The Oskaloosa herald., 1905-02-16
LACEY EULOG|zES
PILGRIM Fathers
Congressman Delivers Address on a
Notable Occasion in
Washington.

u banquet in Washington the other
evening. 1t was the annual banquet
OF the society of the Maylower de-
scendants 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 soci.
ETY. Of the Mayfower, and Mgr. D. J.
O'Connell, rector of the Catholic uni
versity.
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
occasion. The banquet was attended
by the most representative Washing
ton citizens. Major Lacey spoke in
his happiest style and his remarks
were splendidly received. Another
Iowan present at the banquet was M.
J. Raney, of Marengo, grand comman-
der of 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 Mayfower descendants
was through his little granddaughter,
Doris Brewster, who is now living un-
der the Arctic Circle at Nome, Alaska.
He explained that little Doris is a
descendant on her fathers side from
the man who was described as the
soul of the Pilgrim company, Elder
William Brewster. Continuing he
said:
"Great hardships and dangers at
tended the voyage and final landing
of the Pilgrims. The defenders OF
Port Arthur have attracted the atten-
ton and received homage OF the
world, but the percentage of death
among the crew and ~colonists OF the
Mayfower was larger than that OF the
great siege which has just closed.
More than half Of these early voyag-
ers 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 me upon
the Decisive Landings of the World
beginning with Noah at Mt. Ararat
and including those of Caesar and
William the Conqueror in Britain,
Aenaes in Italy, Columbus at San Sal
vador, John Smith at jamestown, the
Mayfower at Plymouth Rock, and the
Japanese at Corea.
81 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
generations from those pioneers. By
descent on one side only the Pilgrim
blood in one of the present genera
ton is only one ten hundred and
twenty-fourth part. This would seem
to be "a very small vulgar fraction OF
Pilgrim stock, but we must recognize
that a very little leaven leaveneth the
whole lump, and there has never been
a more controlling strain of blood on
earth than that which these forefath'
ers transported to the rocky shores OF
New England.
ct is estimated that there are
something over a million descendants
of the Mayfiower immigrants, but
they have dominated for a hundred
years in all parts of the Union.
"The builders Of nations may be
uncultured and rough, but they must
be strong. They must be strong Il
they would lead the strong. They may
direct but after all the winds and the
currents move the ship.
Our English kinsfolk r complain.
ing of u monopoly of the title
American, and it is suggested that
VIZ should not assume the name which
would indicate that we control the
two Americas. North and South, but
that we should modestly assume the
name Of Usonians. Should we make
a change 1t would be to accept the
distinction of being all called Yam
KEGS. This name adheres to us ev
erywhere when we go abroad, ant