Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-12-21
FOREFATHERS' d.
Its Observance by Congregational
Club Of This City.
RECEPTION And BANQUET LAST NIGHT
Characteristics Of Pilgrims and
Their Ideas of Government.
LIST OF THOSE PRESENT

Forefathers' day was celebrated last even.
ing by the Washington Congregational
Club principal feature of the affair being
a banquet to which about one hundred
members of the club and invited guests sat
down in the Sunday school room of the
First Congregational Church. From 6 to I
o. clock pm. a reception was held in the
parlors of the church. at which the presi-
dent of the club, the Rev. NJ. Ross Fish
burn, pastor of the Mount Pleasant Con-
gregational Church, was assisted by the
following committee in receiving the
guests: G. ]. Cummings, Walter Allen, W
W. Foster, P. C. Claflin, ]. B. Sleman and
j. H. Jennings. Addresses were delivered
after dinner had been served, and music
was rendered by the quartet of the First
Church-Mrs. Hattie Meads Smith, Miss
Edna Scott Smith, and Messrs. Douglas
Miller and ]. Walter Humphrey-Dr. ]. W.
Bischoff presiding at the piano.
Mr. Ffshburn presided at the dinner and
during the exercises following, and his
witty and timely remarks as POSTMASTER
added much co the general enjoyment.
Church. Rev. S. NJ. Newman, the benedic-
ton being pronounced by Rev. J. E. Ran
kin. president of Howard University
President Fishburn's Remarks.
When coffee had been served the quartet
sang Pinsutfs 1.-THE Sea Hath Its Pearls -
after which Mr.. Fishburn said, in allusion
to the Pilgrim Fathers:
Il do not attempt to deny that they had
their faults. do not claim that they were
perfect men; but admitting that they
walked with too measured a tread and wore
too austere a countenance; admitting that
their Sabbath keeping was rather rigorous
ol1nh +nsr
ness than the laxity which prevails in those
countries where Sunday has become very
plague spot in the civilization; admitting
that Governor Bradford was not altogether
generous In refusing to permit the new
corners from the ship Fortune to keep
Christmas holiday, replying to their argyll
ments that it was against their conscience
to work that day. that it was against his
conscience for them to play while others
worked even admitting, as a facetious
historian has said, that bear batting was
suppressed not because the sport injured
the bears, but because it pleased the peo-
ple-frankly admitting al their faults, we
may, with no fear of contradiction. claim
for them that they were the very best and
bravest men Of their day. Macaulay had
the right of it when he said of them: No
man ever despised them who had met
them in debate or crossed swords with
them on the embattled field With proper
pride. therefore, in the memory of the Pill
grims do we assemble here tonight to do
them honor"
Address by Commissioner Evans.
Mr.. Fishburn introduced the first speak
er of the evening, Mr.. H. Clay Evans, the
commissioner of pensions, as one of the
four fathers who had been invited to adj
dress the club. Mr.. Evans referred to the
closing century the most progressive
and interesting known, and the country OF
which the pilgrim fathers were among the
first is the most progressive and interest
ing ever known. AS illustra ting the prog
ress Of the United States, Mr.. Evans said
that since the first railroad was opened
here eight miles of railroads haze been
built every day in this country since, and
as showing the difference between the days
of the pilgrim fathers and those of their
descendants OF today he said that he had
recently been told of a young farmer who,
with but the assistance of his bride, had
planted and harvested 100 acres of wheat
This, Mr.. Evans declared, was made pos
sible because Of the wonderfully useful
and labor-saving agricultural implements
of America of today. Discussing labor
saving inventions. he asserted that they
have done more than anything else to place
the United States where It stands today
more for the happiness of the people, and
more for those that will come after them
Therefore every American man. woman and
child should be most thankful that they live
In the last half of the twentieth century
and for the men who landed at Plymouth
20 years ago.
The Pilgrims.
kipling's "Recessional," music by De Ko-
ven. was finely sung by Mr.. Humphrey,
after which Mr.. Fishburn introduced Mr.
Merrill E. Gates. ex-president of Amherst
College, who spoke of THE Pilgrims and
Power of Personality He said, In part:
In ransacking the closet of an old New
England house, which had been built by
descendants /
rusty little volume, Essays to Do Good
the 3s2d published book by the Rev. Cot
ton Mather OF Boston. 1t is an interesting
proof of the catholicity of truth and of the
wide and free circulating power of ideas,
that 1t was sentence in a letter of a King
Of England which suggested to the Boston
SSohsresaIlonal preacher the writing of this
book. and that 1t is this particular volume
OF Cotton Mather's to which our revolu-
tlonary philosopher and statesman, Ben
Jamln Franklin, attributes all the good
country. This book says Franklin. .mada
me always set higher value on a doer-of-
good than on any other reputation
Ito 10 you sons rs, Of the pilgrims, the chal-
lenSe comes, How are you serving YOUR
generation? The charge that | bring
against the men of our day is that we mn
dervalue the force of the Individual will
experience with organizations. like every
other phase in the history and the develop
ment of our American institutions. laws
ever increasing emphasis upon the value
OF strong personality, upon the worth of
one man! " Va
Achievements of FOrefathers
That most difficult of all achievements
TO get ones ideas embodied in life and In
institutions, our forefathers ACCOMPLISHED
They were whole, manly men. Thew had
the force of will to live out what other
men could only talk and dream about. IF
We are in soul true sons of the forefatbers
whom We honor tonight, the Puritan strain
OF IRON In our blood will predispose us 70
the doing of hard and noble tasks-of sucb
of the nation o oieSshs
1t IS not because men of clear v,s;o,
nave great IDEAS that self-styled .practfcaT
men sheer at them as Missionaries: II ia ha.
cause men of ideas do not live NV tbajr
IDEAS. We must hold to our best ideas and
enforce them in our living If we wonId Win
respect for ourselves and them. Our fora-
iatners held SO strongly to their ideals
nved them out with such intensity and an.
ergy OF Will, that they vttalized an entire
continent. ~ emily
The National Life.
our national life Is rooted in the id.a
that every mans life is of value in itself
OF worth to him, and of most value tn ths
state when made of most worth to him
himself. The keynote of Conversational