New-York tribune., 1907-12-24
HONOR NEW ENGLAND.
SONS At ANNUAL DINNER.
Telegram from GoUernor Hughes
4rOuses Cheers.

so,,. five hundred members Of the New England
Society gathered last night the Waldorf. around
tables decorated with holly. pumpkins ana 'iie h
torically allotted five grains Of corn, 10 ceie a.
the 1a2d annual festival of the society. 'haiis
Evans Hughes, the guest Of honor, was uhaois ~
attend the dinner because of an attack OF siip' d
Ex-Governor Frank s Black was absent on &C
count of the death of his brother
The name of Governor Hughes was the signal Tor
enthusiastic applause and when Austin b. ie'ei.''
president of the society read telegram lfoiii e
Governor expressing his regret at helns "haoie "
he rresent three rousing cheers were given. Stew
art L. Woodford president of the society from 4e'
TO 1876 elected great applause when during ''e
course OF his response TO the toast our role-
fathers he said only this country but the
whole world owed debt to J. Pierpont Morgan
for the way in which he stepped into the preach
during the late panic.
When the speaker referred 10 Ulysses d
Grant the room echoed and reechoed with cheers
Dr. Charles F. Aked. pastor of the Fifth Avenue
Baptist Church, responded to the toast falih u
Our Fathers Living Still; Francis GREENWOOD
Peabody of Harvard University. spoke on Coin-
nercialism and Idealism." and Rear Admlrai las
par F. Goodrich. L. s. N responded to Inc TOAST
THE Army and the Navy
THE State of New York. was the supJec' on
which Governor Hughes TO have spoken ana
the menu cards was printed the following eA-
tract from one of the governors speeches;
1--WE shall attain the full measure or our
.rrlsteeshp sinks deep into the American con-
sciousness and its realization controls our actfvl-
ties in both business and political acairs
By way of introduction, President fletcher r
viewed the early history of New England COL
menting on the fact that many of the great re-
forms which have been adopted originated there
In closing, he said 'The Roman Coliseum is Il
cr1mbling reminder that the nation that once
ruled the world dedicated its greatest structure
TO horrible and degrading fights between men ana
he to-day
tered upon the winds tomorrow. The mists OF
fame vanish; governments fail; dynasues
pass away.
The Pilgrims built upon the open Bible. liberty
of conscience universal education and equality.
Bv their example they taught meekness of spirit
and nobility of thought
President Fletcher proposed the first toast OF
the evening THE Congress, the President and the
Courts of the United States of America" 1t was
drunk standing. Saturday night, at the dinner of
the New England Society at the Pouch Mansion in
Brooklyn there similar innovation when
The Sovereign People Of the United States were
toasted.
After the toast had been drunk President Fletcher
proposed Our Forefathers," and Stewart l. Wood
ford responded. Mr. woodford said in part:
I reminded tonight that il is always my good
fortune TO be Lieutenant Governor. | fill that bill
Governing BODY By the grace Of the Citizens Of
& to admit any eaenS Governor of the
state And SO. in the absence Of Governor Hughes,
and @ in the absence Of ex-governor Black applause
and in the absence Of Governor Woodruff Gaugh-
eK-president Of society. with the single ekcep-
0f Ct M Ghoste "a AT but tbsr as the acs oldest living eufe
New York stands the centre Of the commercial
gift Of the
| ideals were bred, where purposes were matured
controlled. does control and will control this con-
| Every time every epoch has its crucial hour.
| When the War Of the Rebellion came there arose
I cas e er Of h who @ S
such such saSsrsRP as ss%sra gave in
ds & such saSe1shp as Grant @
difHculties Of that hour Such ieadeTship Will
US soT Ogh Ugh ths m Ps Of s 9dfy
s9Ty that could not have said ,, n his presence
When the test Of this late autumn and early Win
Ter came. not merely New York not merely New
to- r sas ana an
in stepping into the breach at precisely the right
May God give us strength; and our children rel,
give Us strength save, Frugality is honorable.
cessitx But through All bear this thought before
US; The Republic VIII win through the old line ne
| it will not win at all Goodnight.
| DR.. Peabody. speaking of the spirit Of CONNER
calism opposed to ideals in American life said:
! One Of the most distinguished of German econo-
misis in passing Judgement on the American char-
acter, has described It dominated by the spirit
/
| every ons is working, speculating winning or
losing From Oldest 70 youngest III, the Amercsns ans
thusasm is rare. cooness Is the condition of grow
/ Now, it must be candidly confessed that this
descriptlon OF our conalt9 IS conh[med by man.
nations. we may be defined as commercial de
/ mocracy with an unusual gift for money making
and for Increasing profits by ingenuity originality
| The Indictment however of this foreign observer
Is not concerned with the facts OF commercalism,
the the trader & s; shopkeepers spefuafors point OF
which money cannot buy.
| IL except its commercial advantage. 1t speaks of
/ may be failure except its profits: or of a man
as worth million when in fact he is worthless
words like goodness. success and worth from an
has prevaed in History 6as se Seen the
prophecy Of social degeneration and decline.
stlieted by the same disease which corrupted i'm:
rumbei and fell? IS it true that the chsse o
the dollar Is our one absorbing passion?
for fns + If com
mission i would be the Of its Vision the he
No sooner, however. does one confess this be-
setting sin of American life than he is oonfronted
! character. BY one of the most curious coinci-
] N 5 ReGRe IN its lhPS blood s tn
strain Of moral idealism. What better evidence
gathering like this. where busy Of a CONNER
/ cis metropolis meet Sin the name of their New
/ England ancestors to cherish the memory of the
| Pilgrims and Puritans?
Here. then. stand. in these days which ar.
testing the American character. and in the conflict
of these two forces lies the problem Of our future
Are we to be the victims of prosperit,
and robbed of our ideals by the very sgniftde o,
! our commercial gains? Then shall the way
| Of earlier nations-Persia. Egypt. Rome-and the
history Of our decline viii become warning and a
! byword 10 the world.
Or is II possible that the very conditions Of o,Ir
commercial life likely to create among us a
new ideasn7 not the ianguid and aesthetic taste
which drives people away from democracy and
makes them more at home among aTIstocracies
r1onarches castles and ruins. but the robust and