Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-03-07
ACTION AND. THOUGHT
ABILITY TO DO AND THINK
THEME OF ADDRESS.
DR.. Richard Wilkerson Pays Tribute to
President Roosevelt in Address
Before Y. M. C. A.

The ability to do things as well as think
things. as essential to the success of man
kind in the present age, was the keynote
of the address of DIR. Richard Wilkerson
of New Orleans before the members of the
Y. NJ. c. A. and their guests at the Lafay-
cite Square Theater yesterday afternoon.
During the course of his address DR.. Will
kerson paid eloquent tribute to the work
and character of President Roosevelt. At
the outset of his address Dr. Wilkerson
said that perfected manhood is the great
thing to be desired. To attain this as
nearly as possible 1t is necessary to think
deep and to put thoughts into action. Ac-
ton. human action. he declared. is neces-
sary for the expression of human thought.
Don't think that because 1 am from the
south 1 am unable to appreciate the ster-
ling character of President Roosevelt" he
said. When / read OF his charge up San
Juan Hill at the head Of those redoubtable
Rough Riders. / threw up my hat in the
streets of New Orleans and exclaimed that
he was a great man, and one who had some
thing In him stronger than mere patriotism.
l saw that man possessed of the qualities
he displayed on that day could not be
mere child of accident and opportunity"
Opportunity" he declared, docs not
drop from the skies as Minerva Is said to
have sprung from the brain of Jove, nor
does it ever make the hero. 1t may how
ever, assist in the attainment OF an end,
provided it is seized at the proper time by
the man who has previously equipped him
self with the necessary essentials by long
and careful study"
Capitalization of Thought.
The people who view the acts of great
men on great occasions must not suppose
for an instant that such acts are the be-
ginning of their greatness It is simply
the crystallization of the thought of the
man into action of kind which attracts
attention to him and his deeds. Neither
Dewey, nor Sampson, nor Schley was made
at Manila or Santiago. Their achievement
was not the result of sudden effort IL
was brought about by general develop
ment of the men. Without this develop
ment they may not have played so tmpor-
tant a part in history. In other nations the
same things can be found in the men who
have done great things. Baden-Powell DID
not perform his great tasks of strategy and
valor on the fields of South Africa as an
overflow of effervescent thought. His work
there simply revealed to the world what his
associates had known Of him for many
years-that high type of man Is the re-
suit of early training and systematic
course of thinking
DR.. Wilkerson pointed out also that 1t is
not always the men of battle who nave
been the great men of the countries giving
them birth and claiming them as their sons
Goethe and Byron stand higher among the
German and English people than Butcher
and Wellington, he declared, and this IS
due to the fact that greatness in thought
always takes precedence of action. The
speaker directed the attention of his hear
ers to the fact that greatness of birth did
not infer useful citizenship. Many Of the
people of Australia, he said, owe their
origin to the felons Of England who were
transported to that far-of colony in the
early part of the century This did not
prevent the men and women of Australia
from becoming great and useful citizens of
the united kingdom
Prior to the address of DR.. Wilkerson
Mr.. Tom Greene sang two solos and a num-
Der of moving pictures of scenes in Japan
were shown.