Tales of the Midwest: Honest Abe
It is said an Eastern monarch once charged his wise men to invent him a sentence to be ever in view, and which should be true and appropriate in all times and situations. They presented him the words: “And this, too, shall pass away.” How much it expresses! How chastening in the hour of pride! How consoling in the depths of affliction!
~ Abraham Lincoln
Most kids in my school were idiots (myself included, at that age); there’s no denying that. However, even the dumbest of us all would surely show a slight glimmer of intellect upon first seeing our 8th grade science teacher. That’s because they recognized something utterly historical about the man; he bore a striking resemblance to perhaps the most famous Midwesterner of all time, Abraham Lincoln (a.k.a. the “Rail Splitter,” “Honest Abe,” “Old Abe,” the “Illinois Ape”).
In fact, “resemblance” may be too imprecise; this man was Abraham Lincoln — a towering 6 foot 4 inch man, mid-50s, rail-thin, bearded, and charismatic. He used to roll up his shirtsleeves and flex his biceps for the class.
