Rose Holzer, a wonderful woman, who previously lived for many years at the Aventura Del Prado Apartments who, I am advised, passed away in her 90’s. Many years ago, I was fortunate to meet and have a wonderful discussion with both Mrs. Holzer and her son, Harold. The details of our discussion were fascinating. At age nine, Harold was given a school project of writing an essay about an American president. He chose Abraham Lincoln. That essay has become a life-long passion for Harold, who has become a world-renowned Lincoln author and lecturer. One Sunday morning (1-27-08), Harold was featured on the TV History Channel: “Cooper Union, The Speech That Made Lincoln President.” Harold related historically that on February 25, 1860, Lincoln, a very tall man, wearing a high hat and carrying an old- fashioned comical looking carpet-bag, looking tired and disheveled, arrived in New York to give a political speech at Cooper Union. In his unsuccessful Illinois Senate race two years earlier against America’s premier politician, Senator Stephen Douglas, Lincoln had waged a superb campaign – enough to attract national attention. He was now being discussed as a possible Republican Party candidate for president against the very same Senator Douglas.
The Cooper Union speech gave the struggling Western candidate the opportunity to bring his message on the evils of slavery to possible Eastern supporters in New York. At the time of the invitation, Lincoln was “absolutely without money…for even household purposes.” Holzer, in his superb book on the Cooper Union speech, quotes an eyewitness to Lincoln’s speech: “When Lincoln rose to speak, I was greatly disappointed. He was tall – oh, how tall and so angular and awkward that I had, for an instant, a feeling of pity for so ungainly a man. His clothes were travel-stained, ill fitting and badly wrinkled. He began in a low tone of voice – as if he were used to speaking out-doors and was afraid of speaking too loud. He said ‘Mr. Chairman,’ and he employed many other old-fashioned words. I said to myself: ‘Old fellow, you won’t do; it’s all very well for the wild west, but this will never do in New York.’
But pretty soon he began to get into his subject (slavery); he straightened up, made regular and graceful gestures: his face lighted with an inward fire; the whole man was transfigured. I forgot his clothes, his personal appearance and his individual peculiarities. Presently, forgetting myself, I was on my feet with the rest, yelling like a wild Indian, cheering this wonderful man. When he reached a climax, the thunders of applause were terrific. It was a great speech. When I came out of the hall, my face glowing with excitement and my frame all a-quiver, a friend, with his eyes aglow, asked me what I thought of Abe Lincoln. I said: ‘He’s the greatest man since St. Paul.’”
Sources: Wikipedia, “Cooper Union Speech,” : Abraham Lincoln Online, Speeches, & Writings, “Cooper Union Address,”: History, “Abraham Lincoln At The Cooper Union,”: Columbia Journalist Review, “The Speech That Made Abraham Lincoln President,” :Mr. Lincoln and New York, “Cooper Union Speech,”: National Park Service, National Historic Site, “The Cooper Union Address; The Marketing of a Candidate.”
This was very nice of you. Feel free to email
He was the greatest public speaker of the 19th Century.