New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1904-06-20
THE PRESIDENT SPEAKS
INTALLEY FORCE CHAPEL
Makes Address after Drifting OUer
Historic Grounds.

Philadelphia June 19-PresideEt Roosevelt
who. with Mrs Roosevelt, spent Sunday with
Attorney General Knox on his farm at Valley
Forge. visited the historic camp ground of
Washington to-day. The forenoon was taken up
with long drive over the territory, visits being
made to Washington's headquarters and other
places. This afternoon the President attended
the patriotic service held IN Washington Ne
mortal Chapel the camp ground, and ad-
dressed the meeting. He said:
It is a great pleasure to come here this after
noon and say "A word ON behalf OF the project
10 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 II is a uoteworth.
nave within It's borders the places wAlch mark mark
the two turning points in our hIstory-HettyS-
burg which the high tide of the Rebellion:
Valley Force, which saV g.. getting sy0"d
It's danger point d toe Gey 1tion.
There have been two great crises in our M
NouaI history two crises where failure meant
one the Revolutionary War. one the Civil War
II the men no took up arms IN 40 for natIonai
Independence had failed then not merely would
there never have been uatoUai growth on this
continent. but the whole spirit o. nationality for
the younger lands Of the world would hav; pr
ished stiilbOn
If the men OF 81 had failed in the great strug-
gle for national unity II would have meant that
the work done by Washington and his associates
done There would have been no point in CON-
mernoratluls what was done at Valley Forge il
Gettysburg had not given us the national right
to commemorate il. If We were now spit up
into dozen NranglES little communities. II We
lacked the power to keep away here on our
own continent within our own lines or 10 snow
ourselves "A unit against foreign aggression,
then. indeed. the Declaration of Independence
would read like empty sound. and the Const-
tuition would not be worth the paper upon which
Ii was written. save a study for antiquarianE.
There have been otner crises than those that
limit, Cd hG al O. %
and the great Civil War, there have been great
deeds and great men at other periods of our
national history. hut there never has been an
other deed vital 10 the welfare Of the nation
save the two-lhe deed OF those who founded
and the deed cf those who saved tn RepublIr.
There never has hee1 another man whose life
has been vital to the Republic save Washington
and Lincoln.
am not here to say anything about Lincoln.
but [ do not how any American can think
Of either Of them without thinking OF the other.
too. because they represent the same work
Think how fortunate are we as a nation. Think
what II means 10 us as a people that our young
men should have their ideals two men. not
conquerors. not men who Won glory by wrong
doing, not men whose lives were spent In their
own advancement but men who lived, one Of
whom died that the nation might grow steadily
greater and bctteT-the man who founded the
Republic and took glory from il himself
save what was freely given him by his fellow
citizens. and that only in the shape Of chance
for rendering them service, ana The man who
afterward saved the Republic. who saved the
State without striking down liberty.
often in history a State has been saved and
liberty struck down ar the same time. Lincoln
saved the Union and lifted the cause of liberty
higher than before. Washington created the re-
public. rose by statecraft TO the highest posi-
tion, and used tnat position only for the vel
fare of his fellows, and for long as his Fellows
wished him to keep It.
1t is a good thing that OF these landmarks OF
our history-Gettysburg and Valley FOrGe-one
should commemorate single tremendous effort
and the other what need on the whole much
more commonly. and what | think is. on the
whole, rather more difficult TO do-long sus-
tanned effort only men with touch OF the
heroic in them could have lasted out that three
days struggle at Gettysburg. only men NJ 10
rank with the great men OF all time could nave
beaten back the mighty onslaught OF that gal
liant and wonderful Army Of Northern virginia
whose final supreme effort faded at the stone
wall on Cemetery Ridge on that July day forty
one years ago.
But after all hard though il Is to rise TO the
supreme height of self-sacridce and Of effort at
a time OF crises that is short 10 rise 10 II lot Il
single great effort II is harder yet to rise TO the
level Of Il crisis when that crisis takes the Iol
OF needing constant. patent, STEADY WorIt lHoIiIH
after month, year after year; when. too, II does
not end after terrible struggle in a glorious
day-When It means months OF gloom ana effort
steadfasty endured, and triumph Wrested only
at the very end.
Here at Valley Forge Washington and his
Continentals warred not against the foreign sol
diery, but against themselves, against all the
appeals Of our nature that are most dlillcuIt 10
resist against discouragement, discomfort, the
mean enVies and jealousIeS ana heart burnlngs
sure to arise at any time In large bodies of men,
but especially sure to arise when defeat and dis
aster have come 10 large bodies or men. here
the soldiers Who carried our national flag had
10 suffer from cold, from privation, from hard
ship knowing that their foes were well housed
knowing that things went easier for others than
il did for them
And they conquered because they had In them
the spirit that made them steadfast not merely
on an occasional great day, but day after day
IN the life Of daily endeaVor to do duty we'll
When two lessons are both indispensable, 1t
seems hardly worth while TO dwell more on one
than on the other. Yet / think that people
we need more to learn the lesson of Valley
FORGE even than that of Gettysburg. / have
not the slightest anxiety but that this people, II
Continued ON second paSs.