Edward Everett was chosen as the orator of the day. President Lincoln was invited to honor the event by his presence, and he received a gentle hint that his voice would be a welcome tribute.
He came, with no speech prepared, save a few fugitive thoughts which he scratched down on an old envelope, on his way to Gettysburg, and intended solely as references.
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When he was called on, he rose, and in his simple, unaffected way he gave to his hearers an immortal speech.
A long time after its delivery, Mr. Lincoln, at the urgent request of friends, rewrote it and affixed his signature.
The copy gives an exact facsimile of his handwriting, and thus in a double sense it becomes a most valuable addition to one's reading matter.
