Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1933-11-19
LINCOLN DOUBTED
ENDURING SPEECH
Anniversary of Gettysburg
Address Recalls His Regret
at HaSty Preparation.
BY LAURA LEE.

seventy years ago tomorrow Abraham
lincoln did consecrate this ground
Visit the battlefield of Gettysburg.
vision Of Abraham Lincoln fills YOU
mind. His immortal words blend will
the scene, They are inseparable from ii
when folks stand here" murmuret
guide, they seem to mediate. The!
kind Of get it in their imaginations tina
Lincoln is standing here"
OF the millions who have visited thu
battlefield. few have missed pausin|
before the soldiers national memoria
monument, which marks the exact spo
On which Lincoln made his famous ad.
dress November 10, 1868.
All Glasses Interested.
william F. Abel, guide No. 8. has
been conducting visitors through Gettys-
burg fC1 80 years.
They're net all historians and college
professors and statesmen" he said
you'd be surprised at the children and
young people fro mall over the country
who are interested in this spot. I've
had parties of young people just young
cut-ups start out from town full OF
wisecracks, and lust that quick, they
drop all that when they get here"
The question guides are most fire.
QuE44iiS aShCQ ~ WHY liAC Ai11NOA1l
speech memorial was not erected on the
exact spot of the address, instead OF
several hundred feet away, They don't
know, but the answer would seem to be
that the soldiers memorial monument
dedicated in 1869. was in the exact spot
years before the speech memorial mon
ument was planned.
The speech memorial is a low semi
circular bay of white marble, in the
center Of which is bust Of Lincoln
flanked by two bronze tablets on which
are lettered the Gettysburg address COR
the right and Gov Curtin'S invitation
to Lincoln to give it Ton the left).
Some read the speech all the way
through" said Guide No. 8, but lots
of them say. oh, we've read that They
seem to know it already"
DR.. P. NJ. Bike, dean emeritus OF
Gettysburg College, heard the address
when he was sophomore at the col
lege William c. Storrick, retired su-
perintendent of guides, and author. OF
two books on the battle. was youngsteT
of at the time of the speech, but is
considered one Of the best living au-
thorities on the battlefield and its in
cidents.
DR.. Bike stood few feet from the
platform The students were assigned
to the end of the procession, On
reaching the cemetery, they opened
their ranks for the dignitaries, who
failed, however, to march through. The
''tailenders" were then allowed to march
forward to directly in front of the plat
form.
Recalls Everett Speech.
Dr. Bike remembers that Edward
Everett, once president Of Harvard and
Secretary of State in President Fill
n1ores cabinet, scheduled as the prin-
cipal speaker, delivered a long Grafton
but on the whole disappointing, as it
was given mainly to the movements OF
the two armies that fought the Battle
Of Gettysburg.
When Mr.. Lincoln rose to speak. the
stiffness was very noticeable" went on
DR.. Bike, 1T was the tall, gaunt figure
Of a man who might be called some
what imposing, but certainly not at
tractiye. But he was the head Of the
Nation and reverenced.
With a hand on each side of his
manuscript he spoke in most oellb-
crate manner, ana with such forceful
and articulate expression that he could
be heard by all OF that immense throng.
ut is seldom I have heard any one
whose voice carried so we'll There was
no gesture except with both hands up
and down. He held the manuscript
throughout the speech, but did not seem
to need it, as he looked at it so seldom. ?"
DR.. Bickle is not sure whether ap-
plause followed or not, but his impress
sion is that there was none. He well
remembers the surprise because Of the
shoTtness Of the speech.
And he remembers what he thought
at the time of those nine sentences,
now considered among the greatest
utterances Of all times. He turned to
a classmate and said. We'll Mr. Lin
coins speech was simple appropriate
and right to the point, but don't think
there was anything remarkable about
It,"
DR.. Bike, as a college boy, was not
alone in his underestimation Of one Of
the greatest classics in American prose.
Only five publications expressed en-
thusiastic comment next day--the
Springfield Republican, Boston Evening
Transcript, Philadelphia Evening Bull
letin, Providence Journal and Harper'S
Weekly.
Though printing seven columns Of
Eyerett's address, which today no one
remembers, the New York papers went
without praise for Iincoln's $50 words.
The invitation TO Mr.. Lincoln to
make the speech Of dedication" said
LII Dih4Es WOO B4tNil WIN 4lSpibdblpIi'
growing out of the feeling that what
he would say and the manner OF say
ing it, would be in such contrast with
the polished periods and el0quence Of
Everett
Everett Praise Doubted.
president Baugher Of Gettysburg
College told some OF US students he
heard Mr.. Everett say to Mr.. Lincoln,
7 spent many weeks preparing my ad-
dress. and used much more than an
hour delivering it. but your speech OF
q few minutes will live long after
mine"
Mr.. Storrick thinks there is no au-
thority for this statement, and quotes
as evidence 'Recollections of Lin ON,
BY Ward H. Lamon, chief marshal Of
the parade, and with Lincoln on the
platform at the time:
on the platform from which Mr.
Lincoln delivered his address. and only
a moment after il was concluded, Mr.
Seward turned to Nj Everett and
Presidents speech Mr. Everett re-
piled IT is not what I expected.
am disappointed
Then Mr.. Everett asked, What dc
you think of il, Mr.. Seward? The re-
Spouse was. He has made a failure
and I am sorry. His speech is moi
equal to him
Mr.. Seward then turned to me and
asked Nj Marshal what do you thinl
Of it?' answered, 4 am sorry to say
that it does not impress me as on'
OF his great speeches
Legend Is Questioned.
Mr. Storrick and DR.. BlckIe branC
as nonsense the legend that Lincoln
wrote his address on an old envelopt
on the train carrying him to Gettys
burg.
Again, Mr.. storrick quoted from La
mon:
"A dav or two before the dedication
of the National Cemetery, Mr. Lincoln
told me be would be expected to max
a speech. that he was extremely busy
nnd bad not time for nrenarafinn. anI