|On November 19, 1863, a cemetary was dedicated for the dead of
the Battle of Gettysburg at which the key speaker was the famous
orator Edward Everett. Among the notiaries who attended this
solemn event was the then president of these United States,
Abraham Lincoln. Although he was not the featured speaker, he
was allowed a few moments to address the gathering. Neither his
oratory nor the fact that he spoke was considered particularly
significant at the time. The newspapers merely noted: "Mr.
Lincoln also addressed the assemblage." Today, we call his
"remarks" the Gettysburg Address, and every American school
child, at least of my generation, knows it by heart. I present
it here because it is in keeping with the spirit of this day
which we are celebrating. Mr. Lincoln spoke not only of the test
that this country was in the throws of undertaking at that
moment in time, but also what we owe the dead who fell in that
conflict and all conflicts this nation has faced and with an
eloquent simplicity that, hopefully