I don't know where else, but it used to be (in the good old days) that Abraham Lincoln's birthday was a holiday in Indiana and Illinois. The kids got a school holiday in the midst of winter: a day to go sledding, or to get ready for Valentine's Day. We memorized the Gettysburg Address and studied the Emancipation Proclamation and saw his profile on every penny. Our nation's history seemed to hinge on the Lincoln presidency. He refused to let the Union be destroyed.

This house is Lincoln's home in Springfield, Illinois and has been designated as a national park. Two blocks in central Springfield have retained their historic character. One can almost imagine the time of Lincoln.

Now all of the Presidents are honored on the third Monday of February. The kids get out of school. The banks are closed. But all of the rest of us go about our business and don't remember.