The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-07-01
aft's Address,


 Taft's Address. President Taft said in part: Since the 4th of March 1 have learned a number of things and l am making no reference to the weather bureau either I have learned that in the opinion of the American people one of the chief fune- tions of the President of the United States is to increase the box receipts and the sale of excursion tickets l am not here, and l am not invited here on any such notion. I have come because I could not help coming to be Yale man and to be a part of Yale
 You will think possibly before the end of this presidential term that I am as inevitable presence at the alumni dinner as the ham and chicken that we are all so fond of. l hope I may have the pleas ure for great many years of listening to the kindly benedictions that we all value so much and that we all go ahead feeling better for, from President Dwight.
 T have been as punctual as circufl- stance would admit at the meetings of the corporation, but circumstances always prevent my attending those meetings at which honorary degrees are conferred, and, therefore, I do not hesitate to take a position of criticism toward those. de- grees if necessary. The power to con- fer them Is one that the university ought
 
 that shows whether the university is up to date with things that are keeping men in fields of endeavor and success or not.
 HadIey Congratulated.
 Now, I want to congratulate the pres ident of Yale university upon the degree which was conferred upon the president of Harvard university in such beautiful felicitious and friendly terms as those which he used this morning. It made a man warm to Harvard as some of us sell dom do. Then, too, 1t meets my full ap- proval that we orthodox men of Yale should recognize and seem to approve the liberalty of the theological views to Har- yard.
 T may also note in the relations of the university what has previously been noted on this occasion a number of times, that courteous convention by which Yale always loses on Harvard class day at Cambridge and New Haven Is still main tained.
 Then, the recognizing as a master of arts that musical critic, Brother Kreh- biel who from that chair of power in the Tribune office at New York has marked down composers and elevated musical art interests We may well concur in and ap- prove. I can recolect--you who do not understand music as we do in Cincin- nati may not understandable power that
 
 musical festivities held in Cincinnati the word of Krehbiel as to whether 1t was a worthy occasion or not was listened to with the utmost anxiety and when he had either the bad taste or the candor to say that 1t was not worthy of the city, he escaped only with his life.
 The World Voyage.
 And then the corporation took up the question of the navy and I assume from It's action. although the spokesman of the university was a little bit chary on that subject, that it approved the voy- age of the 16 battleships around the world and that 1t recognized in Admiral Sperry the supreme ability the supreme equipoise and the determination which was able to meet the requirements of the custodian of s150.000,000 of United States property which if he lost could not be restored in less than decade, and I wish to say with reference to that trip, that while 1t was criticised at the time, there Is no single order of my predecessor which in my judgment tended so much to the peace of the world as that by which he sent around-not as a messenger of war, but as messengers of peace-those wonderful mechanisms known as the IS battleships of the United States
 The President spoke in the warmest terms of Prof. William c. Sumner. who in retiring from the Yale faculty after many years of active service, was honored with doctor of laws degree. In conclud- ing the President said:
 Tribute to Alma Mater.
 Tt is a great comfort to come from Washington into the academic shades like this, whether 1t be to an alumni dinner or to a corporation meeting, to come into contact with the president of this university, whos Is carrying it on with such exceptional ability and such exceptional success. We occasionally hear echoes from various directions of the dreadful condition that exists in univer- sites, but it won't turn single Yale man and I am sure single Harvard man from allegiance to the university of his choice anu to his Alma Mater, and to the conviction. we'll founded, that there Is no atmosphere with a higher moral inspiration than that which you re- ceive at the old university"