Blackfoot news. (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1891-1902, 1894-06-16
Lincoln.s Gettysburg Address.

IN the century, lht. dOnu u. NlcOldN
who was Mr.. Lineoln's private seere-
tary, gives an account of how the IA
nous address at Gettysburg was writ,
ten. He says:
There is no decisive record of when
Mr. Lincoln wrote the first sentences
of his proposed address lie probably
/ followed his usual habit in such mat
tiers, using great deliberation in ar
ranging his thoughts, and molding his
phrases mentally, waiting to reduce
them to writing until they had taken
satisfactory form.
1 There was much greater necessity
/ for such preeaution in this case, be-
cause the invitation specified that the
address Of dedication should only be
"a few appropriate remarks" Brevity
in speech and writing was one Of Lin
coins marked characteristics: but in
4 this instance there existed two other
motives calculated to strongly support
| his natural inclination. One was that
Mr.. Everett would be quite certain to
make q long address; the other. the
want of opportunity even to think
leisurely about what he might desire
to say. All this strongly confirms the
correctness of the statement made by
the Hon James Speed, in an inter
view printed in the Louisville Com
mercial in November. 1879. that the
president told him that the day be-
fore he left Washington he found time
to write about half Of his speech.
1t was after the breakfast hour on
the morning of the 10Th that the
writer. Mr. Lincola's private secretary,
went to the upper end Of the house OF
Mr.. Wills lat Gettysburg which Mr.
Lincoln occupied, to report for duty,
and remained with the president
while he finished writing the Gettys-
burg address, during the short leisure
he could utilize for this purpose be-
fore being called To take his place in
the procession, which was announced
on the program TO move promptly at
ten o'clock.
There is neither record. evidences
nor well-fOunded tradition that Mr..
Lincoln did any writing, or made any
notes on the journey between Wash
ington and Gettysburg. The train
consisted Of four passenger coaches,
and either composition or writing
would have been extremely trouble
some amid al the movement, the
noise. the conversation. the greetings.
and the questiOnings which ordinary
courtesy required him to undergo in
these surroundings; but still worse
would have been the BOOKINGS and
loltings of the train, rendering writ
ing virtually impossible. Mr.. Lin
coin carried in his pocket the auto.
graph manuscript Of so much of his
address as he had written at Washing
ton the day before. 1t fills one page
OF the letter-paper at that time habit
ually used in the executive mansion.
containing the plainly printed. blank
heading: both paper and print giving
convincing testimony to the simple
and economical business methods then
prevailing in the White house.
This portion Of the manuscript be-
gins with the line -Four score and
seven years ago, and ends 1T is
rather for us the living, etc. The
'-i'tS " lIll' HIot IjtEc-0lneteG
Enes-is written in ink in the pres
dent strong, clear hand without blot
or erasure: and the last linz is in the
following form: 1T is rather for us
the living to stand here" the last
three words being, like tn. rest, in
ink. From the fact that this sentence
IS incomplete, we may infer that al
the time Of writing It ia WASHINGTON
the remainder OF the sentence was
also written in ink on another piece
OF paper. But when, at Gcttysbpry
on the morning Of the ceremonies.
Mr., Lincoln finished his manus cript
he used lead pencil, with which he
crossed out the last three words ~
the first page, and wrote above them
IN pencil I'VE here be dcdicn. ~
which point he took up a new half
sheet of paper-not white lcttcr-pan.r
as before, but bluish-gray fooIscap
OF large size with wide lines. habitp- |
ally used By him for long or formal |
documents. ard on this he wrote ali /
IN pencil, the remainder or the word
and of the first draft of the address
comprising total Of nine lines and n
half. The time occupied in this final
writing was probably about an hour,
ON His Post.