The Birmingham age-herald., 1905-07-08
THOUSANDS HEAR PRESIDENT SPEAK Talks on the Duties of the
 Rich IS GIVEN GREAT OVATION Miss Katherine D. Blake Pays Notable Tribute to President as the
 Great Preacher of #5
 Men,"
IS GIVEN GREAT OVATION

Asbury Park. July IA crowd of thir- ty thousand persons which turned out to welcome President Roosevelt, made Educational association convention the most impressive of all the great educa- tional meetings.
 ''The Duties of the Rich' was the subject matter of the speech which the President delivered to the educators.
 After a. certain point has been reach ed;'' he said, money making can never again stand on the same plain with oth- CT and nobler forms of effort. The roll of Americas worthies numbers among rich men only those who have used their riches aright who have shown good com duct in acquiring it, and not merely in lavish generosity in dispensing of it."
 Although this was the last day of the convention the President found 12,0oo dele gates, nearly all school teachers wait ing to hear his first speech which was made in Ocean Grove auditorium.
 Make Second Speech.
 At the close of this address the Presi- dent partly retraced his way through the crowds who had welcomed him outside but who had been unable to secure ad- mission to the auditorium and at a prev iously chosen spot where the overflow crowd had congregated he made second speech in the open air to an even greater crowd than in doors.
 His second audience was estimated at 2C,000.
 The presidential train arrived at the depot at ? o'clock and it took 35 minutes to make the trip from there through the welcoming people until the moment when the cheering subsided and the President began to speak from the Ocean Grove auditorium platform
 Several pretty receptions marked the trip from the depot to the first speech Outside the depot the Indian band from Carlisle school was in waiting and fell into line immediately before the Presi- dents carriage. In the carriage with the President rode Governor W. c. Stokes of New Jersey A military escort consist ing of the Second troop of cavalry under Capt. Edward Field and the Third regi- ment commanded by Col John A. Mather accompanied the carriage.
 As the carriage turned into Main street 1t passed a wagon filled with negroes who began to cheer. In response the Presi- dent waved his hand at the delighted negroes.
 When the President entered the audi toriurn thousands mounted chairs and cheered him. Os soon as quiet had been restored Ire began to speak.
 The President Speaks.
 q am glad to have the chance of greet ing the National Educational association; for in all this democratic land there Is no more genuinely democratic assocla- ton than this It is truly democratic. be- cause here each member meets every other member as his peer without regard to whether he is the president of ere of the great universities or the newest re- cruit to that high and honorable profess sion which has in it's charge the upbring- ing and training of those boys and girls who in a few Short years will themselves be settling the destinies of this nation. It is not too much to say that he most characteristic work of the republic is that done by the educators, for whatever our shortcomings as a nation may be, we have at least firmly grasped tho fact that we cannot do our part in the difficult and all-important work of self-governmciit. that we cannot rule and govern ourselves. unless we approach the task with devei- oped minds and trained characters. You teachers make the whole world your debtor If you did not do your work we'll this republic would not endure be- yond the span of the generation. Mere over, as an incident to your avowed work. you render some well-night unbelievable service to the country. For instance, you render to the republic the prims. the vital service of amalgamating Into one homr genous body the children alike of those who are born here. and of those who come here from so many dffe,cnt lands abroad. You furnish a common training and common ideals for the children of all the mixed peoples who are here being fused into one nationality. Il is in no small degree due to you anl your efforts that we are one people instead of a group of jarring peoples
 Under Heavy Obligations.
 Moreover, where altogether too much prominence Is given to the mere possess sion of wealth, the country is under heavy obligations to such body as this, which substitutes for the ideal of accommodating money the infinitely loftier nonmaterial- istic ideal of devotion to work worth do- ing simply for that works sake. l do not in the least underestimate the need of having material prosperity as the basis of our civilization, but I most earnestly
  build lofty superstructure 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 nation as for the individual; and there are few movements in which more thor oughly believe than in the movement to secure better remuneration for our teach CTS. But after all the service you rem der 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 non- work if this work Is of good to your fellow men.
 ssTo furnish In your lives such real zed high ideal is to do great service 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 spring1ng from their ac- lions. but the fact that their success sets up false standard. and so serves as a bad example for the rest of us If we lid not ourselves attach an exaggerated importance to the rich man who is dis tinguished only by his riches, this rich nan would have a most insignificant in- 1uence over us It Is generally our own fault if he does damage to us for he damages us chiefly by arousing our envy ,r by rendering us sour and discontented- In his actual business relations he Is much more apt to benefit than harm the -est of us; and though 1t is eminently right to take whatever steps are neces- sary in order to prevent the exceptional members of his class from doing harm, 1t is wicked folly to let ourselves be 1rawn into any attack upon the man of wealth merely as such. Moreover, such