The record-union., 1899-05-17
Mr.. HUNTINGT0N'S
HDDRESS.

Just emerging from century Of tri-
umphs in invention, commercial enter
prise, education and experience, which
have prepared her to be the leader or
the nations and the master, if she will,
of the worlds destinies.
THE door of Eastern Asiatic trade
connot now be closed, for the American
republic has her foot upon the TIRES
hold. The United States are begin
ming to understand the significance OF
that phrase so common to foreign diplo-
matte policy-'a sphere of influence
and they are going to exercise that IN
nuence. Strange peoples are to come
more into our life, and these peoples
are, by-and-by, going to render YER
dict upon our trial. The greatest ques-
ton before the American Government
to-day is, How shall we deal with
them?' In France, liberty, equality
and fraternity have been but names.
1t will be the test of our success Wheth-
er we can make them facts. I hope
and believe that our flag will continue
to have the meaning of it's past wher-
ever it may wave-whether in the mai,-
land of the United States or over its
islands Of the seas. / hope that it VIII
stand for an honest and just govern
ment, in which every individual, with
out distinction of race or creed, Will ne
equal before the law, for only under
such banner can American citizens
hope to gain happiness and enduring
success. The history of the world,
think, shows that where the rights of
the humblest citizens are not equal be-
fore the law to the rights of the high
est the trend of nation is surely
downward, and no one is safe. Rome
was once the master of the world, but
when she reached that point in her
career where her slaves constituted the
great majority of her population her
decline began and continued to her fail.
Russia was a nation of hhrbarians and
serfs. She emancipated the latter and
opened a path of progress for the form
er; but her present ruler is trying to
take a step forward and a step back
ward at the same time. Before l left
New York I received information that
the Gar had by imperial decree abro-
gated the Constitution under which the
people of Finland have been allowed,
J within the Russian jurisdiction, to
maintain their special national charac-
ter and that he had turned down this
peoples petition for mercy. The re-
suit is that they are preparing to emil
CRATE to some other country.
Il at once wrote to our people in San
Francisco for it seemed to me that here
lay great opportunity for California,
which needs more citizens. 1t has been
calculated in recent statistics that the
Russian and English tongues are to be
the ruling languages Of the future, but
I believe the language that we speak
here tonight will be the commercial
language of the world, for it is the Ian
guage which has created the best type
of government and of citizenship. To-
day we have the spectacle of the Gar
OF Russia trying to thrill the universe
with a brilliant vision of a great peace
congress which shall put an end to the
horrors and cruelties of war. and at
the same time turning a deaf ear to APP
peals from representatives of more than
$500, GOO of his people, who are to-day,
in consequence of it, casting about for
new homes under an alien flag, where
they can enjoy the right to live lives Of
peace and happiness according to the
dictates of their conscience
| France, as is we'll known, is declin-
| ing in population and in real power.
| She is a republic, but republic in
uniform. Her wise men look with great
alarm upon Anglo Saxon superiority,
and are asking anxiously what is the
reason for it.
| The answer, I take it, lies largely in
! her methods of education, which may
! be called process of forcing the young
/ in order to prepare them for the govern
ment service. The nation is bed-ridden
with officiahsm. As for Germany, an
! eminent French writer, speaking of the
failure of the French school to fit men
for the struggle of life. has said con-
temptuously: Germany need not rail at
| France for her decline. We are only
preceding her. The German Emperor
himself has said in recent years, speak
ing of the German method of education:
Our schools have failed, from a prac-
tical point of view-that is, they do not
form man to succeed; and he urged
that the youth of the country ought to
be educated so as to fit them for the
I struggles of life. And he says further:
Our schools have given US too many
learned men. They turn out more
learning than is good for the nation at
large and more than is good for the
Individual
/
that want to make, and that is that ]
regret one tendency in our country, ad-
mirable as are her institutions. II
is almost heresy to say it, but I do not
mind taking the responsibility, for that
IS one of the things / am used to. l re-
fer to the increase of the higher edu-
cation for the masses. The Anglo
Saxon has easily outstripped all his
competitors in those things which make
for the commercial growth and success
of nations. because he has been, above
all other things, practical While the
preparations for professional life re-
quires advanced knowledge, it seems to
me that the vast majority of our young
people spend too many of their vigorous
years of youth inside the schoolroon
and not enough in the practical work oil
life. The years from l5 to p are i'm
mensely valuable, for they are years Of
keen observation, individuality and con-
fidenee. In many cases-quite toe
many-they are spent in examining the
mind with knowledge that is not likely
to help young man in the work he is
best fitted to do. How many young mer
with college educations are standing
about waiting for something that viii
| never come because the work that lies
nearest at hand is not to their liking
Somehow or other our schools. which
teach young people how to talk, do not
teach them how to live. People need
| little but want much. Since I have
come to California one-third of nv
daily mail is made up of appeals for
help, and these calls are. about equally
divided between requests for contribll-