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Lot 943
Wilson, Woodrow (1856-1924) 28th President of the United States (1913-1921). TDS as President, 6½pp, on recto only, 8¼" x 5¼", n.p., 1914 July 4. The document is the speech Wilson gave in 1913 on the fiftieth anniversary of the battle of Gettysburg; he incorrectly wrote "1914" when he signed the speech. Four holograph words have been added, two words crossed out, and two other corrections made. The speech is in fine condition. It is matted with an image of Wilson to an overall size of 21¼" x 29¼". A superb piece of presidential and Gettysburg memorabilia.
A few excerpts: "I need not tell you what the battle of Gettysburg meant. These gallant men in blue and gray sit all about us. Many of them met upon this ground in grim and deadly struggle. Upon these famous fields and hillsides their comrades died about them. In their presence it were an impertinence to discourse upon how the battle went, how it ended, what it signified! but fifty years have gone by since then, and I crave the privilege of speaking to you for a few minutes of what those fifty years have meant….they have meant peace and union and vigour, and the maturity and might of a great nation….Look around you upon the field of Gettysburg! Picture the array, the fierce heats and agony of battle, column hurled against column, battery bellowing to battery! Valour? Yes! Greater no man shall see in war; and self-sacrifice, and loss to the uttermost; the high recklessness of exalted devotion which does not count the cost. We are made by these tragic, epic things to know what it costs to make a nation--the blood and sacrifice of multitudes of unknown men lifted to a great stature in the view of all generations….I would not have you live even to-day wholly in the past, but would wish to stand with you in the light that streams upon us now out of that great day gone by. Here is the nation God has builded by our hands. What shall we do with it?…the day of our country's life has but broadened into morning. Do not put uniforms by. Put the harness of the present on. Lift your eyes to the great tracts of life yet to be conquered in the interest of righteous peace, of that prosperity which lies in a people's hearts and outlasts all wars and errors of men…."
Estimated Value $4,000 - 6,000.
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