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The Daily Signal
The Most
Underrated Sign of Lincoln’s Genius
Paul Gallagher
November 19, 2015
There are many reasons to praise President Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg
Address, delivered 152 years ago today. Its eloquent expressions. Its
healing tone. Its inspiring message.
As an editor, however, I must tip my hat to something else: its
brevity. A presidential speech that’s only 272 words long brings new
meaning to the word “concise.”
Indeed, Lincoln’s famed dedication to the Civil War dead was over so
quickly that the photographer on hand was unable to get even one shot
of him delivering it.
That’s all that was required, though, and Lincoln knew it. This despite
the fact that 19th century politicians were expected to pontificate at
length. A 10-sentence speech would be surprising even today, in an age
of tweets, sound bites and viral vines, but at the time it was
practically unheard of.
Far more typical for that era was the speaker who preceded Lincoln to
the podium that day. Edward Everett, widely considered one of the great
orators of his day, spoke for two hours. Yet who can quote even one of
his 13,607 words? Long before the phrase “always leave them wanting
more” was coined, Lincoln understood the need to make his point and get
out.
There’s no question that his two-minute speech is remembered primarily
for the persuasive power of its finely tuned phrases and for how it
clarified the stakes of the war. Lincoln’s writing prowess was beyond
question. But for him to also know when to stop? That, for me, is
perhaps the most underrated sign of his genius.
Read this and other articles at The Daily Signal
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