The Detroit times., 1909-03-20
|0lD Ellis men HAIL
TAFT As PRESIDENT
FOR EIGHT YEARS
~. I DO ALL THAT I OUGHT TO
IN FOUR WEARS NEXT PERIOD
CAN CARE FOR ITSELF" RE.
PLIES TAFT.

NEW YORK, March 20.-President
Tart was greeted 10y more than l.50O
graduates OF Yale university A.
dinner given In the Waldorf-Astorla
last night. There was deafening
cheer and rousing chorus OF Here's
TO good old Yale, drink her down,
as the first Yale president of the Unit
ed States rose TO speak. The grad
yates who attended the banquet came
from all parts OF the country. They
ranged from silvery-haired old gentle
men whose degrees bear the date OF
IS down to the youths who left their
alma mater only last June.
The Immense ballroom In the Wal
!, dorfAstoria was decorated with a Law
ish wealth OF flowers. Countless chains
OF pink rose blooms fell from the
vaulted ceilings In graceful loops. The
balcony guards and the sidewalks
were twined with the roses. The
speakers table at which President
Taft sat with President Hadley, OF
Yale. and other distinguished grad
yates of the university. was canopied
with artificial representations OF the
elms Of old Yale.
President Taft reached the banquet
hall just before o'clock. Just be
fore the president spoke the lights
in the ballroom were dimmed, and
q screened calcium sent food of
blue rays upon the speakers table.
Through the windows OF the "old
brick row" lights cleaned. Then be
gan q yell OF "Oh, Fresh. put out that
light" II was caught up all over the
room. and finally died out amid loud
peals OF laughter.
Euiogixes Yale.
IL was nearly IL o'clock when Mr..
Taft began TO speak, and, as he was
leaving on the midnight train for
Washington. his remarks necessarily
were brief He corffped himself al
most entirely to an eulbgy OF Yale and
OF the Yale spirit,>@hich he declared
had been .a=gnfding influence in his life
since the time he was six years old
Mr.-raft spoke largely In reminis-
cences OF his own days at college, and
those OF his father. Not content with
graduating five OF his own sons at
Yale. the president declared, his faith
er had sent the boy OF a dead friend
through the college.
This Ia n personal gathering" he
explained, land you must expect some
personal references"
Mr.. Taft said he was carrying the
Yale spirit with him to the discharge
OF the duties OF president. which Of
nee, be declared, was the greatest re
sponsibility which could come To an
American.
And" he added, 1T Is q great deal
better to leave that office with the
plaudits OF your countrymen than 70
enter IL. The opportunities for mis-
takes, the opportunities for failure, or.
IL not failure, Of dead level OF doing
nothing. are so many that | look for
ward with a great hesitation and re-
luctance to the results OF the next
four years"
Eight" called voice, and others
took up the chorus.
III do all that ought to do In the
next four years" rejoined the presi
dent, Il will have done all that is In
the contract. and the next four years
can take care OF themselves"
Eight, eight" cried the alumni
again. In a swelling chorus.
There are great problems 10 solve"
said the president, "but I will take to
them the application OF honesty or pur.
pose. Industry and common sense.
That Is what understand We learned
ut Yale, and II in bringing those things
to bear solve all the problems OF the
next four years satisfactorily, I'll be
willing to meet you again at the end
OF that time and to compare notes"
Long Demonstration.
When President Taft was introduced
by Teastmaster Sheffield, president OF
the Yale club in this city. the demon
stration was prolonged one, filed
with college cheers and songs. In
their enthusiasm some of the diners
at the balcony tables began to throw
napkins In the air. They fell like a
storm of huge snowfakes on those at
the tables below and caused much
amusement.
Now fer the event for which we
have waited eos years." said Toast
master Sheffield. and the president
began:
Men Of Yale" he said. Il have
made In the last six months more
than 400 speeches, but none Of them
presented the difficulties OF -this-nc-
casion. II is easy to talk to your fell
low countrymen when you are trying
TO convince them OF something. but
II Is hard to talk to men you love
and to tell them In words of sufficient
emphasis and intensity how and why
you love them.
That's my present predicament. |
have a brothers affection for every
Yale man within sound OF my voice
and desire to express to them my
personal gratitude for their joining in
this occasion and for the expression
OF feeling which think Is feeling
OF affection for me.
AS I look back upon my life IL
seems to me that have been Yale
man from the time / first had con.
seriousness. From early youth have
been breathing =in=Yale= atmosphere
No one could live under the range OF
my fathers influence without being a
Yale man and understanding what
Yale man was. | have never been
anything but a Yale man, and what
success has come to me | attribute
most largely to the spirit OF Yale My
father, when he went TO Yale, had TO
walk all the way from Vermont and
back again. He didn't have such
thing as a dress suit up 10 the time OF
the senior commencement, when he
hired Baptist preacher TO make him
one. tell you these Incidents OF my
father TO show you the influences that
prevailed In our home. They were
Yale all the way through"
HURLEp TO GROUND; DIES.