150 Years ago today, this was what that wise fella had on his mind...... It was on the eve of an “eventful day”……………. A young lawyer from Illinois had been invited to Pennsylvania to take part in a patriotic ceremony. The ceremony was of course mostly a dedication adorned by several other more popular orators. Leaving behind, his wife and sick child; said to her “I must go”….. I must go…… The event planners had included this young man’s appearance as a drawing card to the event. His drive was “following the code” and must follow it to it’s installation. Upon arriving, it became apparent that he would be perhaps second best to other gifted orators and his short speech may not be well attended or even impressive to those who did attend. What would his speech be about? His night was long and sleep was so short with the deliberation “what shall I say?” The night was over and his penciled scribbles were in place on the tattered piece of paper that he would take with him to the ceremony. His comments may not be well accepted but at least the event would be over soon and he could make his way back home to his wife and sick child. His heart was heavy for being away from them. Nonetheless………… The morning had arrived. He sat fidgeting in his seat while others before him drew on and on in a self admiration attempt. Oh, the time was here! For better or for worse, these were the thoughts that this young lawyer from Illinois had prepared. It clearly wasn’t prepared to impress anyone with either his grandeur oratory skills, nor anything that they had not heard before. The difference though was purely from his heart…………. His words came out as such: “Fourscore and seven years ago, he began with an attempt to clear a lump in his throat, ‘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 that 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 meeting on a great battlefield of that Civil War. We are met to dedicate a portion of it a the final resting place of those who have given their lives that this nation might Live. It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this’ “BUT, in a larger sense, we cannot dedicate… we cannot consecrate…. We cannot hallow this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here have Consecrated it far above our power to add or detract. The World will very 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 that they have thus far so nobly carried on (for us). 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 are here highly resolve that those dead shall not have died in vain ; that the nation shall, under God, have a new birth of freedom; and that government Of The People , By the People, For the People, Shall Not Perish from the Earth”…………………. That of course was the address that Abraham Lincoln delivered at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, at the national cemetery. When it was delivered on that afternoon of November 19, 1863; our President Abraham Lincoln, the young lawyer from Illinois, had no idea of the impact that it would have in our history books 150 years later. Abe went home content. Please be aware though, of what this young leader visualized to be the “code” in his time ………… in our time and what he gave his life for. Please remember what his dreams were all about. Of the People, By the People , For the People has been quoted by many other wise leaders who thought those words he spoke ….. worthy of quoting. Choose our leaders, not our followers. Rh 6/2012
Posted on: Tue, 19 Nov 2013 23:27:38 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015