The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1892-05-29

bellish their delivery. Mr.. Everett be-
lieved that the Gettysburg address was to
be the Grafton of his life, and the one per-
haps by which he would be best known to
posterity.
The writer was once chatting with Mr..
Edward Mcpherson, and told something
OF the manner in which Mr.. Lincoln pre-
pared his address. Mcpherson was a
member of congress, representing the
Gettysburg district. and in that capacity
he escorted President Lincoln from Wash
ington TO Gettysburg The president
seemed to be in one of his moods Of sor-
row when they entered the cars, and Nc
Pherson, who was familiar with Mr..
Llncoln's varying expressions of coun-
tenance. was of opinion that the president
was burdened that day with a sense of the
mighty responsibilities which were upon
him, and was saddened by the reflection
that the struggle to maintain the Union
had already cost hundreds of thousands Of
lives, the burial place of some of these
mission of the day. At last, after
leaving Baltimore, Mr.. lincoln seemed to
brighten up, and he took from his pocket
two or three sheets of commercial note
paper, upon which had been written with
lead pencil what seemed to he some frag-
mentary comments. Mr.. Lincoln took
out his glasses and read This seeming
two triting corrections in it. He said
that he had jotted down few things
which had occurred to him to say, be-
cause 1t was expected, he believed, that he
would say something. He was inclined
to think that Mr.. Everett's Grafton would
be In every way worthy of the event, and
he spoke in praise of Everett as patriot
and an orator.
When the time came for Mr.. Lincoln to
deliver his address he rose, and in that man
ner of his which at first sight seemed al
most ungainly and yet afterwards became
so impressive as he proceeded with his
speech, he put on his spectacles, took the
few sheets of commercial note from his
pocket and then read the address Com
paratively few of the great throng present
were able TO hear it. Almost all of those
who did were not especially impressed
with the speech; but there were a few men
among them Mr.. John Russell Young
who realized that they had been listening
to an address which was sure 10 become a
classic and perhaps woald be regarded as
the most perfect example of an English
prose address ever produced by al Amer
lean.
Mr.. Everett's grafton was stately. digni-
fed. elegant, but formal. He had writ
ten It on the models of the best English
and American orations. and had pro-
nounced II according To the rules OF elocu-
ton. 1t sounded we'll it was impressive
when heard. but il hiss been practically
forgotten. Nearly a month had passed be-
lore the country realized What A gem OF ora
tory Mr.. Llncoin's address was ! was so
short that less than ten minutes were re-
CURED Tor the reading OF il, and being
short was published IL almost every news
paper IN the country. Men of the
highest cultivation everywhere in
stantly recognized its extraordinary mer-
lis. James Russell Lowell pronounced
II IN subilmlJy of thought. appropriateness
OF Ideas. s0iemnIsy OF sentiment ana purity
oi Eng.lsA the finest specimen OF oratorv
English or American, and TINS view Was
reiterated by the English critics It is
nov admittedly the specimen of American
oratory which Will 90 down 10 future ages
anu rank Win the highest oratory of the
ancients. II IS the English prose classic.
II furnished the ideas for thousands of
Decoration day addresses which have
since been delivered. and as it has been
utilized by the professors of rhetoric in
schools and colleges II became almost as
familiar 10 the youth as the Bible itself.
Mr.. Lincoln was sstoDjShed when he
learned what the opinion Of the ahlest
men resarGlng this Grafton was. and he
could only explain the exalted view taken
Of II 10y saying that he had spoken as he
felt.
WHAT BECAME OF TUE SOLDIERS?
uous cavalry soldiers of the war. Some Of
his exploits we're romantic. all of them
dashinc and brilliant, SO that Ayeriu and
his cavalry furnished many theme for
dramatic writing on the part % the CORE
spondents. Twenty years after the war
was over the writer met General AVERT.
one day in Washington City and was sup
prlSed 70 ind him IN Il sOmew hat de
spoudent mood. lie said: The SOL
0leTs capital i OF no account III civil
he. sometimes think that IL tells
against him. V hen / LOOK at the careers
OF some q them who fought SO nobly shat
they were esteemed heroes, sometimes
think that II might have been well for
them had they died "a Reynolds and Ne
fnerSon and SeGEwick and Lyon did.
Some OF them have succeeded fairly we'll
III political Gamers. two or three OF them
have done well IN professional ana bust
ness pursuits, but the majority OF the
generals 10 retired iroW army Lie with