New-York tribune., 1909-02-13
IAN AT COOPER UNION
U4!S SCENE OF LINCOLN'S
FIRST SPEECH HERE.
Loseph II. Choate and DR.. Lyman
4bbott. Who Were at Meeting
= in 1860, Chief Speakers.

81. hall Of Cooper Union. where nearly forty
=. 1.srs ago Abraham Lincoln delivered his first
x.zr York speech. a crowd that filed every seat
- svery foot OF standing room gathered yester-
- .,.s-aoon to do honor 20 him the Tooth ami
- Of his birth Hundreds OF persons had to
- ,,-luded by the police after the capacity of the
IT had been reached. this being some time before
a. s,noiuted time for the meeting. o'clock
o. +be pls1form were two men who had heard
~ 1sncoln speak February p. 1s6O-Joseph H
S-s.,+. Who presided and DR.. Lyman Abbott. ora
- cf the day. Mayor Mcclellan. whose father
=, rer4ocratic candidate for the Presidency when
,F- Tsnsnln elected in 1854 opened the meeting
.ns introduced Mr.. Choste-
Tbs New York Symphony Orchestra and the Ger
=, r5e6e-k-anz furnished the music. The chief
,her vas schuberts -'Or1nipotence.' with the
-. chorus and the orchestra. the soprano part
80 sung by Miss Lillian Funk. Victor Herbert's
american Fantasia" was played at the end Of the
,es.ing after Mr. Choste had declared it sd-
,,,-ned until February y 2o09. and the applause
e. Dixie" was almost great that heard
-, The Star Spangled Banner was played.
T~ Lyman Abbott the principal speaker Of the
sTs-noon whose address will be found elsewhere
,oos as HIS main theme the attitude Lincoln would
have assumed toward capital and labor to-day.
LINCOLN GREATEST CIVILIAN.
Mayor Mcclellan. in introducing Mr.. Choate. said:
We who were born since Lincoln died. and
hsDs better qualified 10 form a just estimate of
sae ); ,hs hesf- who. Influenced by partisanship or
-ssson judged him according 10 their political or
xs have formed conception OF Lincoln which
or IG5 BE s s2f 3 pFoBb Gas ps Whhf iho
history. The Lincoln who lives in the hearts OF
est civilian Of his tine tOweTng , sOlit2Tg Mg
rsfient and long suffering. We know that he
,s.-ed TO be almost more than human, and so it
was. for through him. It's son ana champion.
thsf could endure and dare and do all things
We think Of him intensely human Under
s[n1sfSizi0K with his shortcomings and his fall
.1s s9sbrined him as the collective personality
: a. he men Of the Civil War
chairman Of the committee that has SO et1cientiiX
and admirably orgsnized ms
Of the United States TO Great Britain. now. as
ever eloquent orator and foremost LAWYER always
the hest loved of the children Of New York, 1
have the honor 10 introduce to you your cla1i
mar the Hon Joseph Hodges Choate
xr Choste called upon bishop Greer for the in
,-s-son The Bishop used q special prayer for
the occasion MI Choate then delivered MS own
address which chiefly descriptive OF the
scenes attending MI Iincoln's first speech IN Ne"
York
Hc tols o. My I5ncoln's surprise at having TO
speak in Cooper Union as he thought he was to
speak al Plymouth Church He described the auol-
enoe. as Dr. Abbott did later. as interested ouI
cold requiring 10 be convinced Mr. -AncoIh. ne
said was as young man might nav
been and appeared as true OF the people'
saunt rough. with his clothes hanging on 10 Ii-
giant frame l.,
Mr. Choste d~-el1 on the great gift Of America IN
Jz-asbi,g+o, and lincoln Its grestest men, ne
said who served not only one people OF one -
mr. All ueopIe and all time Had the hdsue -
ference he said. been called on TO name ~. u4e
rsn who had done the most for liberty ana pea0e'
~ --nsfd Sinhesatatingly have named Nasnihse e'
The father Of his country, and Lincoln' Use ~
who would have preserved It He conunoeo'
v-bsn Mr. BRYANT presented him he met sea
IN
a the West whose fame had then spIsssa -. t -bo
country. He spoke on the power e. - the new terri
tories He closed with all the hre OF
and appealed 10 the people no. 10 III, 70 The
bv zrv threats Of the possibility OF rum u 'i0
t Us Esve faith that right makes might 1a1q8 an8
4 that faith let the end dare 70 @ 90 oUa srz
a. ne Understand it--that closing sentence rans
through this hall amid thunders or & aPPisu5i l
al through this city and this country. - .,..
Five years later alas, We in New 1ork sae b Us Is
bore IN rs coffin through the streets. amid the
soroving the whole nation from " .1 In
-hsTs - hsd made his way. il has seemed 70
vour committee that this hall, consecrateo pE ~
risre - 1olS This cfty's o1cial celebration Of MS
centennial And Il has seemed 70 US 100 "Sls 5e 20
cnFhne this celebration 70 New workers.. ano mere
fore We have called upon that real old New forker,
tie OF Henry Ward Beecner IN ne siie pI,
q Plymouth Church. Dr.. Lyman Aoooet' 10 oeii''
he Grafton Of the day
Al the end Of Dr. Abbott's speech Mr. choate
said that special coInrnendatlon was due 10 Hugh
Hastings and Herman Ridder, OF the celebratlon
committee He then asked Mr. Fidder TO call on
ths orchestra and the Iiederkranz for music The
orchestra had been growing impatient owing TO the
shifting of the programme. and when man IN
rs audience assuming that the Cooper Union audi
acs euioyed its traditional right the floor. sought
20 offer some resolutions the musicians drowned
hirn out