Evening journal., 1910-01-03
NEW NEWS OF YESTERDAY
Ten Year Dream That Made
IngerSOIl Famous
BY "HolIand."

ANY standard American encyclope-
dia or biographical dictionary will tell
you that Col Bob" Ingersoll was one
of Americas most famous orators.
Certain it is that in many respects IE-
gersoll stands out as the greatest ora
tor America has yet produced. Emo
tionally, this is so, and as a Shake
spearean orator, so called. it is gen.
orally conceded that none has equaled
him
As everybody familiar with Inger
soils career knows, he gained national
fame through his "Plumed Knight
speech. The day before he delivered
it he was unknown; the day after his
name vas on the lips OF the country.
But not until now has it been told how
Ingersoll came to conceive his master
piece, how he built 1t up sentence by
sentence through a period of years,
and then, to please his brother,
clinched his hold on fame by writing
It down in a few minutes.
One Memorial day, two OF three
years after he had begun the practice
Of law in New York city, Col Ingersoll
stood on a corner watching the vet
Grams Of the civil war as they marched
past the reviewing stand. There were
tears in his eyes as he looked upon
the old soldiers, and turning to me he
repeated the opening sentence of his
Justly celebrated Memorial day ad-
dress, which you can see engraven in
bronze in the National cemetery at
Arlington: THE past rises before me
like a dream" He saw, almost as viv-
idly as he had seen in the days of the
war itself, the soldiers on their march,
rallying to the attack, charging, fall
ing, dying for their country.
AS he walked away in my company
after the procession had passed
asked him II it were true that he
wrote his famous "Plumed Knight"
speech at about midnight one night, as
had been incidentally reported.
Selling my arm and moving slowly
through Madison square, Col. Ingersoll
said:
That story is partly correct But
the real truth is that l was ten years
writing that speech. ! had been a
great admirer of James G. Blaine from
the time he was first a member of
congress. l thought he was a typical
American and would make a great
president. l pictured to myself Blaine
in political action.
Il went to the Republican national
convention Of 1876, at Cincinnati, IN
the company of my brother. We
shared parlor and had two bedrooms
at the hotel My brother knew that
had been asked to place Blaine in
nomination. He became very nervous
because / did not sit down and write
out my speech He was continually
prodding me to do this, but l put him
off. But was really writing that
speech all the time, mentally. l com
posed part of It ON the railway train
on the way to Cincinnati. All the ideas
that had come to me from time to time
respecting Blaine l mentally gathered
and sifted, and decided upon the ex
preston of my thought.
ION the evening of the day before
the nominating speeches were to be
made my brother said to me: Bob
you have got to write that speech be
fore you go to bed
"'All right said, I'll write It this
evening" So, a little before midnight
/ took pen and ink and two or three
sheets of paper and wrote out the
speech. l was simply copying what
was in my mind, what l had beer
years writing. You know. that is the
way Webster prepared his famous re
ply to Hayne. After I-had, done thai
went to bed and was soon sounC
asleep. l simply did it to please my
brother, and that is the way wha
they call the 'Plumed Knight speecl
was put down on paper at midnight IL
ten minutes"
Copyright. 1909 by e. ]. Edwards)
To MORROW, Mr.. EDWARDS WILL