The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1908-11-13

years we have hoped for this privi-
lege. When we have attended for
mer Biennials, and have heard the
words of welcome from the South,
from the Middle West, the Pacific
Coast, the Southwest, and the North
west, we have longed for the time
when we could show our gratitude
for the royal hospitality we had re-
ceived. Every one of the 10000 club
women of Massachusetts is here in
spirit tonight, to give you welcome.
That the men of Massachusetts are
not here in greater numbers is their
misfortune, not their fault. They
realize, as never before, the disad-
Vantages of being men. They, too,
are here in spirit to join in this well
come.
If you find the weather a bit trop-
zeal, it is because we have been so
eager 70 give you warm welcome,
to refute the charge SO often made
against us of GOODNESS. These lines
OF Western paper have long ranked
in our hearts:
He pressed kiss upon her lips
burning kiss; it froze.
The maiden was native of.what
city do you suppose?"
Sin response to many requests, we
give in full the address of welcome
given by Mrs. May Alden Ward at
the Biennial Convention in Boston.
We trust that, when you leave us,
you will be able to say you did not
find Boston cold.
One reason that your coming
means so much to us, is that it is for
many of you Homecoming, a return
to the home of your fathers. In the
early years, Massachusetts sent out
many men and women into the will
derness, over the mountains, across
the prairies, to build new homes and
found new cities, to help to organize
new states. We feel that we have
ties of kinship in every part of the
land. We are proud and glad that
so many of you are drawn here by
cords of love. Our welcome is in
one sense that of a mother to her
daughters.
In another sense it is a sisterly
welcome wherewith we wish to greet
you, especially the two younger sis
tiers who have just entered the
family, the Federation of Alabama
and the Federation of the Canal Zone.
AS one of the great sisterhood of
Commemorative which form our
united republic, we are eager to
spread our treasures before you,-
our art museums, our Libraries, our
halls of learning, our historic shrines,
our long stretches of shore, our Com
mon, our Frog Pond, our east wind,
our crooked streets,-all in short,
that makes Boston dear to those
who love her and source of amuse-
ment to others. Samuel Adams, the
Revolutionary patriot, offered to
welcome the British to ''hospitable
We do not offer you that,
but we do welcome you to our hos
pitable burying-grounds, opened for
your sake, because we know that you
will desire to visit the graves of your
ancestors and ours, the Puritan
Fathers and Revolutionary heroes.
We have planned many pilgrimages
for you, with guides to point the
way.
And yet we know that this is only
one side of your visit. You have not
these thousands of miles
merely to see Boston. You are here
or a grave and earnest purpose. You
ire here because the Federation
means to you opportunity and re-
possibility.
Last week many thousands of men
net in Chicago, and constructed a
platform on which they invited all |
he men of the country to take their
tand. Next week other thousands
# men will meet in Denver, and will |
construct another platform on which
hey will urge the men of the coun-
ry to stand. We have for years
'een building our platform slowly,
tut surelyt-not building 1t amid
'olitical excitement, not for reasons
# expediency, not under the instruc-
ion Of political leaders. Our plat
orm had few planks in the begin
ling, but we have broadened it
very year, adding. new ones as new
problems confronted us. These |