The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1905-03-08

etfectS and In the countless tnronS
taking part in the spectacle.
The illumination increased In
power as the east end Of the building
was approached, where the bands
were located. where there was burst
,f light of surprising beauty and bril-
laincy. The ball was opened at
. o'clock by President Roosevelt and
on the stroke of 12 Home Sweet
Home" was played by the musi-
:fans and the festivities concluded.
Presidents inaugural Speech.
My Fellow Citizeus-No people on
earth have more cause to be thankful
than ours, and this Is said reverently.
In no spirit of usefulness In our
strength, but with gratitude to the
Giver of Good, who has blessed us
with the conditions which have en-
abled us to achieve so large meas
ure of well-being and of happiness.
To us as people 1t has been grant
ed to lay the foundations of our ma
tional life in new Continent. We are
the heirs of the ages, and yet we have
had to pay few of the penalties which
in old countries are exacted by the
dead hand of a by-gone civilization.
We have not been obliged to fight for
our existence against any alien race;
and yet our life has called for the
vigor and effort witt out which the
manlier and harder virtues wither
away.
Under such conditions it would be
our own fault If We failed; and the
success which we have had in the
past, the success which we confident
ly believe the future Will bring, should
cause in us no feeling of vainglory,
but rather deep ard abiding reali-
zation of all which life has offered
us; full acknowledgment Of the
responsibility which Is ours; and q
fixed determination TO show that IN
der free government a mighty peo-
pie can thrive best, slike as regards
the things Of the body and the things
of the soul
Much has been given to us, and
much will rightfully be expected from
us. We have duties to others and
duties to ourselves; and we can
shirk neither. We have become n
great nation, forcedoay the fact Of It's
greatness into relations with the
other nations of ;he earth; and We
must behave as beseems people
with such responsibilities.
Toward all other nations, large and
small our attitude ust be one of
cordial and sincere friendship. We
must show not only in our words but
in our deeds that we are earnestly de-
sirous of securing thor good will by
acting toward them il a spirit of just
and generous recognize ion of all their
rights.
But justice and generosity in a ma
tion, as in an 'indivil, al, count most
when shown not by the weak but by
the strong. While ever careful to re-
frain from wronging others we must
be no less insistent that we are not
wronged ourselves. We wish peace;
but we wish the psn,s of justice the
peace of righteousn ,ss. We wish IT
because we think it Is right and not
because we are afraid.
No weak nation that acts rightly
and Justly should Ger have cause
to fear us, and no strong power should
ever be able to single us out as a sub
ject for insolent agsp ession.
Our relations with the other powers
of the world are important; but still
more important are our relations
among ourselves. Such growth in
wealth, in population and in power as
this nation has seen during the cen
tury and a quarter of its national life
Is inevitably accompanied by a like
growth in the problems which are
ever before every nation that rises TO
greatness. Power invariably means
both responsibility and danger.
Our forefathers faced certain per-
lis which we have outgrown. We
now face other perils the very exist
ence of which it was impossible that
they should foresee. Modern life is
both complex and intense, and the
tremendous changes wrought by the
extraordinary industrial development
of the half century are felt in every
fibre in our social and political being
Never before have men tried so vast
and formidable an experiment as that
of administering the affairs of a con-
tinent under the forms of a demo-
cratic republic The conditions
which have told for our marvellous ma
terial well being, which have devel-
oped to a very high degree our en-.
ergy, selfreliance and individual in
itiative, also have brought the care
and anxiety inseparable from the ac-
emulation of great wealth in indus
trial centers
Upon the success Of our experiment
! much depends; not only as regards our
own welfare, but as regards the well
fare Of mankind. If we fail, the
cause of free self-government through.
out the world will rock to its founda
tions; and therefore our responsible
ity is heavy, to ourselves, to the
world as it is today, and to the gen
erations yet unborn. There is no
good reason why we should fear the
future, but there is every reason why
we should face 1t seriously, neither
hiding from ourselves the gravity of
the problems before us nor fearing TO
approach these problems with the un-
bending, unhinching purpose to solve
them Alright.
Yet, after all, though the prob.
| lens are new, though the tasks set