The times., 1899-07-05
The MAN OF TIE Year
Mr.. Perry Tells the GeneaIogy of
the New American.
Celebration of Independence Day by
the Sons of Revolutionary ances-
tors-The Spanish War Gave the
Speakers Their Tcxts-Praise for
Frances Course in Dreyfus' Case.

the Sons of the Revolution and the Sons OF
the American Revolution with patriotic
exercises at Columbia Theatre yesterday
morning. r. Ross Perry delivered the
chief Grafton. He traced the genealogy of
! the new American developed during the
| past year-the America who has come
| from the background of worlds drama
to the centre OF the stage during the twelve
months just past.
| Formerly the exercises have been con-
| Quoted in the Monument Grounds, and fire.
works formed a part of the programme.
| This year it was decided to observe the
| day within doors. with the omission of the
| noisy and dangerous explosives. and with
more stress laid upon the serious and deep
er meaning of the day. 1t is likely that
on future occasions the plan will be ad-
hered TO as the celebration yesterday met
with general approval
| An American flag over the stage where
| large assemblage of invited guests was
| gathered. was the only decoration in the
theatre. The French Ambassador, NJ. Cam
| bon, accompanied by members of his staff,
occupied box on the right Of the stage
| as representatives of the sister Republic
which rendered assistance to this coun-
try one hundred and twenty-five years ago.
| Col. Green Clay Goodloe presided over the
meeting.
| The ceremonies opened with an invoca-
tion by the Rev. Thomas S. Child5. chap
| lain of the Sons of the American Revolu-
| tion, followed by THE Star Spangled Ban
/ ner'' by the Marine Band Henry E. Da-
Wis was then introduced and delivered an
appropriate address, in which he said that
| the American people today presented to
| the view of the world the full frution of
the best seed planted by the revolutionary
! fathers. He spoke of the atmosphere of
American freedom and the influence of the
| English law in giving liberty to the psople
The American people were no longer chill
| dren, but as men have the duty thrust
upon them to extend this law and its ac-
companying liberty. Wherever English
| law and American institutions have gone
men stand upright and are free men.
He referred to the presence in the audi
| ence of the representative of the youngest
member in the family of Republics and
dwelt upon the moral courage the French
people were showing in making ready to
| give Dreyfus new trial. Minister Cam
bon bowed his acknowledgements and the
members of the two patriotic organza-
| tions on the stage rose and returned the
salute of the French Ambassador
| Barry Bulkley read the Declaration of
| Independence. R. Ross Perry then de-
1 livered the chief Grafton of the occasion.
| ne SPOKE IN part as 1OllOWS.
"A new man came on the stage in 1898.
| The American had been at most behind
| the scenes in the drama which the ma
| tions were playing. Where did this new
American come from and how are we 60
| ing to account for him?
Perhaps men who have been always
practical men, as the phrase is, get nearer
the truth than mere theorists. Those who
raise fine stock are apt to know as msre
matter of business how to do il. Where
did the blood come from that sent men last
July up San Juan Hill? 1t is only a part
of the answer TO say that it was in the
veins of Mad Anthony Wayne and of his
gallant fellows when they went UP the
works of Stony Point that July night in
| 1873. Who were the sponsors, in the stern
chrism of battle. of those grand sea-
| fighters who, at Manila and OF Santiago,
breathed out the wrathful breath of de-
| struction before which Span's navies
shriveled and Disappeared? Drake, Haw-
kins Nelson, Lawrence. Decatur. Farra-
gut, and many more. We do not know all
the names, but their deeds have left be-
hind powers that will work for them and
for the race.
ITO know our new American. then. we
must know his history. How few stop to
| think of all that this means.
Where the American of 1888 came from
and what he is must therefore be a COM
| plex question. Perhaps it can not be n
swered for all Americans. But for those
| who are of Revolutionary stock so.ne an
| swer may be made The essential starting
| point is, l think, the fact that Englishmen
| of the seventeenth century left their ra-
| tive country in search of religious freedom.
| Many emigrated for other reasons, but /
| speak of the primary fact which is the
! foundation of our national life and which
is stronger today than it was even in 1920.
"The vital air of this great land which
| this people must have to breathe is the
air OF religious freedom. The next funda-
mental fact is a childhood OF colonial
| growth But with 17T4 and the closing of
| the port of Boston, came another funda-
| mental fact-the realization that we were
one country in the impending struggle for
/ free development in an independent life.
| From that time mere colonial life ends, al
| though its influence lasts for years. in
fact only ended last year when the new
| American was born. The Americans stood
| steadfast. and on the eighth anniversary
| of the battle of Lexington General Wash
| ington proclaimed to his army the recogni-
| tion OF America as a nation OF the world.
After the development of the Revolu-
ton, wrought as are all truly vital pro-
| cesses through tears and blood and all
that these signify, we come to the next
great stage in American growth; that OF
| the Constitution.
I'VE now approach the last step in the
generation of the American of today The
compelling hand of commerce brought re-
| lations which could net be denied. That
sense of humanity which is the creature Of
| the last half of this century completed the
| preparation. and all that was needed 10
| bring the American upon the scene
was the opportunity. Remorseless retri-
button, which follows nations as it does
men, brought it about. Unutterable have
been the atrocities of Spain upon this con-
| tinent. American humanity ended them
| forever almost in the very spot where they
| began. The new American did not take
| the step because he wanted to but because
| he had to- His history had made him
ready for the step and the step ready for
J him. And so with the next ST p-the Phil
ippines.
Would the widest dreamer OF visions
have said, in March 1898, that in Saptsm-
] Der OF that year a majority of Democratic
voters in Texas would have pronounced in
favor of what we call expansion. against
the voice of the then leader of this party
in the House of Representatives of the
nation? Yet that is what happened Ex-
pansion is in the food we eat, the water we
drink, the air we breathe II Is our des-
tiny. To speak of the white mans burden
is only a poets way OF saying that our
race must 90 forward. for II win rot, it
cannot go backward.
The new American has been made by
the history which we have so rapidly gene
over. He comes forward now because he
has finished his colonial growth his pro-
yincial growth. and his continental growth
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