Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-06-08

Mr.. Theodore w Noyes. TO read the reply
he had prepared.
Mr.. Noyes then read as follows:
From the time. nearly sixty years ago.
when 1. a poor. sickly. thinly clad boy.-a
promising candidate for the graveyard
entered W ashington one cold winter night.
1 have received nothing but kindness. SYM
pathy and encouragement from the people
of this city All ! possess in the world I
owe to these same good people, and I
should be an migrate indeed IL | failed to
give in return my best services In behalf
of the city that sheltered me and the peo-
pie who befriended me when l so sorely
needed friendship and aid.
And | should be doubly an Migrate II |
failed to appreciate profoundly-to the very
bottom of my heart-the indications of re-
gard showered upon me tonight, both in
diyduaily and through eloquent Spokes-
men. by the warm and strong friends
whom have gained and with whom | have
been blessed through my half century of
Washington life | see about me old friends
of my youth and young friends of my old
age. and in handclasp and in verbal greet
ing they have all spoken knowingly 10 me
tonight as representatives, OF the city and
people with whom l have become so COM
pletely identified and who fast bound by
the ties of long and intimate associa ton.
have come to be so dear to me
When almost on the first moment OF NV
acquaintance with Alexander r. Shepherd
he conhded to me his dreams and plans for
Despond in which it was placed | shared
with him to the fullest his passionate de-
sires for the betterment of Washington
and, in association with the band of earn
est men and good citizens. who rallied to
the support of Shepherd | gave my whole
heart and my best energies to the cause in
which he was the great leader. / am glad
to see here tonight many of the brave
stanch energetic men who stood by Aleck
Shepherd and helped him TO raise the ma
tional city from its degraded condition q
oy-word of reproach everywhere. to lie the
pride OF the nation and the most beautiful
capital city in the world
shepherd has been called Boss Shepherd
and ciassed by his enemies with Boss
Tweed. He was truly a boss, but only
in the sense that he born leader of
men.
From my long and intimate acquaintance
with him. commencing when we were young
men together and continued when we were
associated in business and ending only at
his death, 1t Is probable that no man knew
him better. inside and out than myself: and
from that Intimate knowledge / want to
declare here tonight that a more unsefish
man or one having higher aims for the pub
lie good never breathed. There was not a
sordid or ignoble atom In his whole makeup
lie cared absolutely nothing for money ex-
cept for its uses in enabling him to carry
out grand and noble purposes. or all the
vast sums that passed through his hands
in the prosecution of his great work not a
penny stuck to his fingers. In the accom-
tons he sacrificed a prosperous business.
and an ample competence. and was COM
PEELED to leave the beautiful new Washing
ton of his creation and go into exile in a
dreary, comfortless Mexican mining camp
to repair his broken fortunes and provide
for his family.
In th=se sixty years there have been won
derful changes. The population of Wash
ington las grown from 10000 to 10000.
This growth has been 4 healthy one in the
main, Tut there are some eXcrescences
Sixty years ago the finest residence quarter
CT the city was east OF eth street. now it
is west of 14th street. But though the
West End is now the fashionable quarter
built up with magnificent palaces. it has not
and never will have 4 better society than
the kindly, high-minded, cultured, hos
pi.able people who lived in TIE good old
roomy, comfortable. reo-brick houses on G
street, Indiana avenue and that neighbor-
hood.
This was a community where money
counted for little in the social scale and
where the richest and the highest thought
it no discredit to work shoulder to shoulder
with mechanics and laboring men In tho
performance of public duties. They cheer
fully and ungrudgingly undertook the per-
Torrance of any duties assigned to them.
whether as Common Councilman. Jurymen.
Charity Workers. School Trustees. Health
Officers. or members of the Levy Court.
. In the changes from. the odd society to
the new. there is one most unwelcome ac-
quisftion-that of the so-called Smart Set
We are not required to believe that our
Smart Set is guilty of all the monkey
shines and social indecencies of the New
port degenerates. They are obnoxious not
because they are very wicked, but be-
cause they are so utterly worthless.
In a republic where there are no titles of
nobility and no caste distinctions, they
undertake to set up an un-Amerfcan First
Society class, whose only claim to super
iority is their ability to live without labor
or association with those who work. is-+s
No man is worthy of admission to their
circle unless he can prove that he Is not
In trade or any useful occupation and has
never done days work with his hands.
They shrk all the duties of good citizen
ship. ,.....r
They sheer at our public schools.-our
schools in which from the capacity and
high character of the teachers the pupils
get an education infinitely superior to, that
acquired by the idle set in full univer-
sty course. ----~-
For the do-nothing is inevitably know
nothing. He carries his indolent habits to
the college and learns nothing there. spend
ing his time in the designations and excesses
of the wealthy smart set student class.
They sneer at our Citizens associations.
our Christian associations, Charity organi-
Reform schools, Christian En-
deavor unions, the Salvation Army, the
Grand Army of the Republic, the Decora-
ton day and Thanksgiving day observances.
They think 1t a fine thing to shock the re-
ligious sense of the community by their
dissertation of the Sabbath
in their frivolous revelries and amuse-
mentS.
Bishop Satterlee in his earnest and useful
life has done nothing more servfceable to
the country than in his strenuous call or
halt to the alarming tendencies of modern
society to laxity of morals. disregard Of
the duties and obligations of religion and
devotion to idle and trivial pleasures and
amusements. That Grand Old Man, Ed
ward Everett Hale, whose whole career
has by his example and his teachings, by
voice and pen. been an inspiration to high
ideals of useful and worthy pursuits, Is per-
the browning service of his life by
the alarm of danger to the nation
threatened by the demoralizing influence Of
society.
Andrew Carnegie, who by the benefcent
use he is making of his great wealth -
entitled to speak with authority, denounces
In unsparing terms the life and example OF
the idle. useless rich.
Henry Watterson, Thomas Nelson Page
and Rudyard Kipling are using their Wig
orous pens most effectively in thu same
direction.
1 have taught my children as you have
taught your children to be workers and
fighters and not -shirkfrS. skulkers and
duty dodgers in the battle or life: to