prosperity. He became a leading merchant in a western city, while his dishonest employer became a bankrupt, and died in poverty.

Society never needed uncompromising honesty more than it does to-day. Young people never needed it more in going out into the great world than the young people of our day, for they will meet temptations to dishonesty everywhere. Designing and intriguing men who "have an eye to the main chance," and who claim that "every man is for himself," will press their way clear to the front. Mean, brazen, unscrupulous, licentious, desperate, despicable men and women will be met on life's great thoroughfares, but if thoroughly mailed with unyielding honesty, having a conscience void of offense, these tempters will be powerless, for the highest authority declares, "Every man is tempted when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed." If they are right inside, the temptations outside will be as though they were not.

The honest man may be unfortunate. In the ups and downs of business he may become embarrassed, and even ruined financially, but he cannot be ruined morally. His unbending integrity is a guarantee against that; and, at the same time, it gathers a host of sympathizing friends around him in the hour of his adversity. A conflagration may sweep away his last dollar, or a sudden financial crash may leave him penniless, but all is not lost; the best survives the wreck. Honesty will never perish; and noble hearts bring their loving tributes of respect in the dark hour of misfortune. Honesty triumphs.

Abraham Lincoln was called "Honest Abe." This sobriquet was given to him at New Salem, Illinois, whither he went to take charge of the "country store" of one Orfutt, in 1831. He was about twenty-two years of age, awkward, bashful, but strictly upright. He took no advantage of the ignorance or necessities of customers, but represented goods just as they were, gave Scripture measure and weight, and always hastened to correct mistakes.

One day he sold.a bill of goods, amounting to two dollars. and six cents, to Mrs. Duncan, living more than two miles away. On looking over the account again in the evening, before closing the store, he found that Mrs. Duncan paid him six cents too much. "That must be corrected to-night," he

said to himself; so, as soon as he had closed the shutters for the night, he posted away with the six cents surplus to her house. She was preparing to retire when he knocked at the door, and was very much surprised, on opening it, to see Orfutt's clerk standing there. Apologizing for the mistake, Lincoln deposited the six cents in her hand, and slept all the better that night for having corrected the error.

At another time, a woman came to the store late in the evening, when Lincoln was closing it, for a half pound of tea, which was weighed in haste. Immediately after she left, Lincoln locked the store and went home. On returning the next morning, his attention was called to the scales, which had a four-ounce weight instead of eight in them.

He knew

at once that he must have given the woman a quarter instead of a half pound of tea. Weighing another quarter of a pound, he closed the store and delivered it to the customer, asking her pardon, before commencing the labors of the day.

Such examples of honesty were not overlooked by the public. Men and women talked about them, and extolled the author of them. They led, also, to something more. In that part of the country, at that time, various games prevailed in which two sides enlisted; and it was the custom to appoint an umpire for each game. Lincoln became the universal umpire, both sides insisting upon his appointment on account of his fairness. His honesty won the confidence of all.

One Henry McHenry planned a horse race, and applied to Lincoln to act as judge.

"No; I've done with that," answered Lincoln.

"But you must," urged McHenry.

"I must not and I will not," responded Lincoln, with much emphasis; "this horse-racing business is all wrong." "Just this once; never will ask you again," continued McHenry.

"Well, remember, just this once' it is," was Lincoln's conclusion, thinking it might be the best way to make a corrupting practice of "wild western life" unpopular. He acted as judge, and the party against whom his judgment weighed said, "Lincoln is the fairest man I ever had to deal with. If he is in this country when I die, I want him to be my administrator, for he is the only man I ever met with that was wholly and unselfishly honest."

Dr. Holland says: "When Lincoln terminated his labors for Orfutt, every one trusted him. He was judge, arbitrator, referee, umpire, authority in all disputes, games, matches of man-flesh and horse-flesh; a pacificator in all quarrels ; everybody's friend; the best natured, the most sensible, the best informed, the most modest and unassuming, the kindest, gentlest, roughest, strongest, best young fellow in all New Salem and the region round about."

This is a just encomium; but it never could have been said of him but for his unbending honesty, a quality for which he was known from his boyhood. The honest boy makes the honest man.

When Lincoln became a lawyer, he carried to the bar this habitual honesty. His associates were often surprised by his utter disregard of self-interest, while they could but admire his conscientious defense of what he considered right. One day a stranger called to secure his services.

"State your case," said Lincoln. A history of the case was given, when Lincoln astonished him by saying:

"I cannot serve you; for you are wrong, and the other party is right."

"That is none of your business, if I hire and pay you for taking the case," retorted the man.

"Not my business!" exclaimed Lincoln. "My business is never to defend wrong, if I am a lawyer. I never undertake a case that is manifestly wrong."

"Well, you can make trouble for the fellow," added the applicant.

"Yes," replied Lincoln, fully aroused; "there is no doubt but that I can gain the case for you, and set a whole neighborhood at loggerheads. I can distress a widowed mother and her six fatherless children, and thereby get for you six hundred dollars, which rightly belongs as much to the woman and her children as it does to you; but I won't do it."

"Not for any amount of pay?" continued the stranger. "Not for all you are worth,” replied Lincoln. "You must remember that some things which are legally right are not morally right. I shall not take your case."

"I don't care a snap whether you do or not!" exclaimed the man, angrily, starting to go.

"I will give you a piece of advice without charge," added

Lincoln. "You seem to be a sprightly, energetic man. I would advise you to make six hundred dollars some other way."

Judge Treat gives the following: "A case being called for hearing in the court, Mr. Lincoln stated that he appeared for the appellant, and said, 'This is the first case I have ever had in this court, and I have, therefore, examined it with great care. As the court will perceive, by looking at the abstract of the record, the only question in the case is one of authority. I have not been able to find any authority to sustain my side of the case, but I have found several cases to sustain the other side. I will now give these cases, and then submit the case.'

Some lawyers present thought he was crazy, not being accustomed to look for "exact justice."

He undertook the celebrated Patterson trial, a case of murder, supposing the accused was innocent. Before the evidence was all in, he became satisfied that the man was guilty, and withdrew from the case, leaving his partner to conduct it. The accused was acquitted, but Lincoln would not take a cent of the one thousand dollars paid to his partner for services.

Lincoln's professional life abounded with similar incidents, leading Judge David Davis to say, "The framework of his mental and moral being was honesty. He never took from a client, even when the cause was gained, more than he thought the service was worth and the client could afford to pay."

The time came, in 1860, when Lincoln's honesty was needed to save the nation. Slavery threatened to overthrow the Republic unless it was allowed to become universal. North and South there was distrust, alienation, and apprehension. The retiring president had governed for the South, in the interest of bondage. Loyal citizens had lost confidence in public men. The next president must be one whose character would challenge the respect and confidence of loyal people, or the ship of state would go under in the fearful storm gathering. Abraham Lincoln was the man. He could be trusted. Friends of the Union gave him their implicit confidence, and became a unit. His honesty had reached its highest value and saved the Republic by destroying slavery.

CHAPTER IV.

JOHN DAVIS LONG.

ON THE PROBLEM OF LIFE HIS ANCESTRY -LIFE IN OXFORD COUNTY, MAINE AT HEBRON ACADEMY -COLLEGE CAREER- AS A LAW STUDENT -THE LAWYER POLITICAL BEGINNINGS GOVERNOR OF MASSACHUSETTS SECRETARY OF THE NAVY PERSONAL CHARACTERISTICS. CHOICE OF

COMPANIONS.

The problem of life is never solved, and yet the method of its solution is as plain as daylight, and that method is progress,

progress, progress,-progress in physical and material circumstance, in intellectual enlargement and force, in moral sentiment, in æsthetic refinement, in personal character.

No man is altogether the master of his own character or inclination, but I should say the personal elements of success are natural capacity and industry. With these must go, however, thoroughness in intellectual culture and moral impress on character.

My maturer experience has shown me that nothing is so important to a young man in the formation of character as the influence, inspiration, elevation of a riper or superior mind, sensibly or insensibly holding him to higher standards, not in the goody-goody sense, but in the appreciation of his own powers, capacities and obligations.

джови

'HERE is a type of character which we have come to look upon as distinctively American. It is compounded of keen intelligence, celerity in action, readiness of resource, large toleration, easy good humor, confident optimism, and entire independence. A shrewd wit flavors it, a ready speech belongs to it, a fine and tender sentiment lies