The San Francisco call., 1905-03-18
PRESIDENT. PAYS A TRIBUTE
TO The SONS OF ERIN.
Executive Is Guest of Honor at
Banquet in New York.
Commends Study Of Celtic
Literature to Colleges.

or four officers TO whom our Infantry navy
owed most On land they furnished generals
IKE montgomery. who fell so gloriously az
quebec, and sullivan, the cOnqueror OF the
Iroquois. who came Of New Hampshire fam
ly which furnished Governors to three New
England States. while OF the continental
Washington $ generals, Mad Anthony Wayne.
were recruited so largely from this stock that
them as the line OF Ireland" Nor must we
forget that among this stock there boy
ward became the chief American general OF
his time. and as President one OF the public
our nation. old Andrew Jackson. the victor OF
New Orleans
PRE-EMINENT IN ALL WALKS.
In the second great crisis Of our countrys
hlstory-the period OF the Civil War-the part
played by the men OF Irish birth or parsntage
was no less striking than II had been IN tho
revolution Among the three four great
generals who led the Northern army in the
l am now addressing are OF the immortal
brigade who on the immortal day Of Fred
wall which marked the limit that could not be
passed by the highest human valor.
from Ireland have contributed to the stock OF
our common citizenship qualities which ars
They are a masterful race OF rugged charac-
ter-a race. the qualities OF whose woman
hood have become proverbiaL while its men
have the elemental, the indispensable virtues
OF working hard in time OF peace and fight
ing hard in time OF
In every walk OF life men OF this blood
have stood. and stand pre-eminent
statesmen and as soldiers. on the bench. at the
bar and IN business They are doing their full
share toward the artistic and literary Develop
ment of the country. And right here let ms
make a special plea to you We Americans
take just pride in the development OF
great universities. and more and more
seeking TO provide for original and creative
work in these universities.
BEAUTY OF CELTIC SAGES.
I hope that an earnest effort will be made
the study OF Celtic literature and for research
in Celtic antiquities II is only OF recent
years that the extraordinary wealth and beauty
Of the old Celtic sages have been fully ap-
precfatsd, and we of America. who have
large Celtic strain in blood. cannot af-
ford to be behindhand In the work OF adding
to modern scholarship by bringing within its
ken the great Celtic literature OF the past
Ny fellow countrymen 1 have spoken to-
night especially of what has been done for this
nation of By its sons OF Irish blood. But.
after ali. in speaking to you OF any other
body Of my fellow citizens no matter from
what Old World country they themselves OF
their forefathers may have come. the great
thing to remember Is that all OF
Americans. Let us keep our pride in the
stocks from which have sprung: but let
us show that pride not by holding aloof one
from another. least OF all by preserving the
Old World jealousies and bitternesses, but
joining in a spirit OF generous rivalry to see
which do most for our great common
country. Americahism Is not matter OF
creed OF birthplace or descent That man Is
the best American who has in him the Ameri-
can spirit-tse American SOUL