Freedom
(The light only upon her face.)
The day attends the sun and the event
Attends the purpose of a steadfast mind.
Always in all upheaval man must find
The purpose of a master’s government.
Now in the darkling of calamity,
The purpose and the character of one
Called to a generation’s mastery
Come as the sun,
Come and are known and spend
Their powers hardily,
And, in the end,
Leave to the issue clarity again,
And wisdom to the memories of men.
[The light spreading about her discloses the figure of Abraham Lincoln standing at her feet. People gather at the sides of the stage.]
The Choir
Lincoln ... Lincoln ... Lincoln....
Lincoln
In your hands, my dissatisfied fellow countrymen, and not in mine is the momentous issue of civil war. The government will not assail you. You can have no conflict without being yourselves the aggressors. You have no oath registered in heaven to destroy the government, while I shall have the most solemn one to preserve, protect and defend it.
The People
(Crescendo.)