The Savannah morning news., 1902-05-21
HOME MISSIONS HIS THEME.
PRESIDENT SPEAKS TO PRESBY-
TERIANs AT CARNEGIE HALL.

Large Audience Was There to Hear
Him and He Was Given Great Ova-
tiOn-The Conquest of n Confines mt
Was Rough Work, He Said, but the
ROughness Was UnaVOidab1e-The
Work of Those Who Shared the
Hardships of the Pioneer and
Waged War Against All Forms of
Brutality of Great Value.
New York, May 2O-Carnegie Hall
was crowded to the doors this even
ing with an audience eager to hear the
address of President Roosevelt in the
interests of Presbyterian home mis-
sions, the occasion marking the close
of the centennial celebration. Many
of the audience remembered that
Presidents Cleveland and Harrison
had made addresses from the same
platform on the same subject.
When President Roosevelt took his
seat on the platform he received a
great ovation. When the applause
died away Mr.. Roosevelt took his seat
between the Rey. DIR. VanDyke and
NV L. NoluetIl CO0SSy ~ L., W III was
presiding.
A choir sang the hymn, Eye Ser
wants of God, Your Master proclaim, -
and the President sang with them.
In introducing President Roosevelt,
DR.. Dodge said that no man knew bet
ter than the President the Importance
to the nation of the good work OF
home missions.
When President Roosevelt stepped to
the front of the platform and began
Mr.. Chairman" he was interrupted
by the flashlight of a photographer.
AS the smoke blew across the stage he
laughed and said: There goes the
mystery now" referring to the mys-
terry of the creed.
The Presidents Remarks.
The President said in part:
The century that has closed has
seen the conquest of this continent by
our people. To conquer a continent is
rough work. All really great work is
rough in the doing though it may seem
smooth enough to those who look back
upon it, or who gaze upon it from affair."
The roughness is an unavoidable part
of the doing of the deed. We need dis
play, but scant patience with those
who, sitting at east in their own
homes, delight to exercise a Querulous
and censorious spirit of judgment up
on their brethren who, whatever their
shortcomings, are doing strong men s
work as they bring the light of civili-
cation into the worlds dark places.
The criticism of those who live softly,
remote from the strife, is of little
value; but it would be difficult
to over-estimate the value of the mis-
sionary work of those who go out to
share the hardship and while sharing
it, to wage war against the myriad
forms of brutality. 1t is such mission
work which prevents the pio-
neers from sinking perlously
near the level of the saVagery
against which they content. With
would have had little but an animal
side. Without it the pioneers fierce
and rude virtues and sombre faults
would have been left unlit by the
flame of pure and loving inspiration.
Without it the life of this country
would have been a life of inconceivably
hard and barren materialism. Because
of it, deep beneath and through the
national character there runs that
power of firm adherence to a lofty ideal
upon which the safety of the nation
will ultimately depend"
President Talks of Cuba's Case.
Coming up here tonight I made up
my mind to speak to you of the mani
festations of the spirit of national
righteousness, of something that has
taken place this day, and of something
that has happened within ten days;
of the action of this nation
which eliminated in the Gre
alton to-day, and in starting a new
republic on it's course. That has rep
resented four years worll--blunderings
and shortcomings in the work. of
course; and there were men of little
faith who only saw the shortcomings
and the blunders-but it represents
work triumphantly done. We have the
right to feel proud that we have kept
every pledge to the letter
and established new nat
ional precedent. I don't remember an
other such case-and l have
looked for one with care-a case where
as the result of such a war the VIC
torious nation has contented itself by
starting a new nation. free, on the diff
ficult path of government"
The President addressed an overflow
meeting at the Central Presbyterian
Church and at midnight took the train
to Washington.