"until very recently" includes pre-industrial times to my understanding when education did not exist in an organized fashion for the poor.

[edit] And in what world is Abraham Lincoln considered "the poor" for his times? I am sure you can come up with some less fortunate people during the same times which didn't really get the experience of that one room schoolhouse.

Illinois had universal free public school since 1825, so no, you couldn’t find anyone who didn’t have access to that experience (or better).

> And in what world is Abraham Lincoln considered "the poor"

In the world where he was born on the frontier in a log cabin, which is this one.