The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1904-11-20

SPEECH BY ROOSEVELT
Madame Speck Won Sternberg, Wife
of the German Ambassador, I'm
wells the Statue. the Centre of
a Scene Of Imperial
SplendOr.
SpIendor.
lBy the Associated Press.l

Washington. d. c., Nov. 19.-Hailed
by a military blare of twenty trum-
pets, whose prolonged note of well
come rang out sharp on the crisp No
vember air and was echoed far down
the Potomac, the bronze statue of
Frederick the Great, presented to the
American people by Emperor William,
was unveiled this afternoon by the
Baroness Speck Won Sternburg, the
wife of the German Ambassador. This
beautiful American woman was the
central figure in an elaborate cere-
mony which was marked by great
military and official display. The
statue was presented on behalf of
the Emperor by his personal envoy.
the German Ambassador, who made
Il brief address. The President made
the chief address of the day and ac-
cepted the gift on behalf of the Amer
lean people. Remarks were made by
Lieutenant General Chaffee, Chief of
staff. Major General Gillespie. of the
General staff Master OF Ceremonies.
Lieutenant General Won Loewenfold
one of the special commissioners sent
TO the unVeiling by the Emperor, and
Charlemagne Tower, American AM
bassador to Germany.
The official programme began with
the invocation by the Rt. Reverend
DR.. Satterless, the Bishop of Washing
ton, Major General Gillespie then adj
dressed to the Ambassador a few
complimentary words on the charac-
ter of Frederick the Great after
which he turned to the Ambassadors
and, offering her his arm, escorted
her to the edge of the statue where
We're fastened the silkon cords at
tached to tie American and German
flags in which it was snrouded.
Gripping the cords firmly one~in each
hand the Ambassadors had but to
give one tug before the silken folds
loosened from around the figure of
Frederick the Great. Straightway
twenty trumpeters of the army drawn
up in front of the Presidents stand
sounded military blare of Welcome
one prolonged note-and as the flags
slowly parted, the American to the
right and the German to the left the
Marine band struck up the German
National anthem. Instead of falling
to the pedestal the flags. by an in
genious device, We're hOisted to the
top of flag poles on either side of the
statue and unfurled to the breeze
amid the inspiring melody of the Ger
man hymn.
The Presidents Address.
The addresses of Loewnfeld and the
German Ambassador followed and
liicI CdiIlC lIlC SpctCIl VI II6SIucIil
Roosevelt, the last notes of Die
Wacht am Rheine" being drowned in
the roar of applause as he arose and
advanced to the edge of the stand.
He spoke as follows:
Mr.. Ambassador:
Through you / wish on behalf of the
people of the United States to thank
His Majesty, the German Emperor
and the people Of Germany Tor the
gift to the nation which you have just
formally delivered to me. | accept
il with deep appreciation of the
friendly regard which it typifies FOR
the people of this republic both on
the part of the Emperor and on the
part Of the German people. [ accept
il not merely as the statue of one Of
the half dozen greatest soldiers of all
time, and therefore peculiarly APP
propriate for placing in this war col
lege but 1 accept it as the statue Of
a great man, whose life was devoted
to the service of a great people, and
whose deeds fastened the approach of
the day when a united Germany
should spring into being.
AS a soldier Frederick the Great
ranks in that very, very small group
which includes Alexander, Caesar. and
Hannibal in antiquity. and Napoleon,
and possibly Gustavus Adolphus,. in
modern times. He belonged TO the an
cient and iluStrouS house of Bohen-
zCllern, which, after playing strong
and virile part in the middle ages, and
after producing some men, like the
9; eat elector who were among the
most famous princes of Their time,
founded the royal house of Prussia
two centuries ago, and at last in our
own day established the mighty Ger
man Empire as among the foremost
ef world powers. We receive this gift
now at the hands Of the present En-
peror himself n man who has mark
edIy added to the Iuster of his great
house and his great nation. q man who
has devoted his life to the welfare of
his people and who while keeping ever
ready to defend the rights of that
people. has also made it evident in en-
phatic fashion that he and they desire
peace and friendship with the other
nations of the earth.
1T is not my purpose here TO dlS-
cuss at length the career of the
mighty King and mighty general,
whose statue we have just received.
In all history no other great COM
mander save only Hannibal fought so
long against such terrible odds, ana
while Hannibal finally failed, F'reder-
lex finally triumphed. In almost every
battle he fought against great odds
and he almost always won the victory
When defeated he rose to an even
greater altitude than when victorious.
The memory of the Seven Years war
viii last~as long as their lives in nlan-
Kind the love of heroism, and its op-
erationS will be studied 10 the minu-
test detail as long as the world sees a
soldier worthy of the name. Ii is diff
ficult to know whether to admire
most the victories of Leuthen and
Prague, Rossbach and Zorndorf. of
the Misunderstanding campaigns after
kunersdorf, when the great King, af-
L.
by the banded might of Europe. We;
rose again and by an exhibition of
skill, tenacity, energy, and daring such
as had never before been seen unite !
in one person, finally wrested triumph
from defeat. Not only must the mill
tary scholar always turns to the ca.
reer of Frederick the Great for les.
sons in strategy and tactics; not opiy
E,ust the military administrators al