Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1905-02-02
TALKS OF PILGRIMS
HON. JoHrl r. LACEY GUEST OF
HONOR AT DINNER IN
WASHINGTON.
Sixth District Congressman Makes Elo-
quent Address at Banquet OF Society
of Mayflower Observation-Disclosures
Connection With Pilgrim Family.
[BY HAROLD j. MAHIN.l
Washington Bureau OF Courier.
Washington, D. c., Jan. 80.

IBY HAROLD j. MAHIN.1
Washington Bureau OF Courier.
Washington, D. c., Jan. 80.
Major John F. Lacey, representative
from the sixth district, was one Of
three distinguished speakers at a fam
GUS banquet in Washington last week.
1t was the annual banquet of the soci.
ETY. of the Maylower descendants who
met to commemorate the landing Of
the Pilgrim Fathers on Plymouth rock
1884 years ago.. The three speakers of
the evening were Major Lacey, Samuel
B. Capen, of Boston, governor general
Of the society of the Mayf1ower, and
Mgr. D. j. O'Connell, rector Of the
Catholic university.
Although Major Lacey Is often
sought after to address various events
Of this sort in Washington it was an
unusual honor to be asked for this &c.
casion. The banquet was attended by
the most representative Washington
citizens. Major Lacey spoke in his
happiest style and his remarks were
s~plendidly received. Another Iowan
present at the banquet was M. j. Rain
ey, Of Marengo, grand commander
If the Patriarchs Militant of the World
who is attending a meeting of that
body in Washington.
Major Lacey prefaced his speech
with the admission that the only claim
he had for being present at a meeting
Of May1ower descendants was through
his little granddaughter, Doris Brew
ster, who is now living under the Arc.
tic Circle at Nome. Alaska. He ex.
blamed that little Doris is a descend
ant on her fathers side from the man
who was described as the soul of the
Pilgrim company, Elder William Brew
ster. Continuing he said:
Mr.. Chairmen, Ladies and Gentlemen:
"You celebrate tonight one Of the
great events of history.
Great h%ardships and dangers. at
tended the voyage and final landing Of
the Pilgrims. The defenders of Port
Arthur have attracted the attention
and received the homage of the world,
but the percentage of death among the
crew and colonists Of the Mayflower
was larger than that of the great siege
which has just closed. More than half
OF these early voyagers were in their
graves before the historic ship started
on the return voyage.
Greasy wrote Of the Fifteen Decis.
i've Battles of the World a splendid
companion book would be one upon
the Decisive Landings of the World,
beginning with Noah at Mt. Ararat and
including those of Caesar and William
the Conqueror IL Britain, Aeneas In
Italy, Columbus at San Salvador, John
Smith at Jamestown, the Mayfower at
Plymouth Rock and the Japanese In
Corea.
9" shall have to claim connection
with the Mayfower by ascent instead
of descent as you do. But lest my
little granddaughter should grow vain
over such distinction, I have taken
time to compute the degree of rela.
tionship that attaches through ten gen.
erations from those pioneers. BY de-
scent or one side only the Pilgrim
blood in n Of the present generation
is only one ten hundred and twenty,
fourth part. This would seem to be q
very small vulgar fraction of Pilgrim
stock. but we must recognize that q
very little leaven leaveneth the whole
lump, and there has never been a more
controlling strain Of blood on earth
than that which these forefathers
transported to the rocky shores of New
England.
ut is estimated that there are some
thing over a million descendants of the
Mayflower immigrants, but they have
dominated for a hundred years in all
parts of the Union.
"The builders of nations may be un
cultured and rough. But they must be
strong. They must be strong if they
would lead the strong. They may di
rect but after all the winds and the
currents move the ship.
"Our English kinsfolk are complain
ing of our monopoly of the title Amor
lean, and it is suggested that we
should not assume the name which
would indicate that we control the two
Americas, North and South, but tina
we should modestly assume the name
of Usonians. Should we make s
! change it would be to accept the dis
: tinction of being all called Yankees
This name adheres to US everywhere
when we go abroad, and even tn.
| Georgian when he stops at a Swiss
hotel ceases to be shocked when HI
finds himself referred to as a Van
T kee.
! "The founders Of states and nations
5 are always objects Of interest to pos
terity, and are usually little noticed ii
the beginning when they are plough
ing and planting the seeds of future
: greatness. The origin of the nation o
the old world is yelled in the mist
lof antiquity. We see the streams a
they flow through the plains but tn,
sources are lost to sight in the cloud
which surround the mountain top. TIL,
Greeks and Romans ascribe to thei
old settlers the intimate friendship O
9 the gods or direct descent from super
natural ancestors.
when we read Of Hercules an,
e Romulus we feel that we are in tn,
domain of myth and poetry rattle
A than history. But the people who sci
S tied the United States trace their an
n cestry back to the beginning. 1t /
plain, practical beginning, full O
hardships and sorrows.
d THE pioneers were chosen by tn
laws Of natural selection. It was no
9 the weakling or the dissolute VIII
II facad the dpnparS Of an Unknown uorJ,