofthosedays——themenwhodealtinideasaspoliticalcounters，andthemenwhoweregrafterswithoutintheirnaivewayknowingthattheyweregrafters。AsamemberoftheLegislature，Lincolndidnotdealinideas。HewasinstinctivelyincapableofgraftAcuriouslyroutinepolitician，onewhohadnoneoftheearmarksfamiliarinsuchaperson。Aloof，andyet，morethanevercompanionable，thepowerhehadintheLegislature——forhehadacquiredameasureofpower——waswhollypersonal。ThoughcalledaWhig，itwasnotasapartymanbutasapersonalfriendthathewasabletocarrythroughhislegislativetriumphs。Hismostsignalachievementwaswhollyamatterofpersonalpolitics。TherewasageneraldemandfortheremovalofthecapitalfromitsearlyseatatVandalia，andrivalryamongothertownswaskeen。
SangamonCountywasbentonwinningtheprizeforitsownSpringfield。LincolnwasputinchargeoftheSpringfieldstrategy。Howheplayedhiscardsmaybejudgedfromtherecollectionsofanothermemberwhoseemstohaveanticipatedthatnoblepoliticalmaxim，“What’stheConstitutionbetweenfriends？““Lincoln，“hesays，“madeWebbandmevotefortheremoval，thoughwebelongedtothesouthernendofthestate。
Wedefendedourvotebeforeourconstituentsbysayingthatnecessitywouldultimatelyforcetheseatofgovernmenttoacentralposition；butinreality，wegavethevotetoLincolnbecausewelikedhim，becausewewantedtoobligeourfriend，andbecausewerecognizedhimasourleader。“[3]
Andyetonthegreatissuesofthedayhecouldnotleadthem。
In1837，themovementofthemilitantabolitionists，stillbutafewyearsold，wasbeginningtosettheUnionbytheears。
TheillegitimatechildofCalvinismandtherightsofman，itdamnedwithoneanathemaeveryholderofslavesandalsoeveryopponentofslaveryexceptitsownuncompromisingadherents。
Itsanimositywastrainedparticularlyoneverysuggestionthatdesignedtouprootslaverywithoutcreatinganeconomiccrisis，thatwouldfollowEngland’sexample，andterminatethe“peculiarinstitution“bypurchase。Thereligioussideofabolitioncameoutinitsfuryagainstsuchideas。
Slave-holderswereCanaanites。ThenewcultwereGod’sownpeoplewhowereappointedtofeelanewthejoyofIsraelhewingAgagasunder。Fanatics，terrible，heroic，unashamed，theymadetwosortsofenemies——notonlythepartisansofslavery，butallthosesanereformerswho，whilehatingslavery，hatedalsotheblood-lustthatwouldmakethehewingofAgagarespectabledeviceofpoliticalscience。AmongthepartisansofslaverywerethemajorityoftheIllinoisLegislature。Earlyin1837，theypassedresolutionscondemningabolitionism。Whereuponitwasrevealed——notthatanybodyatthetimecaredtoknowthefact，ortookittoheart——thatamongtheothersortoftheenemiesofabolitionwasourgoodyoungfriend，everybody’sgoodfriend，AbeLincoln。HedrewupaprotestagainsttheLegislature’saction；butforallhispersonalinfluenceinotheraffairs，hecouldpersuadeonlyonemembertosignwithhim。Nothistocommandatwillthosewho“recognizedhimastheirleader“intheorthodoxpoliticalgame——sodiscreet，inthatitleftprinciplesforsomeoneelsetobetroubledabout!
Lincoln’sprotestwasquitetoofaroutoftheordinaryforpersonalpoliticstoendureit。Thesignerswereaskedtoproclaimtheirbelief“thattheinstitutionofslaveryisfoundedonbothinjusticeandbadpolicy；butthatthepromulgationofabolitiondoctrinestendsrathertopromotethantoabateitsevils。“[4]
Thesingularoriginalityofthisposition，sweepingasideasvainbothparticipantsinthenewpoliticalduel，wasquitelostonthelittleworldinwhichLincolnlived。Forafter-timeithastheinterestofabombshellthatfailedtoexplode。ItisthedawnofLincoln’sintellect。Inhislonelyinnerlife，thiscrudeyouth，thisloverofbooksinavillagewherebookswerecuriosities，hadbeguntothink。Thestagesofhistransitionfrommere