Evening star., 1923-11-18

SO much thought to his own remarks,
Tor the Gettysburg address seems the
result OF a lifetime of preparation It
was a very busy time with him, for
Congress would meet in early Decem-
Der and the preparation of his mes
sage was on his mind
1t was not certain that the Presi-
dent could go to Gettysburg at all.
and up to two days before the cere-
monies no definite ARRANGEMENTS had
been made for the journey. although
the cabinet had been Invited. Late
on November II Mr.. Stanton sent to
Mr.. Lincoln a note saying that the
train was to leave Washington for
Gettysburg at o'clock on the morning
or the day OF the dedication, return
ing that same evening, but Mr. Lin
coin notified Mr.. Stanton that the ar
rangements did not please him: "I
do not wish to SO go that by the
slightest accident we fail entirely;
and, at the best. the whole to be a
mere breathless running Of the CANT
let" 1t was then arranged that the
special train should leave Washing
ton at noon on the 18th.
X
AfR- NICOLAY says there is no de-
lS1 cisive record Of when Mr.. Lin
coin wrote the first sentences of the
address. but he thinks that he nodded
his phrases mentally. as was his
habit, waiting to reduce them to writ
ing until they had taken satisfactory
form. Now we will call in Noah
Brooks, a newspaper man and writer
Of books. who was close to Mr. Lin
coin at the time and who. in all
probability. would have become his
private secretary later, when. in the
second administration, Mr. Nickolay
and Mr.. Hay might be advanced to
higher Office. The assassination pre-
vented this. Mr.. Brooks tells us that
one November Sunday he had an ap-
pointment to go with President Lin
coin to a photographer.
"Just as we were going down the
stairs OF the White House the Presi-
dent suddenly remembered that he
wanted a paper. and, after hurrying
back to his office. soon rejoined me
with a long envelope in his hand.
When we were fairly started he said
that the envelope held an advance
copy Of Edward Everett's address to
be delivered at the Gettysburg dedi-
cation on the following Tuesday.
- When exclaimed at its
length the President laughed and
quoted the line. Solid men Of Boston
make no long orations.' which he said
he had met somewhere in a speech
by Daniel Webster. He said that
there was no danger that he should
get upon the lines Of Mr.. Everetts
Grafton. for what he had ready to say
was very short. or. as he emphatically
expressed 1t, short, short. short
TN reply to a question as to the
speech having been already written,
he said that 1t was written, but not
finished He had brought the paper
with him, he explained, hoping that a
few minutes of leisure while waiting
for the movements of the photogra-
pher and his processes would give him
a chance to look over the speech. But
We did not have to wait long between
the sittings and the President. hav-
ing taken out the envelope and laid It
on the little table at his elbow. be-
came SO engaged in talk that he
failed to open 1t while we were at the
studio. A disaster overlook the neg
ative of that photograph, and after
a very few prints had been made from
it no more were possible. In the copy
which the President gave me the en-
velope containing Mr.. Everett's ora
tion Is seen on the table by the side
Of the sitter"
James Speed, an old friend Of Lin
coins. In an interview printed in the
Louisville Commercial in November,
1879, said that the President told
him that "the day before he left
Washington he found time to write
about half OF his speech"
4
an arrival at Gettysburg Mr.. Lin
" coin went to the house Of Judge
Wills. Serenades were in order in
the evening In the crowded streets
Of Gettysburg. and Mr.. Lincoln, when
the crowd persisted in calling him
out, made a few commonplace ex-
cuses, which were interrupted by one
unpleasant note. He said that he
had no speech to make, adding,
rIn my position 1t is somewhat i'm
portant that I should not say foolish
things" A voice here called out:
eff you can help it." Mr.. Lincoln
paid no attention to this but merely
asked to be excused from further
speaking.
Mr.. Nicolay says: cit was after the
lrRn 80
the 18th that the writer, Mr.. Lin
coins private secretary. went to tho
upper room In the house OF Mr..
Wills which Mr.. Lincoln occupied,
to report for duty, and remained
with the President while he finished
writing the Gettysburg address,
during the short leisure he could
utilize for this purpose before being
called to take his place in the pro-
cession, which was announced on the
program to move promptly at 10
"rhere is neither rscord evidence
nor well-founded tradition that Mr..
Lincoln did any writing, or made
any notes, on the journey between
Washington and Gettysburg. Mr..
Lincoln carried in his pocket the
autograph manuscript of so much
Of his address as he had written at
Washington the day before. -
1t fills one page of the letter-paper
at that time habitually used in the
Executive Mansion. containing the
plainly printed blank heading.
This portion OF the manuscript
begins with the line -Four score
and seven years ago and ends with
1t II rather for Us the living etc