LISBON FALLS — In commemoration of the 150th anniversary of Abraham Lincoln’s term as president of the United States, Civil War enthusiast and living-history performer Charles W. Plummer will present a talk on Lincoln’s skill as a humorist and story teller at the Wednesday, Oct. 10, meeting of the Lisbon Historical Society, at the Marion T. Morse School on School Street. The program will begin at 7 p.m. Doors open at 6:30.

Today most people remember Lincoln as a great leader who made eloquent speeches and who was dedicated to preserving the Union during the trying times of the Civil War. However, many people are not familiar with the fact that he was also a well-known humorist and story teller who had inherited his penchant for jokes and story telling from his father, Thomas Lincoln.

As a child he loved to listen to his father and other men swap yarns around the wood stove. As he grew older he became increasingly adept at telling and re-telling humorous stories and when he became a lawyer he used his jokes and stories to gain the good will of juries. One might say he was his own court jester.

As a politician he made use of his stories in dealing with his political opponents including members of his cabinet and incompetent and insubordinate Union generals.

During the Lincoln-Douglas debates when he was running for the U.S. Senate he got a loud response from the audience when he said one of Sen. Douglas’s arguments was “as thin as the homeopathic soap that was made by boiling the shadow of a pigeon that had starved to death.”

As his responsibilities as president became more untenable, he used humor for self-therapy because he wanted to lessen the tensions in himself and those around him. One of his favorite quotes was, “It is better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak out and remove all doubt.” Another was, “The time comes upon every public man when it is best to keep his lips closed.”

During his presentation Plummer will be sharing many of Lincoln’s stories which he feels sure will elicit laughter from the audience. For more information contact Dorothy Smith at 353-8510 or [email protected].