New-York tribune., 1902-05-22
TO SPANISH WAR DEAD,
A MONUMENT UNVEILED RY PRESI-
DENT ROOSEVELT AT ARLINGTON.
ERECTED BY THE SOCIETY OF COLONIAL
DAMES-THE PRESIDENT ON THE
LESSONS OF THE LATE WAR.

LESSONS OF THE LATE WAR
Washington. May 21.-President Roosevelt to-
day unveiled the shaft erected at Arlington by
the National Society of Colonial Danes in mem
ory of the who fell in the recent struggle
between Spain and the United States. Around
the platform immense crowd gathered
among whom many men who saw service
in Cuba. Porto Rico and the Philippines.
The ceremonies We're in charge of Major Cen
eral John f. Brooke commander of the Depart
ment OF the East the military establishment
being represented by a battalion of engineers a
battalion of marines light battery of the 4th
Artillery. squadrons of the I'd Cavalry and
over five hundred veterans of the Spanish Amer
lean War The services began with the Dead
March from Saul" followed by onward.
Christian Soldiers" sung by surpliced choir.
Prayers were said by Bishop Satterlee and a
Catholic priest and the audience joined in sing
ing the national hymn. Lieutenant General
John NJ. Schofied then read the address of the
president of the National Society. Mrs. Justine
Y. r. Townsend. and the shaft was unveiled
amid the cheers of the thousands who surround
ed the stand.
PRESIDENT ROOSEVELT'S ADDRESS.
AS the shaft was unveiled the artillery fired
the national salute, after which President
Roosevelt delivered the following address:
Mrs. President and members of the society
and you. my comrades Cheers and applause),
and finally officers and men of the regular army
(cheers and applause), whom took our
models (applause) in the war four years ago:
1t is pleasure to be here this afternoon to
accept in the name of the nation the monument
put up by your society to the memory of those
who fell in the with Spain-a short war;
war that called for the eXerton Of only the
merest fraction of the giant strength Of this
nation (applause): but war the effects of
which will be felt through the centuries to come
because of the changes 1t wrought 1t is emf
nently appropriate that the monument should
be unveiled to-day the day succeeding that on
which the free Republic of Cuba took its place
among the nations of the world a sequel to
what was done by those men who fell and their
comrades in '9S. (Applause)
We went to for specific purpose. We
made for Cuba a specific pledge and We re
deemed that pledge to the letter. applause
And / think my comrades of the war that we
have peculiar reasons to be proud Of one OF our
fellows who served with us in that war. and
under whom. during the last years. Cuba
has been; under whose administration Cuba
has taken those strides forward which have
fitted it to stand alone-I speak Of General
Leonard Wood. CHEERS and applauseD And
great though the services were that General
Wood rendered during the war they have been
surpassed by the inestimable service he mas
rendered in peace to Cuba and therefore TO our
nation for our interest bound up in the
success and welfare Of Cuba Applause)
THE LESSON OF THE WAR
And a word here where meet to honor
the memory Of those who drew the great prize
of death in battle, a word in reference TO the
survivors l think that one lesson every one
who was capable of learning anything, learned
from his exnerience in that war was the old
oIJ lesson that need TO apply IN peace qulte
as much-the lesson that the man who does NOT
care to do any act until the time for heroic ac-
ton comes, does not do the heroic act Wneh 'he
time does come. (LaughterD
You all remember, comrades. 1t Is barely pos
sible some of you remember being the man
who. when you enlisted. had theory that therr
was nothing but splendor and lighting ana
bloodshed in the war. and then had the eN-
perience at once OF learning that the nrSt thlng
had n do to perform commonplace
duties and perform them we'll | remember one
time in my regiment young fellow VINO had
come down TO fight for his country complaining
that he had been doing nothing but digging
kitchen sinks daughter and applause), to which
the answer obvious that he was to go on
digging kitchen sinks. And the work OF any
man in the campaign depended upon the resolu-
tion and effective Intelligence with which he
started about doing each duty as II arose, not
waiting until he could choose the duty that he
thought sufficiently spectacular to do; doing the
duty that came to hand.
That is exactly the lesson that all of need
to learn in times of peace. 1t is not merely
erAat thing but an indispensa BILE thing, that
the nations citizens should be ready and VIII
ing to do for II at time Of need, and no pref
erence for that other quality could atone for
the lack Of such readiness to lay down life if
the nation calls. But in addition to dying for
the nation YOU have got to be willing and
ous to live for the nation. or the nation will be
badly off. CApplauseD If you want 20 do your
duty when the time comes for you to die, the
nation will he deprived of valuable services
during your lives Oaughter0
WHAT THE REPUBLIC MOST NEEDS.
And now gentlemen speaking in all seri-
business l never see gathering of this kind,
I never see a gathering under the auspices Of
any of the societies which are organized to com
rnemorate the valor and patriotism of the found
ers of this nation, | never see gathering com
nosed of the men ready to have volunteered in
time of war or who fought in the great Civil
War or in any Of the lesser contests in which
this country has been engaged, without feeling
the anxiety to make such gathering realize,
feel each In his her heart the all impor-
tance of doing the ordinary. humdrum, com
nonplace duties Of each day as those duties
arise. Some of the effect on the day OF battle
is 70 be found in the aggregate of the individual
performances Of duty during the long months
that have preceded the day of battle. and the
way in which nation VIII arise TO a great
crisis is conditioned upon the way in which its
citizens have habituated themselves 10 act In
the ordinary affairs of the national life
Won cannot expect that much Will be done In
the supreme hour Of peril by soldiers who have
not fitted themselves TO meet the need when
oaed comes, and you cannot expect the highest
tvna of citizenship to be shown in the periods
when il is needed If that citizenship has not
haen trained by the faithful performance of or
dinarv DUTY What need most in this repup-
Iic ie not special genius, not unusual brilliancy.
hu+ the honest and upright adherence on the
nart of the mass Of the citizens and Of their
rranr.eentativ to the fundamental laws OF pri-
,,ata and public morality, which are now what
g., have been during recorded history, and we
haIi eucceed or fail in making this republic
...hat a. should be made-I will go little fur
- .ban that-what il shall and must be made
aocordine 70 the manner in which we seriously
.rd resoliItely set ourEeIVeS to DO the task oI
~ ,.,otn which consists Of doing the duties
public and private; NhICh % J." W. Es'es'''' '
II IN GGreat applause
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