The day and the occasion require no such revelation.

I do not claim the discovery as my own, that 'all men are born equal,' and that among their inalienable rights are 'life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.' Were I addressing any other than a free and Christian assembly, the enforcement of this truth might be pertinent.

Neither do I intend to analyze the horrors of slavery for your inspection, nor to freeze your blood with authentic recitals of savage cruelty.

Nor will time allow me to explore even a furlong of that immense wilderness of suffering which remains unsubdued in our land.

I take it for granted that the existence of these evils is acknowledged, if not rightly understood.