| Author | Message | ||
     Greenlantern |
A tired and downtrodden man attended a dedication of a cemetery for which he had been invited to attend at the last minute as an afterthought. He was admonished to be on his best behavior and asked only to give "a few appropriate remarks" fitting to the occasion. After a beautiful oration rendered by one of the most respected speakers of the day which fell just short of 2 hours, the man stood up and took the podium and in just short of 2 minutes spoke 272 words which he had crafted the day before "appropriate" to the occasion. "Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal. Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation, so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure. We are met on a great battle-field of that war. We have come to dedicate a portion of that field, as a 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 can not consecrate...we can not hallow this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here. It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. 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 that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion—that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain—that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom—and that government: of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth. " "I should be glad if I could flatter myself that I came as near to the central idea of the occasion, in two hours, as you did in two minutes." from a letter to Lincoln from Edward Everett . Lincoln replying with an attached copy of the speech told Everett that he was glad to know the speech was not a "total failure" | ||
| Cityxslicker |
When I was in third grade we were required to memorize it and recite it. Along with The Village Blacksmith by Longfellow. I understand they dont do that anymore as it is 'too hard' | ||
| Kowpow225 |
Lincoln was amazing with words. I've never heard or even know of another who speaks and writes with a style all his own. A gifted man. | ||
| Fast1075 |
Sadly, modern man has largely lost eloquent speech...it is too time consuming and difficult to master a large and in modern times often considered to be redundant vocabulary...but I digress. | ||
| Percyco |
Leaving for Gettysburg tomorrow...following the foot steps of the 3rd Maine Infantry on Sat. then the parade in the afternoon as a Federal pioneer company. Remembrance day is always the closest Sat. to the anniv. of the address . Lots of interesting things to see and do including a candle on the grave of every Civil War soldier in the National Cemetery Sat. night...what a site! Check out Libertyrifles.org one of the finest progressive reenacting groups in the country. (Message edited by percyco on November 19, 2009) | ||
| Tbolt_pilot |
Yes, the candles on the graves is chilling to say the least. I generally won't walk into a cemetery unless I have family in it, but that looks incredible. There are several places on the battlefield that give me chills, even in the middle of the day. Try walking through Devil's Den on a full moon night with nobody else around... you won't really be alone. And Spangler's Spring at night is spooky. |
