Lincoln At Gettysburg

Speaking of the dedication of the naiional cemetery at Gettysburg and Mr. Lincoln's famous address delivered on that occasion, Nov. 10, 1863, Governor Ctirtin began by snyiug that there had been rnuch diseussioö as to how and when that artdrfss w.is written, and he continued, sn hfi independent: "I can teil m all abont that. Of course I was there, aud the president and his cabinet Iad arrived and were at the hotel. Soon af ter his arrival, as we were sitting around in the parlor, Mr. Lincoln iooked thoughtful for a moment or two and then said: 'I believe, gentlemen, the committee are expecting me to say something here today. If yon will excuse me, I will go i uto this room here and prepare it. ' After a time he returned, holding in his hand a large, yellow government envelope, on which he had written his address. " 'Here, gentlemen,' he said, 'I want to read this to you to see if it will do. ' And, sitting down, he read it to us and then said: 'Now for your criticisms. Will it do? What do yon say?' "Several spoke in favor of it, and one or two caoimended it in strong tenns. 'Well,' says the president, 'haven't you any criticisms? What do you say, Seward?' "Mr. Seward made one or two snggestions bearing on some slight verbal changes, which I believe Mr. Lincoln incorpora ted. " 'Now, if you will allow me, gentlemen,' continned the president, 'I will copy this off. ' And he again withdrew made a. copy of the address. "Ah," continued the governor, "if I had had wit enough about me to have begged of him that yellow envelope, what a trophy it would have been ! How much it would have been worth to some of the ladies' f airs which a little later began to be held to raise money for the hospitals and thé soldiers. But I did not think of it then."