Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1963-11-18
The
Rambler
Back
In Time
By JOHN McKELWAY

guiShed Lincoln scholar,
chief Of the Manuscript Divi-
sion, Library Of Congress,
told the Rambler a few
things about the Gettysburg
Address, delivered 100 years
ago tomorrow.
1t was about 20 years after
the speech had been accept
ed as a classic that scholars
and writer's and historians
began poking here and there
to try and assemble events
leading up to the speech.
The search continues today
and Mr.. Mearns, a delightful,
amusing gentleman, is afraid
that I'VE have reached the
point Of diminishing re-
turns"
ut is still largely a mys-
terry" he said.
Over the ye ars, Mr..
Mearns has continually been
on the brink of a truth or
fact which might involve,
say, Mr.. Lincoln's activities
a week before the speech.
Just as Mr.. Mearns has pre-
pared to grasp an item-one
small link in the story of
Lincoln-it slips away with
the disclosure of a docu-
ment or manuscript which
contains an entirely differ
ent version of the incident.
Meanwhile, historians con-
tinue to perpetuate the err
rors of their elder colleagues
sometimes errors of omis-
sion.
For example, did Lincoln
write the speech on an enve-
lope on the train to Gettys-
burg?
''I Just don't know" said
Mr.. Mearns, not in frustra-
ton, but in a sense Of &C
cepting the fact that it may
never be known.
Some versions of the story
Of the address quote John
G.. Nicolay, one of Lincoln's
secretaries, on this point.
Years later he recalled that
There is neither record nor
evidence that Mr.. Lincoln did
any writing, or made any
notes, on the journey to
Gettysburg"
But Mr.. Mearns can cite
the names of four other
persons who saw the Presi-
dent on the trip from Wash
ington and all of them re-
called seeing Lincoln writing
something down. Later, in
Gettysburg, he was seen, by
another witness, writing on
a yellow envelope"
There are other gaps, mys-
teries in the story.
There is no record Of how
Lincoln accepted the invita-
ton of David Wills, a GettyS-
burg lawyer and organizer
of the observance at the
cemetery.
There is considerable doubt
that Lincoln, a few days be-
fore the ceremony, told a
friend his speech would be
short, short, short"
The original draft, in Lin
coln't hand-started in ink
and finished in pencil-was
requested for the files at
Gettysburg by Mr.. Wills. He
never got it, apparently. It
was missing at one point and
eventually was turned over
to the library of Congress in
1916, by members Of the
family of John Hay, assist
ant to Mr.. Nicolay. 1t turned
up" in some papers.
There are five copies of
the address in Lincoln's own
handwriting. The original
and the strange first copy,
which includes corrections
and insertions, are in the
Library. The third went to
Edward Everett, the orator
who spoke before Lincoln at
Gettysburg. Two others were
made for friends of the Presi-
dent. Each version is slightly
different from the Others.
The best guess on the COM
position of the speech is that
Lincoln brooded about it for
several days, wrote a YER
sion in Washington and left
dissatisfied with the ending.
He brushed that up, possibly
on the train, definitely in
Gettysburg that night and
the next morning.
Mr.. Mearns, turning from
Lincoln, read from the diary
of the windy Mr.. Everett, who
preceded the President in the
program.
Mr.. Everett was upset, at
great length, about the con-
dition of a facility he had
requested installed behind
the Sandstone which to-
day is called a Johnny on
the Spot"
He also noted: 81 omitted
a good deal of what I had