The text itself stays the same, but how people have interpreted it has changed dramatically since the end of the war. So how can we understand, how we recognize that text, says a lot about the transformation of culture. I should say, when i was asked to do this, one of the many reasons i decided to do it was that i remain curious about the wonderful title, a fire never extinguished. David white and a few others of us it was such a literary phrase, we tried to figure out, who said that . Is that whitman, emerson . Who said a fire never extinguished . I have been doing a Little Research and have one possible source. One is Edward Everett hale, a wellknown unitarian minister during the civil war in boston a writer especially of short stories. He is best known for his short story the man without a country, published in the Atlantic Monthly in 1863. It is about a man who goes on the ship, disavows his country and loses his whole sense of identity. It is designed as a story to rally support
that one of them knew a great deal more than the tour guide. a small group delighted in the added depth the tour suddenly took on. this was my first encounter with brian mcginty. he introduced himself as a retired lawyer and historian. he told us of his intention to write the very book that he is here to speak of tonight. needless to say i was excited and i am greatly pleased and honored that he graciously agreed to come here tonight on the official date of the book s released on this eve of the centennial of john brown s raid on harpers ferry. an accomplished writer, mcginty has offered seven books of which john brown s trial is only his most recent published by harvard university press. in february of 2008, he published lincoln and the court which dealt with lincoln s suspension of habeas corpus, his struggle with roger cheney and the supreme court s decisions during the civil war. in his book the open massacre published by oklahoma university press in 2006 mr. mcginty expl