A bust of President Abraham Lincoln and a plaque of the Gettysburg Address have been removed from a Cornell University library after being on display since 2013.
Cornell biology professor Randy Wayne noticed the bust of Lincoln and the bronzed plaque of the president's historic 1863 address missing a few weeks ago, so he asked the librarians about it.
Well, apparently there was "some sort of complaint," but everyone is being awfully secretive about it.
"Someone complained, and it was gone," Wayne told the College Fix.
Fox News reached out to the Cornell library about the matter and was told the bust was "part of a temporary exhibit on the 150th anniversary of the Gettysburg Address. The bust was displayed in the Rare and Manuscript Collections from 2013 to 2021."
If the bust and plaque were only there as part of an exhibit until 2021, they're about a year too late.
Rebecca Valli, director of media relations at Cornell University, told Fox News, "Cornell proudly possesses one of five known copies of the Gettysburg Address in Lincoln's hand. The original is safely sequestered, with a digital facsimile on permanent display. Additionally, five electronic Lincoln exhibitions are available for 24/7 viewing online."
Valli obviously did not respond to Fox's request for comment on Wayne's claim that librarians informed him the display was removed after a complaint.
Wayne has been trying to get to the bottom of this – he emailed Cornell's president, Martha E. Pollack. He got a response from Pollack's staffer saying, "President Pollack isn't typically made aware of changes with exhibitions in the library, which I believe are decided upon by library staff."
Why does nobody know what happened here? Or are they just playing dumb?
Well, good ol' Wayne doesn't believe anyone has the full story here. All he knows is how vital the Gettysburg Address is, and seeing it disappear from a library is concerning.
"When I take my students to RMC each semester, I have one of them read the original in Lincoln's" hand. I am in tears each time I hear a student read those words," Wayne told Fox.
"The Gettysburg Address is an incredible speech," he commented to the College Fix. "We have a handwritten copy in Lincoln's hand. It is known as the Bancroft Copy. It comes with an envelope signed by Lincoln (using his franking privilege), and a letter to Bancroft, thanking him for requesting a copy of the address to put in a book to be sold for charity."
"I show these documents to my class, as well as the heavy iron manacles worn by slaves. Yes, we have a Lincoln legacy that has been inspirational to me and my students. To take his words (and bust) out of the hallway says something about our love of liberty."
I hope Wayne gets to the bottom of this.
If it really was a complaint that got the artifacts removed from the library, what will be removed next?
"Hello, Cornell library? I'd like to make a complaint. Please have this lady remove her mask. Thanks" - sincerely, sane people everywhere
cornell_library / Instagram
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