Happy 212th birthday, Abraham Lincoln!
The image of Abraham Lincoln is a familiar sight on the Ripon College campus. The bronze statue “The Young Lincoln” or “Lincoln the Dreamer” was unveiled in 1939. It was sculpted and donated by 1877 Ripon College alumnus Clarence Addison Shaler, an inventor and industrialist (1860-1941). Shaler was born in Mackford Township, Green Lake County, Wisconsin.
A plaque in Shaler’s words reads: “Represents the man, Lincoln, as he was at the outset of his public career. His character formed by his early hardships in the wilderness partakes of the strength of the oak tempered by the warmth of his sympathies.
“He is leaving that early environment in pursuit of an unknown destiny, untouched as yet by tragedy, betrayal and disillusionment. A man at the noon of his powers, which his high resolve has already dedicated to the good of country and of mankind.”
Lincoln was born Feb. 12, 1809. He was primarily self-educated. He had little formal schooling and never attended college, but he held a lifelong interest in learning.
— “Every head should be cultivated.”
— “Education does not mean teaching people what they do not know. It means teaching them to behave as they do not behave.”
— “Upon the subject of education, not presuming to dictate any plan or system respecting it, I can only say that I view it as the most important subject which we as a people can be engaged in. That every man may receive at least a moderate education … appears to be an object of vital importance. …”
Related Posts
Title IX marks 50th anniversary and lasting effects on campuses today
Today marks the 50th anniversary of the passage of the Title IX of the Education Amendments Act of 1972. Title IX is a federal equity […]
Commencement regalia of Jairo Javier Morales ’19 on display at Smithsonian
When Jairo Javier Morales ’19 accepted his diploma in the Willmore Center field house wearing a gown adorned with the wings of a monarch butterfly, […]
Today is just TOO much
It is often said, “Good things come in pairs,” and today’s date offers symmetrical synchronicity for pattern lovers! Today is 2-22-22 and falls on a […]
And now for the mathematical considerations
Today is a palindromic date: 2-22-22. While some people may view this as a lucky date, I view it as an opportunity to reflect on […]