Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1915-02-12
LINCOLN'S ADDRESS AT GETTYSBURG
Some of His AuditorHow the Immortal
Speech Received-Lincon Master English Prose-

and its terse purity of style the address ai
Gettysburg is worthy of Its fame Here 1t is:
Charter of Democracy
"Fourscore and seven years ago our fathers
brought forth upon this continent new
nation, conceived in liberty, and dedicated to
the proposition that all men are created
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 battle
field of that war. We have come to dedicate
portion of that field as final resting place
for those who here gave their lives that that
nation might live.
"It is altogether fitting and proper that we
should do this. But in a larger sense we cam
not dedicate, we cannot consecrate, we can
not hallow this ground. The brave men. liy-
ing and dead, who struggled here, have con-
secrated it far above our power to add or
detract The world will little note. nor long
remember what we say here, but it can never
forget what they did here
at is for us, the living, rather to be ded.
Gated here to the unfinished work which they
who fought here have thus far so nobly ad-
vanced. It is rather for us to be here dedI-
NfthSu " lHS BECdL ldSh IelHdllllLb DSlOiV VH
that from these honored dead we take In
creased 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 new birth Of freedom
and that Government of the people, by The
people. and for the people, shall not peFisA
from the earth"
A Maker Of Literature
Not always, in his writing or speaking, d.
Lincoln reach so lofty plane but neverths-
less he maintained high average in d.
quality of his expression and frequenag
reached noble heights of thought and gtyls
so that his rank as zone of the greatest maas
ters of English prose" is unquestioned
One Of the most celebrated OF Lineonf
writings. the concluding portion Of the hls
inaugural contains much of beauty ap'
poetry
OF the second inaugural address the Lonaoa
Spectator said; 1--WE cannot read It withoA
a renewed conviction that 1t is the MOBILES
political document known to history
Surely none was ever written under
stronger sense OF the reality of Gods govern
ment. And certainly none written In r.
flou OF passionate cOnIllcL ever Do SVi1fFr'. s
excluded the partiality OF victorious faen'.
and breathed so pure a strain OF mhs~
Justice and mercy"
Lincoln concluded the address with lls
splendid sentence:
with malice toward none, with oharls
ALL with frmness in the right, let ua 7u
as God gives us to see the right let US SUIT
on to finish the work we are in, to biaa E
the nations wounds. TO care for nr
shall have borne the battle, and foF
widow and for his orphan, TO do az s
may achieve and cherish just and i4l'
peace among ourselves and WITH
nations"
Lincoln's purity and richness OF s'y'e
not be accounted for entirely by his fss+
OF old ballads. the poetry Of Byron
Burns, -Aesop, Pilgrims Progress,
speare and the Bible. Style is thougnt
indeed Is the man. Great literature Z
dueed only by great personalities h z
photographed In the narrow sense 81
the sense that II springs from natuisz
enough 10 participate deeply In the a7sR
tues OF the universe. "Lineoln,] says
InEersoll. was a many-sided mea
quainted with smiles and tears, com
brain. single in heart direct a. Ign
his words. candid as mirrors. gave -
feet image OF his thought"