Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1905-08-12
IN ATTENDANCE AZ
ANNUAL EVENT HELD IN
GROVE NEAR AGENCY.
ADDRESS BY O. H. MASON
Speaks on "The Work Of the Pioneer"
Samuel Mahon Reelected President
Of WapeIIo County Old Settlers As.
socIatIon-Roster Of the Dead-Let
ter From General Streets Son.

sociatIon-.Roster Of the Dead-Let
ter From General Streets Son.
From Fridays Daily
An eloquent address by DR.. o. n
Mason of Boone on the Work Of the
Pioneer" was the principal feature OF
the program at the annual meeting OF
the Wapello County Old Settlers as.
ISOLATION at Agency yesterday. Inter.
esting talks were made by number
of the prominent residents of the
county and there was good music
The weather man was good to tha
association this year and provided
day for the picnic that was all that
could be desired. About 5000 people
were In attendance and the meeting
was one of the most successful and
enjoyable ever held under the aus
pices Of the Old Settlers.
The Morning Program.
The program began at II o'clock
yesterday morning with the call to or
der by Major Samuel Mahon, president
OF the association. Rev. E. Carey pro-
nounced the invocation and was fol.
lowed by Captain H. G. Humbert Of
Agency who gave the welcoming ad.
dress in place of Mayor John Springer
who was unable to be present.
Mapor Mahon made the re-
sponse. The pioneers then adjourned
to their lunch baskets and talked Of
old times, until the beginning Of the
afternoon program at 80 o'clock.
The Afternoon Session.
The a9tafnOGr1 Saaciors yJo q y Cv,ovSxa1
by music given by the martial band,
the old familiar sound of the drum
and fife bringing the flash of flre to
many white haired veterans eye.
Following the music came the address
of the afternoon, when the chairman,
Major Mahon, introduced to the audi
ence, as an Iowa boy, one born,
brought UP and educated in Iowa, DR..
O. H. Mason Of Boone The speaker
said in part:
MIR. Chairman, Ladies and Gentle.
men-First of all / want to say that
am glad to be hear today. Then
want to say to a Wapello county audi.
ence am not, as your chairman intro.
duced me, DR.. O. H. Mason of Boone,
but just plain Oscar Mason who was
born In Wapello county and was
brought up here. | am proud of Wap-
clio county and the state of Iowa in
which that county lies and these
United States Of which Iowa is part.
ITO go back to my title, am not
proud of it, for in this country title
means nothing unless the man that
bears the title can make good There
is story of an English lord who In his
own country had been used to having
| honor and attention paid to him by the
men of lower social standing around
him. He came to this country and
while riding through the country saw
a boy in the field at the side Of the road
| looking at him and holding to a rope
at the other end of which was a calf.
AS the boy made no move to bow or tip
his hat to the lord, the Englishman
stopped and said, Boy. how is it that
you don't take off your hat to me?'
The boy answered, If you'll hold my
calf for me will That is the Amer
lean spirit. In order to be honored a
man must do something.
Proud of America.
Recently, when in Washington,
was walking down the street with a
friend of mine, when we passed the
President of the United States and
was very much surprised to see that
no hats were taken off to him. I spoke
Of this to my friend and he laughed and
: said, 1--WE do not take off our hats
here even to the President except on
special occasions was glad to hear
! it. Not that | do not admire deeply
the man that fills that greatest of all
offices, for | do, and as this is not a
partisan meeting, / may say that
greatly admire both Theodore Roose.
welt, the man that holds the Office, and
w. j. Bryan, the man that would like
to hold it, for I think that they are
both right and believe in them both,
but do not take my hat off to them,
nor does the mass of the American
people.
4 "This does not mean that we are q
nation of ingrates. In my Judgment
no other nation in the world delights
so to pay honor to the men that de.
serve it as does our own, and the fact
that that honor is paid only to those
who deserve it makes it worth all the
more. | am proud that am an Amer
ican
"In preparation for this afternoon
1 wrote several speeches, but discarded
them After that l prepared seyera:
! elaborate outlines but discarded then
also, SO that now | am like the youna
! preacher who in explaining the reason
that he never prepared his sermoni
for fear that the devil would get into
! them, said, When | start to preach
Sunday morning the devil himself
) don't know what | am going to say.
4