Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-10-25

your II anybody does not, do not think
much Of him, that is ali. what you want
In this nation is not briliancy. not genius
but the fair performance of the average
duties, the common duties Of life.
NOW. as passed up here, I was aw-
fully glad to see the men of the National
Guard. The men in troops on horseback
and the men on foot, they all know, and
the veterans could tell them II 1t were nee
essary that the man who is good soldier
is not the man who is always waiting until
the chance comes to do something great
and spectacular It is the man who does
each days duty in passing. as they do on
the march and in battle as that days duty
arises. Isn't that So friends? Those here
VINO have been In the big war know 1t.
The Man You Can Count On.
You who were in the civil war know the
man you wanted next to you in rank was
the man whom you could count on doing
his share, whatever the work. You did not
want him to drop his blanket at 10 O'Clock
because 1t was too hot, and then want to
share yours at midnight when 1t was cold.
If you had to dig kitchen sink you
wanted him to do his share of the work,
and not derive the profits If you did the
work. You wanted the man to do his duty
as that days duty arose-that Is the impor-
tant point.
ut Is just so in the affairs of civil life.
1t is given to mighty few men ever to have
the chance of doing anything heroic. and
" tHoSe lew men lDdl cndnce, IL IL cOHieS
at all, comes but once or twice in life
time, and you do not judge life by any
two or three minutes In 1t. You judge
1t by the sum of days, the sum of years.
What we need Is the performance of duty,
of the ordinary duty that the ordinary man
or woman has to meet as he or she lives
his or her life and in one way it Is great
comfort to think so.
Gentlemen, If you only think Of it, the
essential point in our lives is the likenesses
in our lives, not the dissimilarites. Some
people lead their lives in positions of more
prominence than others, but IL they are
decent people, if they good people, they
show just the same kind Of quality, just
the sans kind of virtue in one place as the
other. and the good citizen, the man who
has done good to his country is the man
who, whether he is very wealthy man or
whether he has but days bread by that
days toll, whether he is an officer or pri-
vate in the ranks of life, has done his duty
as the Lord gives him light to see his duty
in the position he occupies.
ut IS not the President or the senators
or the congressman, or even the governors,
who make up our nation who make the
greatness Of our nation. The man that
counts is the average private citizen; he is
the man that counts.
Responsibility of Citizenship.
IT am not saying that to compliment
you, but so that you may realize your re-
sponsibility. 1t Is rot bit important that
you should feel fattered at the thought
but 1t is very important that you should
realize the weight of responsibility that
thought implies; 1t is very important that
you should realize what self-government is.
Anybody can be governed by somebody else.
II is the easiest thing In the world to be
the subject of a despotsm Just sit still
and take it-no trouble about that at all.
But to be member of a self-governing
community means If you are to do your
part in that community, that you possess
he 10 Gale int NJ n
courage of honesty, clean living and de-
cent thinking. Those are the qualities
needed If 1t is to be true that the average
citizen Is in our country, the man that
counts. 1t Is just as 1t was In the civil war,
you men, the veterans of the civil war here,
know. great thing that we should have
developed mighty leaders of men. the great
generals who have left their names as
memories and heritages of honor and glory
to our people forever. but, after all, the
prime factor alike in the Union and confed-
crate armies. was the man with the musket,
the man behind the gun. The best officers
in the world could not have done any
thing with the army If the army did not
do the right thing; If the army had not
been of the right kind. You have to have
the right stuff in them, or else nobody
could have got it out of them.
Now, 1t is just so in citizenship. I don't
care how wise the leaders are, self-govern
ment won't work unless you have the right
type of man in the ranks, unless you
have the right type of private citizen.
and it has worked and will work in this
country because we have got the right kind
of citizens, because we have the right type
of private citizen. But, he Is not going to
make himself the right type merely by APP
plaCding the sentiment. He is going to
make himself the right type by understand
sell government.
A Dominant Principle.
'"There has got to be some principle in
In,
less of 1t there Is within any man, the more
OF 1t there is without him, the less a man Is
able to govern himself. the more somebody
else will have to govern. and If man can
not govern his own appetites and passions,
somebody else will have to do the governing
for him In the long run.
People cannot govern themselves only by
practicing the virtues of moderation, self
restraint, of understanding that the simple
homely virtues of honesty. courage and
common sense essential to the full de-
velopment of citizenship In a free land,
and, gentlemen, the successful performance
of political duty depends absolutely upon
the successful performance of domestic, of
social duty. There can never be. there
never will be, good government of which
the average citizen Is not decent man in
private life.
"It is contradiction In terms to speak
of good government If the government does
not rest upon clean lines and decency in
the nome, respect or husband and wife for
each other. tenderness of the man for those
dependent upon him; performance of duty
by woman and by man, and the proper edu-
cation of the children who are to make the
next generation. The vital things in life
are the things that foolish people look upon
as commonplace; the vital things in life
are those things which 1t lies within the
reach of each of US to do and the failure to
perform which means the destruction of the
state.
II shall not keep you longer. Let me just
say once more that though 1 came into this
state, l hope, a good American and proud
Of my country, I shall leave this state just
little better American and a little bit
prouder of my country"
UniversaIists Elected Officers.
Joseph L. Sweet of New Hampshire, chair
man Of the committee on. elections. report