Los Angeles herald., 1907-02-23

ness of his political faith and the ac-
curacy of his economic wisdom. The
prosperity and glory of the country
will be, according 10 the speaker un-
bounded and imperish~ e If the pre-
cepts of Washington are actively re-
called and, IN general, closely followed.
The address of Mr.. Cleveland was as
follows:
1.-THE American people are but little
given to the observance of public holi-
days. This statement cannot be dis
posed of by the allegation that our
national history is too brief to allow
the accumulation of days deserving
civic commemoration. Though 1t is
true that our life as a people, accord
ing to the standard measuring the
existence of nations, has been a short
one, it has been filled with glorious
achievements; and though it must be
conceded that it is not given to us to
see in the magnifying mirage of an
tiQuity the exaggerated forms of
American heroes, yet in the bright and
normal light shed upon our beginning
and growth are seen grand ard heroic
men who have won imperishable honor
I'VE cannot therefore excuse a lack
of commemorative inclination and a
languid interest in recalling the nota-
BILE incidents of our countrys past
under the plea of a lack c. commem-
oratiVe material; nor can we in this
way explain our neglect adequately to
observe days which have actually been
set apart for the especial manifesta-
ton of our loving appreciation of the
1ixrne md hn dc Nf A 1nY.ino
in crises of our birth and development
have sublimely wrought and nobly en-
dured.
Other Excuses
"If we are inclined to look for other
excuses one may occur to us which,
though by no means satisfying, may
appear to gain q somewhat fanciful
plausibility by reason of it's reference
to the law of heredity 1t rests upon
the theory that those who secured for
American nationality it's first foothold
and watched over its weak infancy
were so engrossed with the persistent
and unacceptable labors that pressed
upon them, and their hopes and as
pirations led them so constantly to
thoughts of the future that RETROSPECT
ton nearly became with them an ex-
tinct faculty, and that thus it may
have happened that exclusive absorp-
tion in things pertaining to the present
and future became so imbedded in
their natures as to constitute a trait
of character descendible to their pos
terity, even to the present generation.
Another Reason
"There is another reason which
might be advanced IN mitigation of
our lack of commemorative enthusiasm
which is so related to our pride of
Americanism that f e could be GER
tain of it's sufficiency we would gladly
accept 1t as conclusive. 1t has to do
with the underlying qualities and mo-
tives of our free institutions.
"Those institutions had their birth
and nurture in unseltich -atriotism and
unreserved conservation and by a de-
cree of fate beyond recall or change
their perpetuity and beneficence are
conditioned on The constant devotion
and single hearted loyalty of those to
whom their blessings are Vouchsafed.
"But, after all, why should we at
tempt to delude ourselves? l am con-
fident that voice your convictions
when l say that no play of ingenuity
and no amount of special pleading can
frame an absolutely creditable excuse
for our remissness in appropriate holi-
day observance.
Refers TO July
1.-The commemoration of the day on
which American Independence was born