Evening journal., 1914-07-02
New News Of Yesterday
How Lincoln Made His
Famous Cooper Union
Speech
By Holland.

The late Cephas Brainard. who was
for many years one OF the leaders Of
the New York bar and who died in
1910, in his eightieth year. associat
ed officially with the Young Republ-
can organization Of New York State
in the carly days Of the party It
was largely due to suggestion of
Mr.. Bralnard that Abraham Lincoln
was invited to deliver an address to
the Young Republicans in February
1860 10 had been made known to the
organization that Mr. Lincoln purpos-
ed a visit to the East so that he
might spend day or two with his
son, Robert T. Lincoln. who was then
a student al Harvard.
In view Of the great renutation
winch Lincoln had gained in the West
as a Republican leader. not merely
in a purely political sense. but a lead
er Of thought and an exponent of the
principles which were representative
of the Republican organization. it
was believed to be an excellent plan
to invite Mr. Lincoln to address the
Young Republicans of the East.
He accepted the invitation. and
Cephas Brainard was named as chair
man of the reception committee. and
II was he who arranged all the de-
tails Of the occasion and secured
Cooper Union, then one Of the largest
halls in New York, as the place for
the address.
Nearly forty years later II was nv
privilege to learn from Mr.. Brainard
IN some detail how the address
which has passed into history as the
Cooper Union address, was received
by those who assembled in that great
hall to hear Lincoln.
II sat in a place where it was easy
for me to watch the expression upon
the faces of some of the distinguished
men of New York, some of whom
were numbered among the greatest
intellectual forces in the United
States at that time. as they sat lis
tening TO Mr.. Lincoln said Mr..
Brainard
1T seemed TO me that just as Lin
coin began, the attitude of many of
these men was not exactly critical.
but that Of suspense. I think none of
them had ever heard Lincoln. The
common impression in New York was
that he was a splendid type OF prairie
lawyer and that he was a master of
the art of public speaking i'm tho open
that is to say, in groves, or in
parks.
''Nn one really expected TO hear
markedly logical or profoundly
learned discourse. Gradually there
came q change in the expression OF
the faces of these men. ! observed
II and called the attention of ono who
sat next TO me TO IT, At first. IL ap-
peared TO suggest a form of wonder
that this man should be speaking as
none but a great intellectual power
could speak Then gradually that
sentiment was followed by another
which indicated clearly to me that
these men had become thoroughly alb
sorbed. forgetting themselves in lis
tcning intently 10 the words OF the
speaker, and This was all the more
remarkable because Lincoln made
use of no gestures and seemed to he
utterly free from any of the tricks
or articles Of professional rhetori-
clans
1T seemed to me that not more
than fifteen minutes passed away
before every one of these men was
by the intentness Of his study Of Lin
coin. by complete absorption in the
thought and the manner of expressing
II which were characteristic of the
speaker. paying as fine a tribute TO
a master mind as was ever paid by
men of Intelligence to a greater in
tellect."
Copyright, 1914. by Z. J. Edwards
All rights reserved)
Tomorrow Mr. Edwards will tell
How Lincoln Surprised His First.
New York Audience"