Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1891-12-24
A TALK with. THE PURTTANS
MIR. Cleveland's Address to
the New England Society.
HE Dimes ON PORK AND BEANS
And Enjoys His First New
England Dinner.
Mr.. Cleveland the Guest of the BrooIslyn
Organization of the New England So
ciety--The Ex-President's Interesting
Address--Other Exercises.


sat down to the annual dinner of the New
England Society in Brooklyn this evening
The exact number of diners, outside of the
invited guests was 271, or one for every
year that had elapsed since the Pilgrim
fathers landed upon Plymouth Rock.
The dinner was held In the big assembly
room of the Brooklyn Academy of Music,
which was deliberately decorated and hung
with myrtle and evergreen. Everything
about the dinner was significant of New
England and the Down East" customs.
The menu bore picture of benumbed
pilgrim landing in the snow, and pork and
beans were served to every guest in little
earthen pot,
The principal guest of the evening was
ex-President Grover Cleveland, who
arrived shortly after o'clock, and par.
tcipated in the reception which preceded
the dinner. Mr.. Cleveland sat upon the
right of the president at the guest table,
which ran along the wall in the centre of
the big room. OTHER prominent guests at
this table were ex-Congressman Horr of
Michigan, David A. Boody, mayor-elect of
Brooklyn; General Horace Porter, Benja-
min ID. Sillman and Rev. Charles II.
Hall.
ADDRESS OF Ex-PREsIDENT CLEVELAND.
Mr.. President and Gentlemen: As this is
the first time | have attended dinner
EiNtii ny u NGW GsllRldilu SUtltLN, Deg TO
express the qualification it affords me to
enter upon my new experience in the city
OF Brooklyn and among those whom
have always regarded as especially my
friends.
You are by no means to suppose that
my failure heretofore to be present on oc-
casions like this is accounted for by any
doubt have had as to my qualification
for admission. From the time the first
Nfoft1 MT .Rf
chusetts down 10 the day of my advent all
the Clevelands from whom | claim de-
scent We're born in New England The
fact that first saw the light in the state Of
New Jersey | have never regarded as
working n forfeiture of any right | may
have derived from my New England line.
age, nor as making me an intruder or
merely tolerated guest in an asscmblage of
this kind. | resent, of course, with beconi-
ing spirit the imputation that my birth in
New Jersey constitutes me foreigner and
an alien, and have never been able to see
any humor i'll the suggestion that my
native state is not within the union. 10
my mind the regularity with which she
votes the Democratic ticket entities her to
high rank among the states that are
really useful At any rate, shall always
insist that New Jersey is good state to be
born i'll, and ! point To the fact that after
-
returned to find a temporary home within
her limits as fully demonstrating that my
very carly love for her is not extnguished.
Assuming that you agree with me that
my birth in New Jersey has not stamped
me with indelible ineligibility, and antici-
patng your demand for affirmative sup
port Of my qualification TO mingle With
those who celebrate Forcfathers Day and
sing the praises of the men who first set
tied in New England, | can do no better
than to rest my case upon the statement
that Bean Hill in the town of Norwich
and State of Connecticut was the birth
place of my father. | hope that in max
ing this statement shall not remind you
Of the man who loudly boosted of his
patriotic sacrifice in defence Of his country
on the ground that he had permitted his
wife's relatives to join the army At any
rate, it seems to me that the claim l make
is entirely valid, with no embarrassment
connected with it, except the admission by
inference that for some purposes and on
some occasions fathers birthplace may
he of more value to 4 man than his own.
! have nothing further to urge ON the sub
lect Of my eligibility except to mention, as
something which should be credited to me
upon my own account, the fact thnt have
lately demonstrated my preference for
New England and my love for that section
OF our country where my ancestors lived
and died, by establishing summer home
in the state of Massachusetts.
think all Of lis are old enough to re-
member the prophetic words put opposite
certain dates in the old almanacs, 'About
these days look out for snow.n II alma
macs were now made up as they used to be,
i would not he amiss to set opposite the
latter days of December, About these
days look out for Qualification of the Pill
grims." This would be notice to those con-
sulting the almanac that time was fore
told when the people of the country would
be reminded that there were Pilgrims who
came TO New England and there set in
motion the forces which created our won
drOus nation.
No one will deny that the Pilgrims to
New England were well worthy II all that
is done or can be done to keep them
in remembrance. But we cannot recall
their history and what they did and estab-
lishedi and what they taught without also
recalling that there have been Pilgrims
from New England who. finding their
way to every part of the land. have taken
with them those habits opinions and
sentiments which, having ali early origin
~ American soil, should be best suited to
American life everywhere, and should bu
1 the best guarantees in every situation of
the preservation, in their integrity and
purity, OF American institutions
We have heard much OF abandoned
lands in New England. II farms have
! been abandoned there we know hat larger
and more productive farms have been de
yel0ped in newer states By the Pilgrims
from New England. II the population 81
New England has suffered drain, We
shall find that the vigorous activity lost ID
her has built up new cities and towns ON
distant and unbrokcn soil, and impressed
upon these new creations the truest and
best features of American civilization
While all will admit the debt our great
country owes to New England influences
and while none of us should be unmindfu
Of the benefits to be reasonably expected
from the maintenance and spread of thes,
influences, a thought is suggested whicl
has further relations to the mission anC
duty of the Pilgrims from New Englant
aud their descendants. wherever they may
be scattered throughout the land Ii thel
are Al all true to their teachings ami thci
traditions. they will naturally illustrate il
a practical way the value Of education an,
moral sentiment i'll the foundations o
social life and the value of industry ant
economy as conditions Of thrift and con
tentment But these Pilgrims and thei
descendants and allthose who, with SINGER
enthusiasm, celebrate Forefathers' Day
will fail in the discharge of their highes
duty IT. yielding to, the temptation Of an,
un-American tendency they neglect /,
teach pcrsistently that in the carly day
there was, and that there still ought to b.
such thing us trnc and distinctive Amer
canisni, Or il they neglect to give it Jus
Interpretation.
This certainly does not mean Tint
splrtof narrowness or prescription Shout
be encouraged, nor that there should b
created or kept alive fear concerning sue
additions to our population from othe
lands As promise assimilation with on
conditions and cooperation in our aim
md purposes II does however moan III
insistcncc that every transfer Of allegianc
from another government to our ow
should signify the taking on at the sam