The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1909-02-22
THE SONS OF
 REVOLUTION
 CELEBRATE Birthday of Father of His Country Honored in Feast, Speech and
 Song. Distinguished Speakers Dis cuss Phases of the Hero's Career and Accomplish
 ments.

I oOO M CCtA SAC 1 Ct1OC DCCC ! Criticises LiWing-Roose- welt Gets Jab-Presiden1
 Curtis Remarks on State
 of Organization.
 The twentieth annual banquet of the
 Connecticut Society, Sons of the Am
 erican Revolution, was held this af ternoon at the Stratfield. Three-hun- dred covers were laid. The affair was
 in every respect the success it was in-
 tended to be, except for a single dis ] Frank D. Brandegee who was expect
 ed sent telegram excusing himself.
 His message to the society says that l his absence is due to filibuster in 1 the Senate which is holding night ses- sions; that there are twelve appro- l priation bills to pass and only F days 1 in which to do it: that he is expecting l the Appalachian White Mountain For 1 est Reservation bill, which he must be
 in the Senate to receive, and that he | cannot possibly leave Washington un- 1 til after March A.
 | Lewis B. Curtis, president of the so- | ciety, presided as toastmaster. Among
 the speakers were Henry Lee, mayor: l Hon. Henry Stockbridge, president of General National Society, Sons of the
 American Revolution; Hon. Cornelius A. Pugsley, president Empire Stare l Society. s. A. R.; Hon, Job E. Hedges, 1 New York, who spoke upon Washing ton, a Guide for To-day and Rev. Watson L. Phillips, D. D., chaplain l n rd TJo ven, whose topic was, '1775-19O9." President Curtis, before introducing the speakers, made some interesting
 remarks upon matters of interest to the society.
 Speaking of the purpose of the so- DO Beach in Westport, commemorate
 ing Gen. Tryon's raid on Danbury, he said that plans for the memorial have been drawn by .Mr. Neihouse, designer of the Mckinley monument at Canton, Ohio, who stands among the first Ann
 erican sculptors. The plans are not yet completed but show great prom ise of being satisfactory.
 The society, according to the presi- dent has increased ten per cent. or 100 members, during the year.
 MT. Curtis expressed the opinion that there are 10000 men in the state eligi- ble to membership.
 IL toin problem, saying that in the past eight years there have come to this country 6,00O, 900 people, or as many as the entire population of the country at the time of the Revolutionary war.
 Here in New England,'' he said, four descent is direct from the Pill grim fathers. But in many cities of the country man who can show this descent is already a rarity
 "I am," said MT. Curtis, remind ed of the lady, who, when asked if her ancestors came over in the Mayffower, replied, Mo- I think they came on the Cunard line. ''
 t.TIow valuable then'' continued MT. 1 Curtis, should be our records of Rev olutionary descent. How much would | any of us give for an accurate record l filed by our ancestors a hundred years l ago. They would be invaluable. It would be worth much more than the | have the privilege of filing our descent l among the records of the society, to be l handed down to posterity."
 MT. Curtis was much applauded.
 Tn introducing General Stockbridge, | Mr. Curtis remarked upon the fact that | the General is not only from Mary | land and a judge of the Supreme Court of Maryland, but from the same state which gave President Warfield | to the National Society, who was af- terward chosen Governor of Maryland.
 General Stockbridge spoke to the top ic "Washington's Farewell Address"
 Of MT. Pugsley, Mr. Curtis said, that he was an ex-president of the National Society, president if one of the largest banks in New York and of the Empire State Society.
 MT. Hedges was made known as the former secretary to Mayor Strong and the man ''who probably had more to
 IT hos iy, l his present position than any other man in New York.
 The remarks of pr. Phillips, were in part as followS:
 ssMy theme is pertinent here be- cause you gladly and reverently link are the men by birth and training call- ed to be and to act in 1909.
 snThe men of '76 are illustriouS be- ,ause they grappled the problems of heir time on the plane of lofty pur- pose and heroic endeavor. They were patriots! Yet there is a sense in which we cannot speak of their deeds as the expression of patriotism. They had 10 national past to revere, no real yor ernnent to defend, no ruler com handing their loyalty. There was group of unrelated colonies. The world al patriotism of the hour was found n the attitude of the tories.
 "But they had something better 1 han technical patriotism. They were ,atriots in the higher sense, loyal to heir own ideals, obedient to their vis- on of what might be; they were fight ng to establish something better than what had been.
 '"That patriotism is always above nere loyalty to traditions, or thrones, r dynasties, or even written constltu- l ions: it is the expression of mans ! oyalty to himself and to everlasting I ruth: it has vision and faith and inn I gination. / That is the sort of patriotism to < which 1776 calls 1909, the patriotism f ideals, winch bases itself on inspired manhood The best service we can ender the republic is to give her