| Show When Lincoln Spoke e at Gettysburg II Three Score and 15 Years Ago By ELMO SCOTT WATSON O C Western New Newspaper pap r Union f MIREE score and fifteen THREE I years ago a tall gaunt sad-eyed sad man stood upon upon up up- on a platform overlooking the scene of one of the worlds world's decisive battles and battles and began to speak Isis His voice was thin shrill pitched high-pitched in striking striking striking ing contrast to the rich full tones of the trained orator who had preceded him At first that previous speaker speak speak- er had held his audience spellbound with his elo elo- quence But as his speech went on and on and on for on-for for foran an hour and 57 minutes in fact people began to weary So it was something of a relief relief relief re re- lief when he finished and there here was a certain revival of interest when the next speaker arose and drew himself himself himself him him- self to his full height Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth upon this continent a anew anew anew new nation conceived in Lib Lib- t M ht w f 1 V f m q N I t N t. t 1 H t l' l J i f JI tF r. r V Vt t rj P 1 n w o t tt I t nl i p ww jl X 1 t f arty erty and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal the shrill voice proclaimed People leaned forward to listen listen listen lis lis- ten for it was difficult for some of them to h hear ar A minute passed two minutes then That this nation nallon under God shall have a new birth of freedom and that government of the people by the people for far the people shall not perish from the earth With those words the speaker sat down His Uis audience looked at each other in amazement Why he had stopped just when they thought he was beginning I Who Whoever Whoever Whoever ever heard of a man making such sucha a short speech I They were right For there were exactly words in that speech As he sat down there was but very little applause and that was apparently for the speaker because because because be be- cause he was the President of the United States and not for the words he had uttered But in that they were wrong For the speech to which they had just listened was Abraham Lincoln's Gettysburg Gettysburg Gettysburg Gettys Gettys- burg Address that has been called a classic which will endure endure endure en en- dure so long as the English language language language lan lan- guage is spoken A Disappointed Audience In the light of that statement with with which few if any will wUI dissent dis dis- sent sent sent-it it seems strange indeed indeed- I that thai the people who heard it uttered uttered uttered ut ut- 75 15 years ago were so little impressed by it Yet such was the case Dr William E. E Barton in his book Lincoln at Gettysburg Gettysburg Gettys burg a page book about a word speech says People were disappointed After Everett Everetts oration the PresIdents PresIdent's Presidents President's Presidents President's Pres Pres- ident's speech seemed almost no speech at aU all all That night they told of hearing Everett and of seeing the President Incidentally Incidentally Incidentally tally some come of them mentioned the President had uttered a few Cew remarks remarks re re- marks yes they had h heard ard the President But while they were glad alad to have bave heard him not many r F fw w n k Jt a eJ 6 vw r J I Io pI p I r fr Ih- Ih f Jb s f J-c J r ft car U t W PI P. P r r I If 4 o low e D AJ S i ei Cw 1 4 Iw t 04 Orge c esa ev eh e t PJ to h- M fG 4 aL w i wn Y IN 1 of c w L Lar mot r- r ws y Z Gat LC c e u- u t v tW e. e f aid a Cj a k N F w fL t- t 14 I A ZoG 4 4 a o 4 J k-CG k ez r dc ly MP aV a tA h ry sr 74 a r PO w r 6 v o I 7 V po 4 i I a b JI I j 1 c v f c i l u w br ko l. l l t Lq r 4 l I Mi Vt o f fi fit t W Jt i iff t fJ N 4 1 t f f r JI l H M I W. W i j t i f 4 4 i t kj IL I LINCOLN SPEAKING AT GETTYSBURG From a contemporary drawing of them at the time said very much about the Presidents President's speech A few remarks indeed I Yet the people who heard him were not the only ones who felt that way about it Another of Lincoln's Lincoln's Lincoln's Lin Lin- coln's biographers Ward II n. Lamon Lamon Lamon La- La mon has recorded Lincoln's own dissatisfaction with his speech how he himself called it a flat fiat Failure and added after he returned returned returned re re- re- re turned to Washington I tell you that speech fell on the audience like a wet blanket I am distressed distressed distressed dis dis- dis- dis about it I ought to have prepared it with more care But he was wrong about that just as he was wrong when Inthe in inthe inthe the speech itself he said the world will little note nor long remember remember remember re re- re- re member what we say here Perhaps Perhaps Perhaps Per Per- haps the world little noted atthe atthe at atthe the time what he said there But certainly it seems destined to to long remember However Lincoln wasn't the worlds worst prophet In this respect That title must go to the editor of the Harrisburg Pa Patriot and Union who wrote an editorial in which he said The President succeeded on this occasion occasion occasion occa occa- sion because he acted without sense and without constraint in a panorama that was gotten up more for the benefit of his party than for the glory of the nation and the honor of the dead We pass over the silly remarks of the President for the credit of the th nation we are willing that the veil of oblivion shall be dropped over them and that they shall no nomore nomore nomore more bs ba repeated or thought of Of course that was the fulmInation fulmination fulmination nation of a bitterly partisan news news- paper But the Harrisburg editor wasn't alone in his attitude For as Barton records The Chicago Times and the Register in Lincoln's Lincoln's Lin Lin- coln's own home town of Springfield Springfield Spring Spring- field and other partisan newspapers newspapers newspapers pers were equally caustic and equally unjust Lincoln Overlooked One of the most Interesting examples examples examples ex ex- amples of failure of the editors to appreciate the speech was that of the New York Times The Following day it carried an editorial editorial edi edt under the head Two Great Orations which said We devote de de- vote rote a broadside of this mornings morning's morn morn- ings ing's Times to the publication of two orations which we are sure will command the attention of the day It then went on to discuss discuss discuss dis dis- dis- dis cuss the beauty of language and the eloquent voices of two masters masters masters mas mas- of oratory One of these was Edward Everett who had spoken at the dedication of the National cemetery at Gettysburg I The other was NOT Abraham Lincoln at the same ceremony It was Rev Henry Ward Beecher Beech- Beech er who had just returned from England and on the evening of the day before had addressed a great crowd at the Academy of Music in his home city of Brook Brook- lyn To the credit of Edward Everett Everett Everett Ever Ever- ett however let it be said that he was one of the few possibly few possibly the only one who one who recognized the greatness of Lincoln's speech atthe atthe at atthe the time He lie wrote to Lincoln the next day I should be glad if I could flatter myself that I came as near to the central idea of the occasion in two hours as you did didin didin didin in two minutes Tributes From England But if the greatness of the Gettysburg Gettysburg Get Get- speech was not appreciated appreciated appreciated at the time it was uttered recognition was not long in com corn ing tag Nor has that r recognition cognition been confined to his fellow coun It was Lord Charm wood of England who characterized the speech as a classic which will wil endure as long as the English language is spoken And another another another an an- other Englishman Lord Curzon in a lecture at the University o of Cambridge paid it this tribute I escape the task of decIding which is the masterpiece of modern modern modern mod mod- ern English eloquence by award award- awarding awarding ing the prize to an American The Gettysburg Address is far tar more than a pleasing piece of occa OCca- occasional OCcasional occasional oratory It is a marvelous marvel marvel- ous piece of English composition It is a pure well weli of English un un- defiled denied Lincoln's words are I among the glories and treasures of mankind |
