Page:The World's Famous Orations Volume 9.djvu/264

THE WORLD'S FAMOUS ORATIONS THE SPEECH AT GETTYSBURG* (1863) Fourscore and seven years ago our fathers brought forth upon this continent a new nation, conceived in liberty, and dedicated to the prop- osition 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. T he world w ill little note, n or lon g remember, what we say .^ ^ •/'delivered at the dedication of the cemetery in Gettysburg, No p -remoer 19, 1863, after Edward Everett had made the formal speech j,< iit the day. Printed here In textual conformity to the copy which Lincoln wrote out in his own hand for a soldiers' and sailors' fair, held in Baltimore in 1864. • The Associated Press report, as taken down In shorthand and printed the day after this speech was delivered, here reads, '* We ftre met to dedicate a portion of it.* • The Associated Press Tersion omits " poor." 254