34 AUTOBIOGRAPHY 



ordinary chopping ax while my younger sister 

 held them on the chopping block for me. Al- 

 though forbidden to do so I continued and soon 

 chopped off the index finger of my sister's right 

 hand. When I was later discovered under the 

 currant bushes I stoutly declared that my sister 

 had asked me to cut off the tops. In later years 

 I have often meditated on this scene in our 

 little garden of Eden for it has been enacted in 

 the world untold times and always with the same 

 excuse : "I was urged to do it." 



My next definite impression is of the political 

 campaign of 1 848. The whole country was wildly 

 excited at the approach of the Presidential elec- 

 tion. Up to this time the Democrats had had the 

 lion's share of Presidents. The Whigs nominated 

 William Henry Harrison and an unusual effort 

 was made to elect him. It may be truly said that 

 Harrison was sung into office. Ballads in great 

 variety were composed all containing some refer- 

 ence to log cabins, coon skins and hard cider; to 

 pioneer life and his war record. Miniature log 

 cabins were built of poles and mounted on great 

 farm wagons, coon skins were nailed on the out- 

 side and a cider barrel was trundled along after 

 it. The little house would hold perhaps twenty 



