Just what would old Abe Lincoln do if he were alive and watching out over the current political scene? Before I go any further let me explain, President Lincoln is my favorite of all the presidents. There were ample portraits of George Washington and Lincoln, usually side by side in the school room there in Centrahoma. I liked Abe best. What’s was wrong with George you might ask? Well this. George’s eyes followed one around the room. Abe Lincoln’s didn’t. I thought the eye thing was a little much what with my teacher always keeping her eye on me like she did.

There are many stories about Mr. Lincoln’s honesty. I admired that a lot and his returning the lost penny to its owner impressed me as did the story of the lady who went off and left her change on the Abe’s counter. He walked a long way that night to get it back to her. So what would Abe think about President Trump? Interesting considering how dissimilar that are and yet they have many things in common.

President Trump went to school and college and got a degree. Later he was smart enough to amass more than a billion dollars and functioned well in several vocations including starring in TV shows and becoming well known to the public. Lincoln served as a postmaster once and did a term as a Congressman. Trump never held any office before being elected President. And this: Mr. Lincoln had a nickname of “Honest Abe.” I won’t say that Mr. Trump is dishonest but somehow the name Honest Donald doesn’t just roll over the lips.

President Lincoln was a war president and managed it well. He once traveled to a place called Gettysburg to help dedicate a large graveyard. He was to make a speech. Several long-winded speakers went ahead and by the time it came to him the audience was about worn out. And he gave his “Gettysburg Address,” a speech that become famous for its simple eloquence and its brevity. But the press, a hostile bunch if there ever was one was very critical and said it wasn’t worthy of honoring all those dead and brave soldiers. One leading publisher in Chicago (Horace Greeley) called it silly and embarrassing. But it stood the test of time with millions of school kids made to memorize it.

So it is that if Donald Trump is “educated” he wasn’t educated like Abe Lincoln. Abe’s education was very short in school but he had a very discerning mother who helped him find proper reading and of course he loved it--reading by the light of a fireplace late into the nights the works of Homer, The Bible, Shakespeare and other great minds in literature and history. But being “self” educated didn’t set well with others who judged him far too ignorant to be President. Their perceptions of Lincoln and Trump matched up pretty good. But as I remember it, no one thought the underdog Trump had any chance against Mrs. Clinton. But like Lincoln, Trump was the surprising winner.

Monday was Martin Luther King day. Donald Trump escorted his wife and Dr. Ben Carson out to the MLK Monument and made a speech. It was a nice talk but it was no Gettysburg Address. Among other things, Dr. King was commended on being a good doctor and giving free medical care to the blacks. He also commended him for his engineering prowess in being the fi rst to build an underground railroad. He introduced this manner of railroading and helped advance railroading a lot. Dr. Ben Carson, M. D. looked on with mouth agape and wondered where the doctoring and subways got into this story. Just another entertaining day with our President.

Be sure and go to church Sunday. You won’t need a subway to get there either.

Wayne Bullard, DPh

waynebullard@sbcglobal.net