The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1908-05-17
PRESIDENT TOUCHES
METHODIST HEARTS
Demand Four More Years
and Punctuate Speech
With "AmenS.
SINGS IN GERMAN,
RETURNING SURPRISE
Calls for Mrs. Roosevelt Bring Her
to Front of Thousand Faces.
Banquet at Night.

Banquet at Night.
-Four years more OF Roosevelt, four
/ years more! Three cheers and q. tiger!'
! the President Of the United states
4 and i00e OF the nations most prominent
4 MetnOcists ncid q genuine. open air.
good fellowship meeting yesterday aft
ernoon on the grounds Of the American
! University
When the President left the speakers
| stand, where a moment before he had
/ delivered a Characteristic speech, inter
/ ruptsd by more isrveut "amens'' than
perhaps had ever been accorded a sim
lar effort anywhere. X Was 10 the
| ringing accompaniment Of spontaneous
Methodist demands that the nation
/ needed him Tor four years longer.
! The scenes Immediately preceding this
! demonstration were perhaps the most
unique in the Presidents career or
/ those Of the hundreds OF delegates who
had come TO Washington at the close
/ OF the general conference in Baltimore
| especially TO hear the Chief Executivs
and view the location OF The proposed
new university.
| Not only did the President come in
/ for a continual ovaLion. bur when il
/ vas announced thar on account OF other
/ engagements and the conclusion Of The
program the President and Mrs. Roosa-
/ welt would be unable TO personally
greet the delegates there we're loud
cries for Mrs. Roosevelt and the First
/ Lady Of the Land" was forced ID
/ blushingly advance to the front Of the
| platform. where she stood and bowed
as a thousand handkerchiafs futtered
in the air.
President Returns Surprise.
The German ministers OF the confer
/ ence sprang a surprise on the Presi-
dent by singing Martin Luther's hymn,
Elm feste Burg" and the President
spTang a surprise on the German min
/ listers by Joining in the hymn and by
advancing 10 the front Of the plat
form when II was concluded and re-
citing IN German the hrst four lines
Il know that by heart" said the
President as he took his seat. and there
Was again an overflow Of Methodist
enthusiasm. The lines reoited IN Ger
man by the President are translated
as follows:
A mighty fortress is eur Gcd,
A bulwaTk never falling
our keeper lie. amid the food
OF mortals prevailing
The President sang two stanzas. but
he recited only four lines, saying:
You are IN luck that ! don't repeat
all three stanZas. But / want 10 thank
you Tor singing Tor me what happens
70 be my faVOTite German hymn
That's fine, fine" said the President
when Bishop CranstOn announced thar
those members Of the conference OF
German extraction sttll cherished
enough Of the fatherland TO remember
the old hymns
Bishop Starts "Amens."
To return 20 the PresidentiaI-Me
odist love feast. In the first place
Bishop Cranston started the flow OF
"amens" and "glorys' when he con-
cluded an eloquent introduction OF the
President by saying that the President
couldn't be the man he was and follow
the policies he did unless he had
great deal Of good cid Methodism In
him. and although he had been 'ec-
Realistically misplaced early in life,
he was not out Of place ar the present
gathering.
Bless your heart " shouted a devout
Voice in the rear when the President
arose and said that somehow I do
feel mighty akin 10 you.
And then the chorus of CONNIE ndatory
EXPLANATIONS got under way as the Pres
ident began TO deliver his speech on
MetnOdism primarily and on the duties
of motherhood, especially reiterating
his weu-known sentiment condemning
the woman who refuses to do Alright
her great and aII-essental duties OF
wifehOod and motherhood"
Shout Their Approval.
OId-fashioned amen-corner approval
punctuated the Presidents telling points.
Amen" that's true" good, good"
right you are. hear. hear" and other
expressions typical OF the camp-meeting
were heard on every hand as some en-
thusiastic delegate would arise and wsve
a handkerchief at the Chief Executive.
isn't that common sense. nOw?' the
President would ask. sometimes break
ing away from his set speech.
And from score of threats would
come the response; True, every word
Of it,"
Speaking Of the relation Of the spirit
ual and material life, the President de-
parted from his set speech 10 say:
do not understand me 70 say that I
do not approve OF material success You
want your son 70 be able to pull his
own weight and 10 support his wife and
children-and I hope he will have plenty
OF children"
Whereat there was hearty Methodist
laughter and cheers.
Scores the Idler.
Speaking Of the idIer. the President
distressed enough TO say:
Let not the idler lay the hattering
JUNCTION 10 his soul that he harms no
one II he does not benefit anybody ne
cumbers the ground
Hear. hear" shouted delegate. and
the wives Of the delegates nodded ap-
provingly at the Presidenr. VINO bant
low over the platform to allow the Sic
nihcance Of his words TO sink deep.
Although OF a different faith the
President delivered an address as TYPICAL
Of Methodism and as pleasing to Meth
Odists apparently as Senator DoiliVer
who followed him, and who professed
having been brought up IN the good
old faith
Bishop Cranston, who introduced the
President ana who. presided during the
exercises, said OF the President:
de Is a ruler who has lifted politics