The Coolidge examiner., 1933-11-10

swer to this, II was urged that he himself, better
than anyone else, could determine as to these
questions and that, II he were invited to speak.
he was sure to do what under the circumstances,
would be right and proper.
ut was finally decided to ask President Lin
coin after the oration' (that is to say. after Mr.
Everetts oration) as Chief Executive of the ma
ton. to set apart formally these grounds to their
sacred use by a few appropriate remarks This
was done In the name of the governors OF the
states, as was the case with others, by Mr.. Wills
but the invitation was not settled upon and sent
to Mr.. Lincoln until the second of November,
more than six weeks after Mr.. Everett had been
invited TO speak, and but little more than two
weeks before the exercises were held
So Abraham Lincoln accepting this tardy in
vitation went to Gettysburg to make his "few re-
marks" which the dubious members of the COM
mittee hoped, although they were not sure,
would be appropriate" Even Lincoln himself
was probably bit dubious about it for, as Doc
tor Barton says, "he was painfully aware that on
the next morning he must make speech from
the same platform that was to be occupied by a
scholarly and eloquent orator"
There was only one hotel in Gettysburg and it
was so crowded that there was no room in it for
the President of the United States So he became
a guest in the home of David Wills. In his room
which he proposed to give and the next morning
he made few alterations and copied 1t over.
The next day he rode on horseback to the bat
tleground albeit on horse which was too small,
so that he was far from being an Impressive fig
ure So all in ALL ii would seem that the fates
were bent upon making one Of the greatest events
In American history a veritable comedy OF errors.
And then when he did arrive at the cemetery it
was discovered that Mr. Everett had not yet ar
rived. So the exercises began an hour late.
But eventually they were under way and at
last the great moment for which the crowd had
been waiting arrived. Edward Everett stood be-
fore them and the thrilling voice of a trained
orator began: standing beneath this serene sky,
overlooking these broad fields now reposing from
the labors of the waning year. the mighty AL
leghenes dimly towering before US, the graves of
our brethren beneath our feet, 1t Is with hesita-
ton that raise my poor voice to break the elo-
quent silence Of God and Nature"
But there seemed to be no hesitation as the
rich voice of the eloquent New Englander went
on and on, breaking the eloquent silence of God
and Nature" for matter of one hour and 81
minutes at the end of which his listeners If we
are to believe the statements of some who were
there were somewhat wearied of the flow of ora
tory There was certain revival Of interest when
the President arose to speak.
-Four score and seven years ago"-the high
pitched voice shrilled out over the crowd and be-
fore his hearers could become accustomed TO it,
he stopped just as they thought he was begin
ming After Everett's Grafton the Presi-
dents speech seemed almost speech at all.
People were disappointed"
Everett a great man himself, could recognize
greatness in another. 81 should be glad If I could
latter myself that came as near to the central
idea OF the occasion in two hours you did in
two minutes" he said But not even this tribute
could cheer the Man of Sorrows. He went back
to Washington depressed in mind as he was sick
in body For he thought he had failed He did
not know, and he could not know any more than
the hundreds who heard his words but failed to
grasp their significance that those "few appropri-
ate remarks of his would go ringing down the
wears to deathless glory.
&C by Western Newspaper UnOnJ