Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-10-04
GERM AN DAY OBSERVED
GALA DAY FOB THE LOCAL Or
CARNATIONS.
Large Crowd Attracted to Luna Park
AN Address by Mr.. Gran
dali Mackey.

The final exercises last evening in the
celebration Of German day brought the sea-
son at Luna Park to a close. The day was
q gala occasion for many hundred Ger
man citizens of this city who went to the
resort early In the afternoon and remained
there until late at night. In songs and
speeches the honors Of the "fatheriand'
and the virtues OF the Teutonic stock were
sounded In no uncertain note. The prin-
Opal address of the evening was delivered
by Capt Crandall Mackey, commonwealth
attorney for Alexandria county. who was
accorded an ovation by the audience. At
the conclusion of his speech he was warm
ly thanked in behalf of the United Ger
man Societies by their president, Mr.. X.
Voeckner.
The exercises opened with a concert by
the Greater Washington Band. after which
'Das Deutche Lied Weinzierl. was rem
dered by the United Singers of Washing
ton" Following this was the address of
welcome by Mr. Voelckner, president of
the United German Societies, and imme-
diately thereafter the address of Capt.
Mackey was delivered. Cruise an die
Heimat." kromme, by the United Singers
of Washington. and balloon ascension
were the last features of the exercises.
Capt. Mackey's Address.
Capt Mackey spoke. in part. as follows:
ITO be called upon to address an audi
ence of Germans is always a compliment.
because it is matter of common knowl-
edge that education and intelligence is
more generally diffused among the Ger
mans than among any other race. But
my duty here is that of an official extend
ing you welcome and to express the pleas
ure that l feel through your presence in
our country. You are on the sacred soil
of Virginia. but l do not say to you as
the voice of the burning bush said to
Moses. Take off your shoes. for you tread
on holy ground
Here on the soil of Virginia / am re-
minded of the friendship that existed be-
tween Frederick III of Prussia and that
great Virginian, George Washington. and
OF the sword which he presented to Cen
eral Washington bearing the inscription
From the oldest soldier in the world to the
greatest. Here too. under the. hills of
Arlington the home of our immortal Gen.
Robert f. Lee, l am reminded of an Incl
dent that shows the characteristic modesty
of the German people as well as their adj
miraton for America
1T is related that when the death of
Gen. Robert E. Lee was cabled to Europe
the high officers of the German army were
attending banquet in Berlin When the
announcement of the death of General Lee
was made. Baron Won tlnkenstein, stand
Ing. lowered his head and proposed a toast
to the ilustrious dead. The tall form of
the great Won Moltke arose, and he said
with feeling: "A toast TO the dead-Robert
E. Lee. the master of US all These words
touched the heart of the southern people,
coming from the lips of one of the greatest
bolders of age.
Surrender to the Germans"
1T has been said of woman, ana l see a
great many here, that she carries the only
arms to which the American win ever
surrender. but surely America has surren-
dered to the Germans. The descendants of
those men of the forest who. under Ar
minus, destroyed the armies of Augustus
Caesar, and struck down the eagles of i'm
perial Rome; who. led by Field Marshal
Butcher met and defeated the great Napo-
leon at Leipsic and at Waterloo. and
dragged the tri-cOlor of France in the dust
who wound up the career of Napoleon
at Sedan. by their courage and persever-
ance, and patient toll and sacrifice en-
tered the western hemisphere and dom-
mated the social habits of our people and
the financial policy of our government
The German in the United States has
ever been the safety valve of our political
Institutions, and for the past forty years
the German vote has held the balance of
power and has been the great conservative
force that has protected us from our own
folly. 1t was the German votes all
know that overwhelmed the advocates of
fiat money at the close of ou- civil war;
and 1t was the German conservatism that
kept this country from going on silver
voted for the free coinage of silver now adj
nit would have destroyed credit and
lowered in the eyes of the world.
Best and Brightest.
'Ours is no doubt the best. the brightest
and the last experiment in popular govern
ment and from it the light of liberty is
beaming upon the hopes of all mankind.
and while We live under it and are enjoying
It's manifold blessings let us not forget that
our government is but an evolution from the
democracy that existed among the early
Germans. where the king and the mobiles
possessed only such power as was delegated
by the freemen of the tribes. Let us not for
get that 1t was the inordinate and indomi-
table love of liberty among the Germans
that helped to kindle the fires of revolution
in 1I76. Let us not forget that from very
ancient times the Germans have always
taught freedom of conscience and religion
and that while other nations were sunk
In paganism and idolatry the ancient Ger
mans butt neither temples nor statues to
false deities. but worshlped in the open
air, In the groves, the forests, the meadows
and the mountains the one eternal God of
their fOrefatherS.
Object of German Day.
The pamphlet on which the program was
printed contained the following in refer
ence to the anniversary occasion: German
day is celebrated to honor the memory of
that little band of humble settlers who first
landed on the shores of the Delaware on
that memorable 9th of October. in the year
1883: their coming was not unlike that OF
another and earlier band who had landed
at Plymouth in December of 1920
Both were of the Germanic race; sturdy
men and alike endowed with an inherent
love OF freedom; both had left country
dear to them and braved the uncertainties
OF the sea: both had reached strange land
ready to chance all that might come hope
full and trusty of the future"
The United German Societies Is fedora
ton composed of twenty-five different bod
les. The officers are Kurt Voelckner. pres
ident; Herm. Vollmer, first vice president;
F. A. Rockar, second vice president: II. F.
" arnerson. secretary. and Chas. E. Corner.
treasurer The committee In charge of the
celebration was composed as follows: r. A.
Rockar. chairman; w. Ruckdaeschel as
sistant chairman: F. E. Mann. Theo. A.
Leckert. G. NJ. Seibert. p. HALTER. c. e.
Gundlach. DR.. Chr. Strack. Chas E. Ger
ner. H. Wassmann, II. Voelckner, c. Egloff
J. II. Buscher. II. Rothschild. G. Kramm,
K. Voelckner. ex-officio.