Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-06-13

sense of the word, he isn't married at all.
In such case the second step not only
costs but retraces the first. In like man
ner no man can have two countries at one
time if either is to mean more to him than
part of the earth's surface. And in his
old home the new American. II he is to be
an American at all, must leave behind It's
prejudices. its enmlties. Its quarrels: he is
the friend of Americas friends, the zoe OF
her, and only of her, foes We do not want.
we cannot afford to have. citizens whose
hearts are across the Atlantic. whose TIM,
and thoughts are wasted. nay, worse than
wasted, on the old world.
I'VE should remember, thirdly, that real
nation must have one and only one ma
tional language. Community in feeling and
action among great bodies of men presup-
poses community of opinion as to some
fundamental principles CT economies ard
ethics, and men do not really think alike
unless they think in the same idom. Now
the American nation is and will always be
a people of English speech. l am not con-
cerned to discuss how far this may or may
not be fortunate; / simply assert 1t as
fact. To feel himself an American and
! nothing else. man must have mastered
the tongue in which are written our Con-
stitution and laws, and all the great docu-
mentary milestones of our national prog
| ress: no one whose life is perpetual trans
alton is thoroughly and sincerely at home
OF course. l do not mean that one ignorant
of English may not be, and be most right
fully, in every legal sense. citizen of the
sonal or political privilege of Americans;
nor yet that he may not be highly desir-
able addition TO our population, had IN
timated this, 1 had been contradicted by
notorious facts of law morals and history;
what say Is that such a man is, ex nee
essitate rel, as yet imperfectly American
lied. Ones breakfast may do him q great
deal of good before 1t has been fully as
simulated, but it is not yet flesh of his flesh
and bone Of his bone. So one may be
useful and meritorious citizen and a valu-
able member of our community who has not
yet been digeSted by our body polite. but
only that process can make him an Ameri-
can, as / use the word this evening, and the
gastric juice of that body polite is the Ian
guage in which its birth and baptism are
registered.
Nation Community.
Finally l have already intimated, a
nation is community whose members feel
patriotism. What is patriotism? In some
of the very early speeches made by Prince
Bismarck ultra conservative member
of the Prussian landtag he drew an orig
inal and striking contract between the peo-
pie and the nation To his mind the
former was a mere chance assemblage OF
those human beings who happened to live
at particular time within a certain terri
tory, with no rightful corporate authority
and capacity for it's exercise. speaking
and acting through the least discreet, the
most presumptuOus of their number, those
self-appointed leaders in attempting an i'm
pudent usurpation, and finally for practi-
cal purposes. contemplate and disgusting
but danSersous animal praying in the
highways, to be held with bayonets and
prisons in its normal state Of discipline and
obedience. The nation being
wholly different; he deemed 1t composite
spiritual entity, made up of all those who
on earth had lived, of all those who here
after should live, as well as of those who
lived when he spoke under the sway of that
line of princes who, by divine appointment,
discharged toward 1t the function of the
brain toward the body. This being was
not. indeed, immortal; it had beginning
and through unworthiness of its mission or
rebellion to Gods will it might merit and
suffer death; but the span of its life was
measured by centuries, and while it lived as
it should live, it followed out. from genera
ton to generation. destiny fixed by God
under the guidance of kings to whom the
Deity had intrusted the miraculous power
of seeing, hearing. feeling, deciding, speak
ing and acting; in short, of living as and
for the whole.
An Apparent Injustice.
"If to any of my hearers what have just
said should appear too sweeping, I think
they Will find. upon reflection. that this
impression is caused by confusing a nations
existence with the establishment or recog-
milton Of Its political unity and independ-
ence. For example, the formation and
limits of the kingdom of Belgium were the
work of French and English statesmen
some seventy-five years since, but the work
amounted. after all. substantially, to recog
nizlng the fact that there was. and had
been for centuries. a Flemish nation which
diplomacy had vainly sought to blot out
in 1878. In brief, a nation Is a person
not a multitude of persons who are en-
abled in imagination permitted by posi-
tive law to act and be dealt with one
real living being, not a fiction of jurists
pv- n a md n nd
from the instructive recognition of the
truth and the significance Of its personality
arises the sentiment which we call patriot
ISM.
with an apparent injustice to ourselves
and our times, which is really a proof of
our better nature. of our longing for true
and high ideals In thought and life, we
are the blemish. our days the age OF bronze
in the great perpetual panorama of the
nations birth, growth and destiny, our
past Swallowed by the memories of Wash
ington and his comrades in council and IN
arms, our future illumined by the radiance
of a hoped for golden age This injustice
Is after all, apparent only; other men have
failed other men will fall, no less than we
fail today, to do all that might be done to
make our country worthy of her glorious
traditions and her imposing greatness; but
their failure in no wise excuses our or
concerns us. If there be anything in our
government people whereof we are
Justly ashamed, aught Of corruption at
home aught of dishonor abroad. any weak
ness or folly or crime among our rulers.
any selfishness or cowardice or perf1dy in
our policy, we have not done our full duty
as patriots, have not proved ourselves true
Americans"
Long applause and hearty and vigorous
college yells followed Mr.. Bonaparte's adj
dress, and while the noise was at Its height
a magnificent bouquet of American beauties
was presented to Mr.. Bonaparte gift
of the faculty
Award Of Prizes.
The prizes were awarded by Mr.. Justice
Shepard of the District Court of Appeals,
as follows:
Faculty cash prize of $40 to Tyson Kin
sell of Pennsylvania for the best essay
| among the members of the third year class.
Faculty cash prize of $40 to Morris Hirsch-
| man of Maryland for the best essay from
among the members of the fourth year
class.
| Special prize of set of Smiths Leading
Cases." to Morris Hfrschman, Maryland for
| the best essay from among the members of
| the third and fourth year classes combined.
The Edward Thompson prize to John r.
| T. Reeves. Maryland.
The American Law Book prize to the
| member of the fourth year class who shall
write the best graduation thesis on legal
Do, I,I nryty.r