The qualities which caused him to be acclaimed the leader, he possessed when he was teaching school, and splitting rails, and reading law in a judge's musty office. From the beginning he was a man among men who always upheld the right, advocated justice for the oppressed, and a square deal for all.

Hopley frames leadership as something rooted in character rather than conferred by office. By invoking the familiar Lincolnian milestones—teaching school, splitting rails, and studying law in a “musty office”—he emphasizes continuity: the virtues later celebrated in a national leader were already present in humble, formative work. The quote argues that true greatness is visible early in a person’s consistent commitment to fairness, justice, and defending the vulnerable. It also participates in the American tradition of moral biography, using everyday labor and self-education as evidence of integrity and democratic legitimacy.