The Montgomery advertiser., 1904-06-20
VALLEY FORGE
ROOSEVELT DELIVERS
AN ADDRESS,
Evacuation Day Celebrated Appropri-
ately fn the Little Edifice Erect
ed ON Future Site OF Church
10 Washington.

L Philadelphia, June 19.--On the his
toric spot at Valley Forge wher,
washington and his Gallant Boys Of
l'76" suffered in order that the United
states might become a nation, Presi.
dent Roosevelt delivered notable ad.
dress to-day.
This was Evacuation Day" at Val.
ley Forge and the anniversary was
celebrated appropriately, in the little
edifice which has. been erected on what
is to be the site of the Washington
Monument Church. Accompanied by
Mrs. Roosevelt, the Attorney General
and Mrs. Knox. President Roosevelt
drove to Valley Forge from Mr.. Knox's
country home, Valley Forge Farm, to
attend divine services at 3:45 p. m. in
/ eral hundred people had assembled at
! the chapel, but only part of them
could get an entrance as its capacity
| is very limited
The President and party were seated
near the altar which was simply drap-
ed with silk American flag.
| After the simple service of the Epis-
copal Church had been concluded. the
Rev. Herbert Burk, rector of All Saints
Church at Norristown, Pa, introduced
the President, who spokes as follows:
this Afternoon and say a word on be-
half OF the project to erect a memorial
chapel on this great historic site.
Three weeks ago / was at the field
where the bloodiest and most decisive
battle OF the civil war was fought and
1t is a noteworthy thing that this State
of Pennsylvania should have within its
borders the places which mark the two
turning points in our history-Gettys-
burg. which saw the high tide of the
Rebellfon--valley Forge, which saw
the getting beyond of the danger point
of the Revolution.
There have been two great crises in
our national history. One the Revo-
lutfonary War, one the Civil. II the
men who took to arms in rs for ma
tional independence had failed then
not merely would there never have
been a national growth of this CONT
nent, but the whole spirit of national
fty for the younger lands of the world
would have persisted still-born If the
men of 81 had failed in the great
struggle for national unity, 1t would
have meant that the work done by
Washington and his associates might
almost or quite as well have been left
undone. There would have been no
point in concentrating what was done
at Valley Forge If Gettysburg had not
given us the national right to COM
memorate it. If we were now split up
into dozen wrangling little commu-
mites; IL we lacked the power to keep
away aggressors here on our own con-
tinent within our own lines, or to show
ourselves a unit as against foreign ae-
erosion, to indite the declaration of
Independence would read like empty
sound and the Constitution would not
be worth the paper it was written up
on.
Lincoln saved the Union and lifted
the cause of liberty higher than before.
Washington created the Republic, rose
by state craft to the highest position,
and used that position only for the
welfare of hfs fellows and for so long
as his fellows wished him to keep 1t.
1t is a good thing that of these great
landmarks of our history-Gettysburg
and Valley Fprge-one should COM
memorate single tremendous effort
and the other what we used on. the
whole much more commonly and
what l think is on the whole, rather
more difficult to do--long sustained
effort. Only men with a touch of the
heroic in them could have lasted out
that three days struggle at Gettysburg
Only men At to rank with the greatest
men of all time could have beaten back
the mighty onslaught of that gallant
ginia, whose final supreme effort end
cd at the stone wall or Cemetery Ridge
on that July day forty one years
ago.
But after all, hard though it is
to rise to the supreme height of self
sacrifice and of effort at time of
crisis that is short to rise to it, for
single great effort--it is harder yet
to rise to the level of crisis when
that crisis takes the form of needing
constant, patient, stead work month
after month year after year, when,
too, it does not end after a terrible
struggle in a glorious day-when it
means months of gloom and effort,
steadfastly endured and triumph |
wrested only at the very end.
Here at Valley Forge Washington |
and his continentals warred not
against the foreign soldiery, but |
against themselves, against all the ap-
peals of our nature that are most diff |
cult to resist, against encouragement, |
the mean envies and jeal- |
ousies and heart-burnings sure to |
arise at any time in large bodies of |
men, but especially sure to arise when |
defeat and disaster have come to large |
bodies of men. Here the soldiers who |
carried our national flag had to suf- |
fer from cold. from privation, from |
hardshlps, knowing that their foes |
were well housed. knowing that things |
went easier for the others than it did |
for them. And they conquered, be-
cause they had in them the spirit that
made them steadfast. not merely on an |
great dya, but day after day |
n the life of daily endeavor to do duty
we'll.
When twoIlessons are both indispen-
sable 1t seems hardly worth while to
lwell more on one than the other Yet
think that a g q nennla we nnnd mon,