The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1905-07-07
PRESIDENTS ADDRESS.

= ST
Ocean Grove, NJ. J.. July The fea-
ture of today's meeting OF the National
Educational Association was the address
Of President Roosevelt !, He spoke as
follows A#
am glad to have the chance of greet
ing the National Educational Associa-
ton; for in all this democratic land
there is no more genuinely democratic
association than this. 1t is truly demo-
cratic. because here each member meets
every other member as, his peer without
regard to whether he is the president
! Of ore of the great universities or the
newest recruit to that high and honor
able profession which has in its charge
the upbringing and training of those
boys and girls who in few short years
will themselves be settling the destinies
of this nation. 1t is not too much to
say that the most characteristic work OF
the republic is that done by the educat-
ors,s for whatever our shortcomings as
a nation may be, we have at least firmly
grasped the fact that we cannot do our
part in the difficult and all important
work OF self-government, that we can
not rule and govern ourselves, unless we
approach the task with developed minds
and trained characters. You teachers
make the whole world your debtor.
If you did not do your work well this
republic would not endure beyond the
span OF the generation. Moreover, as
an incident to your avowed work, you
render some Well-nigh unbelievable ser
vices to the country For instance you
render to- the republic the prime, the
vital service of amalgamating into one
homogeneous body the children alike of
these who are born here and of those
who come here from many different
lands abroad You furnish common
training and commbn ideals for the
children of all the mixed peoples who
are here being fused into one nation
ality. II is in no small degree due to
you and your efforts that we are one
people instead of a group of jarring
peoples .ez. /. IL q. q a 4 ~ 4 ]
Moreover, where altogether too much
prominence is given to the mere pos4
session Of wealth, the country is under
heavy obligations to such body as
this, which substitutes for the ideal Of
acciimulating money the infinitely loft
ier, nonmaterialistic ideal of devotion to
work worth doing simply for that works
sake. do not in the least underesti-
mate the need of having material pros
perity as the basis of our civilization,
but | most earnestly insist that if our
civilization does not build lofty super
struction on this basis, we can never
rank among the really great peoples.
"A certain amount of money is Of course
a necessary thing, as much for the ma
tion as for the individual and there
are few movements in which more
thoroughly believe tnan in the move
flent to secure better remuneration for
our teachers. But. after all, the SER
vice you render is incalculable. because
Of the very fact that by your lives you
show that you believe ideals to be worth
sacrifice, and that you are splendidly
eager to- do nonremunerative work If
tins work IS Of good to your fellow
meir u II 8 3s
To furnish in your lives such a real
lied high ideal is to do a great ser
vice to the country. The chief harm
done BY the men of swollen fortune
to- the community IS not the harm that
the demagogue is apt to depict as spring
ing from their actions, but the fact that
their success sets up 4 false standard,
and SO serves as bad example for the
rest of us. III we did not ourselves at
tach an exaggerated Importance to the
rich man who is distinguished only BY
hts riches, this rich man would have
most Insignificant influence over us.
1t is generally our own fault IL he does
damage to us, for he damages lis chief
ly by arousing our envy or by render
ing us sour and discontented. I'm his
actual business relations he is much
more apt to benefit than harm the rest
aof us and though it is erninently right
to take whatever steps are necessary
II order to prevent the exceptional
members OF his class from doing
harm, ii is wicked folly to let ourselves
be drawn into any attack upon the man
OF wealth merely as such. Moreover,
such an attack is in itself an exception
ally crooked and ugly tribute to wealth,
and therefore the proof Of an excep-
tionally ugly and crooked state of mind
Iii the man making the attack Ven
otnous envy Of wealth is simply another
form Of the spirit, which in one Of its
manifestations takes the shape of fcringing
servility toward wealth. and in another
the shape of brutal arrogance on the
part Of certain men of wealth Each
one of these states of mind. whether
It be hatred servility, or arrogance, Is
in reality closely akin to the other two;
for each of them springs from a fantas-
tically twisted and exaggerated idea of
the Importance pf wealth as compared
II