These things Mr.Lincoln regarded as highly pernicious to the thoughtless and giddy young men who were too much inclined to look upon work as vulgar and ungentlemanly.

He was much excited, and said with great earnestness that this spirit ought to be met, and if possible checked; that slavery was a great and crying injustice, an enormous national crime, and we could not expect to escape punishment for it.

I asked him how he would proceed in his efforts to check the spread of slavery.

He confessed he did not see his way clearly; but I think he made up his mind that from that time he would oppose slavery actively.

I know that Lincoln always contended that no man had any right, other than what mere brute force gave him, to hold a slave.