The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1905-02-22
ON PRESIDENT
AND KAISER.
University of Pennsylvania Cor
fers Degrees of LII. ID.
Ceremony Took Place in >Acad-
envy Of Music.
AN EMPEROR BY PROXY
German Ambassador Received
Honor in williams Name.
Roosevelt Delivers Washington
Memorial Address.


from the University of Pennsylvania.
The, degree was conferred upon the
German emperor in absentia, Baron
Speck Won Sternburg. the German am
bassador, accepting the honor for his
sovereign.
The comforting of the degrees was
the feature of the commemoration of
Washington's birthday by the faculty
and students of the university. Presi-
dent Roosevelt was the orator of the
day. He delivered a patriotic address
on Some Maxims of Washington
The exercises were held in the
Academy of Music. which seats about
5000 persons. and at least 10000 re-
quests for tickets had been made. BY
special permission of the mayor the
trustees of the university were given
the privilege of issuing admission
tickets. the supply of which was soon
exhausted. The theater was crowded
from pit to dome and at the first
glimpse of President Roosevelt the
vast assem- blage rose en- masSe and
gave him an ovation. The class and
college cries of the students mingled
with the cheers of the spectators in
the balconies and galleries, and the
women frantically waved their hand
kerchiefs. The exercises were opened
with prayer, followed by the hymn,
Now Thank We All Our God" sung
by the audience Dr. S w. Mitchell.
the public orator. presented each of
the candidates in turn their degrees.
Comforting Degrees.
In presenting the president DR.. Mitch
ell said:
Mr., Roosevelt, President of the United
ION the fourth Of July, 1888. the Bni-
versity of Pennsylvania conferred the
degree of doctor of laws upon the first
president of the United States of Amer
lea.
1.-The trustees of the same university
do now, after 122 years, once again re-
quest the provost to honor with the
same degree our latest president. This
makes all other comment needless
In presenting the name of Emperor
William, DR.. Mitchell said:
1.-The breadth and earnestness of his
imperial majesty's intellectual SYM
pathieS, the personal generosity which
has fostered science and literature and
his far sighted interest in the interna-
tional exchange of university influences,
make it most fit that a great universe
ty recognize both in the man and in the
ruler of a kindred race his services to
learning.
Therefore at the request and by
the authority of the trustees of the
University of Pennsylvania; 1 ask the
provost to confer upon his imperial
majesty, the German emperor and
king of Prussia, through his ambassa-
dor, the degree of doctor of laws"
other degrees were conferred as
follows:
Doctor of Iaws-Sir Henry Mortimer
Durand, ambassador from Great Brit
ain; Rear Admiral Charles Edgar
Clarke, U. S. N; Senator Philander
Chase Knox and David Thompson
Watson of Pittsburg-
Doctor of letters-Thomas Bailey
Aldrich.
Doctor of science-Robert Simpson
president of the Carnegie |
institute.
At the conclusion of the ceremonies
Provost Harrison made a few brief in /
remarks and President
Roosevelt delivered his grafton He
said:
LAS a nation we have had our full |
share of great men, but the two men |
Of pre-eminent greatness who, as the |
centuries go on. will surely loom above |
all others are Washington and Lincoln; |
and it is peculiarly fitting that their |
should be celebrated every |
year and the meaning of their lives /
brought home close to us.
mo other city in the country is so
closely identified with Washingtons |
career as Philadelphia. He served here +
IN 1775 in the continental congress. He |
was here as commander of the army at |
the time of the battles of Brandywine
and Germantown; and it was near here
that with that army he faced the desc
ate winter at VALLEY Forge, the winter /
which marked the turning point of the I
revolutionary war Here he came again |
As president of the convention which I
framed the constitution. and then as
president of the United States. and
finally as lieutenant general of the I
army after he had retired from the
presidency.
lone hundred and eight years ago.
lust before he left the presidency, he
ssued his farewell address, and in it
&c laid down certain principles which
ne believed should guide the citizens of
his Republic for all time to come, his
OWN words being, which appear to me
to the permanency of
your felicity as a people,
Washington, though in some ways
an even greater man than Lincoln. did I
not have Lincoln's wonderful gift of
axpression-that gift which makes GER
tain speeches of the rail-splitter from
Illinois read like the inspired utterances
IF the great Hebrew seers and prophets.
But he had all of Lincoln's sound COM
non sense. far-sightedness, and devo-
ton to a lofty ideal. Like Lincoln he I
sought after the noblest objects. and {
ike Lincoln he sought after them by
thoroughly practical methods. These
TWO great Americans can fairly be call