Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1894-03-23


SPEECHES.
argument even, Mr.. Lincoln was able to
make point or TO suggest an idea were pure
inventions of his, made many times upon
the spot. They are certainly pure allegories,
quite as suggestive as many of Esop's
fables, and reveal what to Lincoln himself
was an unconscious literary faculty
1t IL the common opinion of the ablest crit
les and the common appreciation Of all men
that Lincoln's Gettysburg address in sub
Unity Of thought, loftiness and appropri-
nteness Of expression and purity Of its die
ton il the most classic utterance of any
American and will take rank in history
with some of the profoundcst sentences of
Shakespeare, and it has been supposed that
it was an almost extemporaneous address,
revealing Lincoln's command of the highest
literary qualities, even in sudden emergen-
cy. But u recent paper written by one who
had abundant authority to know what Mr..
Lincoln's methods of composition were has
made it plain that this address, like every
other speech or writing that contains the
seeds Of immortality, was a laborious COM
position. Mr. Lincoln thought much upon
it, and it was always his habit to compose
mentally before be committed his thoughts
to paper. In fact, the mere work of writing
was mechanical almost automatic - as
some slips of the pen in the first draft of
that speech show.
After the speech was delivered it was sub
jected by Mr.. Lincoln to most painstaking
INSTRUMENTATION which reveals his intui-
tive perception of the canons of literary
form.
In visit to the New England states
about three months before he was nomi-
mated for the presidency Mr. Lincoln met
the Rev. DIR. John u. CULVER, a very able
clergyman, who died recently while hold
ing professors chair in the Andover sem
mary. DIR. Gulliver had heard of Lincoln
az country lawyer Of the west who had
made some speeches which We're regarded
as more powerful than those delivered by
Douglas, then esteemed the most brilliant
debater OF the time. Therefore. having OPP
portunity, DIR. CULVER went to hear this
country lawyer, expecting to find a quaint,
perhaps original, but wholly unrhetoricai
discourse, without any literary graces, but
only such rough mannerisins and sugges-
tions as would appeal to a political throng.
On the following morning DR.. CULVER
met Mr.. Lincoln upon the train, took a seat
beside him and said to him that he was
amazingly disappointed with the speech
and most happily disappointed, for he said:
"Your address was not only mastery in its
logic, most skillful in its presentations,
but it had . literary, charm. 1t was pre-
sented with such perfection of style, so far
as the use OF language is concerned, that
feel impelled to ask you how you mastered
that style. since the report has been made
in the east that you were an unlettered
country lawyer who had had very brief
schooling
Mr. Lincoln seemed pleased to hear this
compliment, Tor ne had an honest pride in
appearing well before the cultured people
Of the country He said that he presumed
that If he had any capacity for logical pres
entation it was partly natural ard partly
due to habit which he had adopted early
in life Of never opening his lips to speak
upon any matter which was not as clear tc
his own mind as the simplest sentence
could be. Thus he had trained himself to
speak so that ether people could under
stand him, because he himself understood
what it was that he wanted to say.
He said taat he had unconsciously, per-
haps, learned to SPEAK with precision and
with happy choice Of words because nc
had r. ad over ana over again the Bible.
Shakespeare, "-s:says Fables and had
read an abridged dictionary which he pos
sessed so frequenai!, studying every won!
IN il, that he almost knew it by heart. 1t
was his opinion that only by such habit rs
that was it possible for man IN the higher
forces of discourse to obtain complees
mnatery over language. E. J. EDWARDS.