The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1899-05-30
AT GETTYSBURG.


which stands nov In the hearts % mel
a. a message rivaling In patriotism
and wisdom the farewell address oi
Gen. Washington. Scholars call ID elo
quen' and equal to the great speeches
which adOrn the most momentous &C.
casions In Anglo-Saxon history.
The incidents Of its delivery become
more interesting as time passes. Tho
opinions of the men who sat on the
Gettysburg platform when the speech
was delivered are now the evidences
u the short vision Of man, and the
failure Of LinColn's able contempora-
rins to mark the value OF his thought
IN that occasion. The rising genera
lion should understand how fallible
human judgments are dealing with
current events.
| Col. Lamon, the Marshal of the Dis
trict of Columbia, and Lincoln's aide
and attendant says Of the occasion and
the speech:
Mr.. Everetts address was worthy
Of the solemn occasion and Of his great
fame as an orator. He was tumultu-
ously applauded. While the President
delivered his few hundred words the
multitude observed perfect silence
One might have been able to hear the
proverbial pin drop.
AS for me, | recognized the brief
| address, Lincoln having read the first
draft to me few days previous. This
| took place at my house In Washing
| ton, whittier the President had come
to spend the evening. On removing
his hat on that occasion a folded sheet
IF fOolscap paper dropped out.
II will read that to you, Hill he
had said. 1T Is a memorandum of my
forthcoming address But. let me tell
you it is not at all satisfactory to me.
adays still, the public will expect a
supreme effort, nevertheless. am
afraid, though. 1t will be disappointed
this time
What the Gettysburg audience
thought of the speech do not pretend
to know. At any rate, the people in
dulged in no demonstrations: but we,
On the platform. | am ashamed to say,
felt much depressed on account of il.
Mr.. Everett, answering to a whispered
question from Secretary Seward. blunt
iy said: 4 am disappointed. 1t was
not what | expected from Mr.. Lincoln
And what is your opinion, Mr..
Seward added Everett. Mr.. Seward
replied: He has made a botch of it,
and | am very sorry. That speech was
not worthy of Lincoln
The Secretary of State then asked
indorse the criticisms already passed,
for ] felt. with the rest of Lincoln's
friends that his speech was not up to
the mark"
When it was reported that the ad-
dress was received with cheers and
sobs, Col. Lamon said:
Il am the only Lincoln biographer
who was on that platform at Gettys-
burg The others got their material
secondhand, and among these writers
were many, who, during Lincoln's life
time, had run to their wits end to
BLACKBOARD the President. After his
death they fell in with the general
throng and lauded him to the sky.
They positively invented so-called
facts and incidents calculated to glo-
rify Lincoln. and the apotheosis of the
Gettysburg speech was only one of
these maneuvers.
Il repeat. there were only perfuncto-
ry demonstrations of applause at the
conclusion of Lincoln's remarks. More
over, the President himself felt that he
had made failurc. 'Lamon,' he said,
shortly after It was finished, that
speech won't scour. It's fiat failure,
and the people are disappointed
Wont scour' was Lincoln's favorite
expression for lack of merit.
Later on. AT Washington. the Pres
dent returned TO the subject. I'M
he said, i tell you that speech fell on
the audience like wet blanket. II
distresses me to think OF it. ought
70 have prepared it with greater care
similar remarks | heard from his lips
time and again in after years
The newspapers Of the day were very
severe in their criticisms Of the speech.
according To Col. Lamon;
~ single word of praise was
printed about the Gettysburg speech in
1868 don't remember II, Most OF the
papers jumped on the President for
using the phrase. the government Of
the people, by the people, and for tho
people, calling him plagiarlst This
charge hurt Lincoln deeply. when h,
spoke those words he never suspected
that they would be regarded as Origi-
nal. The thought you know, Is as old
As the republican idea of government,
and this particular phrase had been
a household word with Lincoln Tor
years previous tn Gettysburg"