Letter to the Editor

Choosing the time, circumstance

To the editor:

He joined a law firm in Illinois after gaining a law degree by working hard without help from an upper-class family.

He won election to the Illinois Legislature and served four terms.

He was considered to be a great orator and inspirational speaker. A series of speeches on important issues of the day transformed him into a national political star.

He spoke out against a looming war he attributed to a president's desire for "military glory."

He ran for the U.S. House of Representatives and won, serving one term.

Then he decided to run for the presidency of the United States after serving only eight years in the state government of Illinois and two years in the federal government.

Who are you thinking about? Think again. This is part of Abraham Lincoln's biography.

Sometimes a man chooses his own time and circumstances, and sometimes the times and circumstances choose him.

BARBARA CAMPBELL, Cape Girardeau