h
inclusive, practiced law more assiduously than ever before.
Always Whig in politics; and generally on the Whig
electoral tickets, making active canvasses. I was losing
interest in politics when the repeal of the Missouri Compromise
aroused me again. What I have done since then
is pretty well known. 5

If any personal description of me is thought desirable,
it may be said I am, in height, six feet four inches, nearly;
lean in flesh, weighing on an average one hundred and
eighty pounds; dark complexion, with coarse black hair
and gray eyes. No other marks or brands recollected. 10

1. Outline Lincoln's life, ancestry, etc., as here
presented, under the proper heads. Test your
outline by trying to group all the facts under
their proper headings. This will require careful
re-reading of the selection.

2. Next take one of your topics and practice
_thinking_ of the items you have included under it.
Be ready to speak on any one of your topics at
class recitation.

3. What major events of Lincoln's life are omitted
from this document? Why? (To answer this, refer to
your history for the dates of Lincoln's presidency;
compare with the date when this was written.)

4. Is there anything in the article that sounds the
least boastful? Explain lines 25-26 in this
connection.

5. Who were the Whigs? What was the Missouri
Compromise?

6. One sentence in this suggests the sly humor of
Lincoln. Find it.

O CAPTAIN! MY CAPTAIN

BY WALT WHITMAN

The Civil War between the North and the South
lasted from 1861-1865. Abraham Lincoln was
President of the United States at the time, and it
was largely due to his wisdom that the great
conflict lasted no longer. The Northern armies were
generally victorious in the winter and spring of
1865. The nation, however, was suddenly bowed in
grief. The President was shot by an assassin on
April 14, and died next day.

Walt Whitman (1819-1892) at the time was employed
in a clerical position in the War Department, and,
outside office hours, in nursing wounded soldiers
in Washington. He often saw Lincoln,