Evening star., 1901-12-21
Celebrated Last Night by the Con-
gregational Club.
DISTINGUISHED MEN PARTICIPATE
Speeches by Commissioners Mac
farIand and Others.
LIST OF THOSE PRESENT

The members of the Congregational Club
and their friends met last night in the
parlors of the First Congregational Church
and celebrated Forefathers' day with feast
song and oratory. Profuse with the scarlet
and green of Christmas and savory with
the odors of a. New England dinner, the
big room, with it's dozen long tables pre-
pared for the preliminary part Of the pro-
gram, presented a most inviting appear
ance. When the diners were seated dainty
| maidens in white aprons and caps f1itt ed
about laden with the substantial viands
| which the early Americans made famous.
After the dinner the theme, "Old Princ.-
pies and New Conditions. the New Ameri-
can and His Debt to His Forefathers."
was taken up. DIR. Merrill E. Gates, presi-
dent of the club. presented one phase of
the subject, THE Composite American"
as an Introduction He was followed by
Commissioner H. B. F. Macfarland on Our
Debt to the Scotch-Irish Element" Sem
ator Joseph V. Quarles of Wisconsin told
Northwest" Mr.. John w. Foster ad-
dressed himself to the Demand Upon the
New American, Face to Face With the
Orient and Rev. T. De Witt Talmage
eulogized -''Our Forefathers."
we honor our forefathers, but we belong
to the present.. began DR.. Gates. This
is our time. We live, not to laud the past,
but by our lives in the present to make
the past bear good fruit in the future.
But the typical American of today is not
a New England Pilgrim Puritan. Even
In the most direct line of descent the new
American differs widely, radically from the
man of 800 years ago, whose valiant deeds
and vigorous lives we honor here tonight
DR.. Gates held that thesAmerican of to-
day was a composite being, made up from
the best from all nations. He presented a
new and vigorous civilization.
MIR. MacfarIand's Address.
Commissioner Macfarland said:
THE modest Scotch and Scotch Irish,
who have helped to make our country
what it is-and they are all the same, ex-
cept that part of them stopped in the north
of Ireland on their way over-have said SO
little about themselves that they have not
been as fully appreciated as they ought to
have been. The Pilgrims and the Puritans
wrote their history while they were max
ing it; their descendants have done the
same, and naturally and properly they
have a large place in our literature. The
Dutch, the Quakers and the Huguenots
have done the same thing on a smaller
scale; but it is remarkable how little the
Scotch have published about their own
deeds No people contributing anything
like what they have contributed to Ameri-
can life have said so little about it. In
deed, the story and their praise alike are
to be found almost entirely in the writings
of others, and there is no one complete
history of their achievements. President
Roosevelt in The Winning of the West
and other historians with little or no
Scotch blood have celebrated the Scotch in
America as no Scotchman has ever done
And yet If they We're disposed to boast by
means of the praise of their forbears q
subtle sort of self-f1attery the Scotch
could make brave claim to the respect
II not the admiration, of their fellow
Americans.
What They Could Tell.
They could tell Of ten Presidents of the
United States with Scotch blood in their
veins, including the victorious general of
the northern armies in the civil war. and
of long line of eminent men In the Su-
preme Court, the Congress, the army and
navy. and in every sphere Of private life
including especially the church, the col
leges and the business world. They could
tell, not only of signers Of the Declaration
of independence, but of the Mecklenburg
declaration of independence, which was
framed and proclaimed by Scotchmen
months before the Fourth of July 1916,
when, according to tradition, the influence
OF John Witherspoon. Scotch-Irishman,
was decisive in securing the Philadelphia
declaration They could point to the great
part which Scotchmen played in the war
that made that declaration good, in the
adoption Of the Constitution and, through
the greatest Of chief justices, in making the
nation with it. They could boast of their
great share in the development of the coun-
try as pioneers and builders, and Of their
heroes on both sides Of the civil war But
the men were more than their achieve
ments. They had the humor, the poetry,
the humanity of Burns, and the faith,
strength and courage Of Knox. They had
love Of country, devotion to ideals. stern
virtue, practical wisdom, uncomfortable
heroiSm. Above all, they wrought and
fought seeing Him who is invisible, and
having respect to His recompense"
The Vigorous Northwest.
Senator Quarles told of the vigorous
northwest. He hkened its homogeneous
citizenship. to the waters of the mighty
Mississippi river. which combines the crys-
tai waters Of the mountains and the muddy
streams of sthe prairies into one peaceful
whole.
1.-The acquisition of territory in the orient
by the United States brings with 1t great
responsibilities" began Mr.. Foster. There
was a great diversity Of opinion in this
country among our people, and in other
countries, too, to the wisdom of getting
face to face with the orient. The most
responsible party in this matter is [ be
lieve, the American board of foreign mis-
sions More than seventy-five years ago
missionaries were sent by this organization
to the Sandwich Islands. They taught the
islanders their religion, taught them the
ways OF civiiization; so that it was not
wonderful If in comparatively short time
this tiny kingdom should hold up it's head
and ask for recognition by the other king
doms of the earth. This recognition was
accorded and the eyes of the world were
turned toward the new country. First one
nation and then another looked upon those
islands with covetous eyes, and various
overtures were made to the king, but the
American people, in the form of Daniel
Webster. a New Englander, like the mis-
| sioners had been, stepped to the fore and
told the nations Of the world that they
must keep their hands off. 1t was this
same Webster who first brought to the at
tention Of his country the Importance of
opening relations with Japan"
Mr.. Foster said that the present situa-
tion entails great responsibility on Ameri-
cans in the orient. 1t demands that the
| moral spirit of America, it's purity Of
home life and honesty of purpose, be
brought home to the people Of the Philip
pines. 1t demands political wisdom in
bringing knowledge Of self-government
to the people and in the establishment of
schools.
DR.. Talmage closed the evening with
glowing tribute to the sturdy manhood OF
the Pilgrims and those who followed them
in building up the country.
Those Present.
Among fhnSa nrasopt opd N9rc