The Key West citizen., 1952-11-20
Gettysburg Address Given
Just Eighty-Nine Years Ago
BY ARTHUR EDsoN
tier James MarIowl

(Fcr James MarIowl
WASHINGTON R - Eighty-nine
years ago Wed, as soon as the
Baltimore Glee Club had finished,
the tall homely man pulled a paper
from his pocket and began to read
a speech in his high, unmusical
voice.
The crowd at Gettysburg, Pa,
probably didn't pay too much at,
tention.
"Fourscore and seven years
ago." Abraham Lincoln began,
''our fathers brought forth on this
continent new nation, conceived
in liberty and dedicated to the
proposition that all men are ere
ated equal"
After all, there had been plenty
of spec m a king already
Especially from Edward Everett
who had been a U. S. senator, q
governor of Massachusetts,, a cab
met member, a minister to Great
Britain and president Of Harvard
AS the nations top orator, Ever
EFT. in his hour and 57-minute
speech, touched all the bases, in
cluding a description of how the
early Greeks cared for those who
were killed in battle.
Lincoln stuck to his own nation,
and its awful problems.
''Now we are engaged in a great
civil war testing whether that ma.
ton, or any nation so conceived
and SO dedicated. can long en-.
dure," he said.
I'VE are met on a great battle
field Of that war. We have come
to dedicate a 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 can
not dedicate, we cannot consecrate,
we cannot hallow, this ground. The
brave men, living and dead. who
struggled here, have consecrated
ii far above our poor power to add
or detract.n
Oddly. Lincoln almost didn't
make the speech, and for q good
reason. No one asked him to. He
had been invited to the ceremonies
earlier. After he had accepted, the
sponsors decided it would be okay
to have the President say a ''few
appropriate remarks" "
To US now, some of the reaction
to the speech seems curious.
The Harrisburg, Pa, Patriot and
Union said: 1--WE pass over the
silly remarks of the President; for
the credit of the nation we are
willing that the veil Of Oblivion
shall be dropped over them and
that they shall no more be re-
peated or thought of. !"
And from the Chicago Times
came this: "The cheek of every
American must tingle with shame
as he reads the silly, flat, and
dish-watery utterances ="
LINCOLN himself didn't seem to
think he had a bell-ringer.
1.-THE world viii little note nor
long remember what we say
here" he said, ''but it can never
forget what they did here"
Lincoln was ready for his
windup.
'Tt is for us, the living. rather
to be dedicated here to the YIN
finished work which they who
fought here have thus far so nohly
advanced" he said. "It is rather
for us to be here dedicated to the
great task remaining before us :
that from these honored dead We
take increased devotion to thai
cause for which they gave the las
full measure Of devotion - that W.
/ here highly resolve that these dess
shall not have died in vain tha
tins nation, under God, shall havl
a new birth Of freedom, and tha
government Of the people, by thI
people. for the people. shall no
perish from the earth"
The tall man sat down. He ha,
been expected 10 make some per
functory remarks and probably h
got only perfunctory applause.
II didn't matter. The ChicagI
| Tribune man summed it up in /
sentence.
THE dedicatory remarks o
President Lincoln" he said, evil
live among the annals Of man. 2
| To be rem Q m bered AM
p0ndered. whenever the nation va
in trouble.