Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-04-26
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greeting to those representatives of the
Asiatic nations who make up that newest
east which Is yet the most ancient east,
the east of time immemorial. In particu-
lar, let me express a word OF hearty well
island empire of Japan; that empire.
which, in learning from the west, has
shown that it had so much. so very much,
to teach the west in return.
To all OF you here gathered I express
my thanks for your coming. and I extend
to you my earnest wishes for the welfare
Of your several nations. The world has
moved so far that it is no longer necessary
to believe that one nation can rise only
by thrusting another down. All farsghted
statesmen, all true patriots, now earnestly
wish that the leading nations OF mankind,
as in their several ways they struggle con-
stantly toward a higher civilization, a
higher humanity, may advance hand In
hand. united only in generous rivalry to
see which can best do Its allotted work
in the world. 1 believe that there is
rising tide in human thought which tends
for righteous International peace; tide
which 1t behooves us to guide through
rational channels to sane conclusions: ana
all Of us here present can well AFFORD TO
take to heart st. Paul's counsel: IF 1t be
possible, much as lieth in you, live
peaceably with all men,
Opening of Exposition.
We have met today to celebrate the
opening of the exposition which itself COM
memorates the first permanent settlement
of men of our stock in Virginia, the first
beginning of what has since become this
mighty republic. Three hundred years ago
handful Of English adventures, who
had crossed the ocean in what we should
now call cookie boats, as clumsy as they
were frail, landed in the great wooded
Wilderness the Indianhaunted waste,
which then stretched down to the waters
edge along the entire Atlantic coast. They
were not the first men of European race
to settle in what is now the United
States, for there were already Spanish set
Elements in Florida and on the headwaters
of the Rio Grande; and the French, VINO
at almost the same time were struggling
up the st. Lawrence, were likewise
destined to form permanent settlements on
the great lakes and in the valley OF the
mighty Mississippi before the people OF
English stock went westward of the Allie
ghenies. Moreover, both the Dutch ana
the Swedes were shortly to found colonies
between the two sets of English colonies
those that grew up around the Potomac
and those that grew up on what is now
the New England coast. Nevertheless, TINS
landing at jamestown possesses for us OF
the United States an altogether peculiar
significance. and this without regard to our
several origins The men who landed at
jamestown and those who, thirteen years
later, landed at Plymouth. all of English
stock and their felIow-settlers who during
the next few decades streamed in after
them, were those who took the lead In
shaping the life history of this people IN
the colonial and revolutionary days. 1t
was they who bent into definite shape our
nation while it was still young enough
most easily, most readily, to take on the
characteristics which We're to become part
of it's permanent life habit.
Inherited National Life.
Yet let us remember that while this
early English colonial stock has left
deeper than all others upon our national
life the mark of its strong twin individ-
ualities, the mark Of the Cavalier and OF
the Puritan-nevertheless, this stock. not
only from it's environment but also from
the presence with it of other stocks, almost
from the beginning began to be differen-
tiated strongly from any European people
AS have already said, about the time the
first English settlers landed here. the
Frenchman and the Spaniard, the Swede
and the Dutchman, also came hither as
permanent jewellers, who left their seed
behind them to help shape and partially to
inherit our national life The German, the
Irishman and the Scotchman came later
but still in colonial times Before the out
break of the revolution the American peo-
pie, not only because Of their surround
ings, physical and spiritual, but because OF
the mixture of blood that had already be-
gun to take place. represented a new ana
distinct ethnic type. This type has never
been fixed in blood. All through the colo
time to time swept hither across the
ocean, now from one country, now from
another. The same thing has gone on ever
since our birth as nation natl ana for tn, the
has been at the full. The newcomers are
soon absorbed into our eager national life,
and are radically and profoundly changed
thereby, the rapidty of their assimilation
being marvellous. But each group of new
Corners, as it adds Its blood to the life, also
changes it somewhat. and this change and
growth and development have gone on
steadily, generation by generation through
out three centuries.
The pioneers of our people who first
landed on these shores on that eventfui
day three centuries ago, had before them
a task which during the early years was
of heartbreaking danger and difficulty.
The conquest of a new continent is iron
work. People who dwell In old civiliza-
tons and find that therein SO much OF hu-
manity's lot is hard. are apt to complain
against the conditions as being solely due
to man and to speak as if life could be
made easy and simple il there We're but
true that the pioneer life was simpler. but
it was certainly not easier AS matter
of fact, the first work of the pioneers In
taking possession of a lonely wilderness is
so rough, so hard, so dangerous that all
but the strongest spirits fail. The early
iron days of such conquest search out
alike the weak in body and the weak in
soul. In the warfare against the rugged
can conquer who are themselves uncon-
querable 1t is not until the first bitter
years have passed that the life becomes
easy enough to invite a mass of new
corners, and so great are the risk, hard
ship and toll of the early years that there
always exists a threat of lapsing back
from civilization.
History of Pioneers.
The history of the pioneers of James
town, of the founders of Virginia. illus
trates the truth of all this. Famine and
pestlence and war menaced the little
band of daring men who had planted them
selves alone on the edge of a frowning con-
tinent. Moreover, men ever find.
whether in the tiniest frontier community
or in the vastest and most highly organ
lied and complex civilized society. their
worst foes were in their own bosoms.
Dissension, distrust, the inability Of some
to work and the unwillingness of others.
jealousy, arrogance and envy, folly and
laziness--in short all the shortcomings
with which we have to grapple now, were
faced by those pioneers, and at moments
threatened their whole enterprise with
a absolute ruin 1t was some time before the
ground on which they had landed support
ed them, in spite of it's potential fertility.
and they looked across the sea for sup
IN