Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1911-06-09

cause" of American history; to the
end that we may view the civil war as
the birth throes OF the grander repub-
lic-that we may see the guiding
providence that shaped the decree Of
Appomattox even as a brilliant son Of
the south who has told the story of the
greatest actor In the cruel war drama
in words that flame and sing Born
as lowly as the Son of God, In a hovel;
reared in penury, squalor, with no
CLEAN Of light or fair surrounding;
without graces actual or acquired.
without name or fame or official train
ing; 1t was reserved for this strange
Deing, late in life, to be snatched from
ooscurity, raised to supreme command
at supreme moment, and intrusted
with the destiny Of nation; the great
leaders OF his party, the most experi-
enced and accomplished public men of
the day, were made to stand aside
were sent to the rear, while this fam
tastlc hgure was led by unseen hands
10 the front and given the reins of
power. 1t is immaterial whether we
were for him or against him; wholly
immaterial. That, during four years.
carrying with them such a weight of
responsibility as the world never wit
messed before. he filled the vast space
allotted him in the eyes and actions of
mankind, Is to say that he was in
spired by God, for nowhere else could
he have acquired the wisdom and the
virtue. Where did Shakespeare get
MS genius? Where did Mozart get
his music? Whose hand smote the
Tyre OF the Scottish plowman? God.
God and God alone, and as surely as
these were raised up by God, inspired
by Him, was Abraham Lincoln, and a
thousand years hence, no drama. no
tragedy, no epic poem, will be filled
with greater wonder or be followed by
mankind with deeper feeling than that
which tells the story of his life and
DEATH In these matchless words Hem
ry Watterson has given us a MASTER
piece for all times
Wherever in the splendid land
south Of the Potomac patriots come
together to recount the colossal deeds
OF the nations crucial hour that they
may realize more truly the travail
through which our country struggled
to stronger life, they should read again
and again that classic for all ages and
nall 1t with our country's flag Just be-
meath the cross-undying words spok-
en- by the greatest one who has walked
upon this earth since Christ came to
show the world how good it was to die
for men-spoken on the decisive field
of the greatest war men have fought,
by one born as lowly as the Son of
God, In howell Four score and
seven years ago our fathers brought
forth on this continent q new nation
conceived In liberty and dedicated to
the proposition that all men are Great
ed equal Now we are engaged in a
great civil war. testing whether that
nation or any nation so conceived and
so dedicated can long endure. we are
met on a great field of that war. We
have come to dedicate a portion of
that field as a final resting place for
those who here gave their lives that
that nation. might live. II Is alto
gether fitting and proper that we
should do this. But, in larger sense,
we can not dedicate-we can not con-
secrate-we can not hallow this
ground. The brave men living and
dead who struggled here have conse-
Grated II, far above our power to add
or detract. The world will little note
nor longer remember what we say here.
But 1t can never forget what they did
here. 1t is for US, the living, rather to
be dedicated to the great task remain
ing before us-that from these honor
ed dead we take increased devotion to
that cause for which they gave the
last full measure Of devotion-that we
here highly resolve that these dead
shall not have died in vain-that this
nation, under God, shall have a new
birth Of freedom-and that govern
ment Of the people. by the people, for
the people, shall not perish from the
earth
MY countrymen, have spoken the
sentiments Of my heart, and II any
among you object to what have said,
will be glad to see you down the
street little later, but will have no
apologies to make. We have lived long
enough after the civil war to put be-
hind us all the bitterness Of it. I want
my children and grandchildren to
know that this Is our country, and the
flag which floats above this building
is our flag"