Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1910-06-11
ROOSEVELT GIVES
OXFORD LECTURE
Emphasized the Need Of Curing
Political Ills.
RECEPTION IN TOWN HALL
Receives Honorary Degree Of Doctor
OF Civil Law Before Natoble As
semblage.

OF Civil Law before Natopie As'
semblase.
Former President Roosevelt was the
guest OF Oxford. England HeIielivered
the Romanes lecture at the University
OF Oxford. and the university con.
ferred upon him the honorary degree
of doctor OF civil law.
Colonel Roosevelt's subject wac
Biological Analogies of History" II
was heard by large audience Of noted
scholars. who applauded the lecturer
at many points.
The lecture and the conferment con-
stituted the great feature OF the day.
but It did not complete the program,
which was about as crowded as any
that the distinguished American has
undertaken In his European travels.
Colonel Roosevelt emphasized in his
lecture the need of curing the politi-
cal ills OF nations. and he touched
again on tho British control of Egypt.
This latter subject had been looked
for expectantly. but his remarks had
nothing Of the stirring tone that caus-
ed a sensation in the Guildhall au.
dience in London.
Drawing analogies from the biology
OF prehistoric ages he touched upon
the civilizations OF succeeding centur.
les. dwelling on the rise and fall Of
the Roman empire and the Dutch re.
public and the gflreatness of the Brit.
ish empire. Upon this historical basis
he built up warnings to the British
and American people.
The greatest enemies OF nations. he
declared. are those within. not those
without. II was thus that Rome fell.
and II was against luxuriousness and
evil within. he said. that England and
the United States must guard.
Free people can escape being mas
tered by Others" he asserted. only
by being able to master themselves"
Again he said:
Privilege should not be tolerated
because Il Is to the advantage OF a
minority, nor yet because Il is to the
advantage of a majority. No doctri
nairc theories Of vested rights or free
dom of contract can stand In the way
OF cutting out abuses from the body
polite"
or the Egyptian situation he said:
mo hard and fast rule can be
drawn as applying TO all alien races.
because they differ from one another
far more widely than they differ from
us. But there are one or two rules
which must not be forgotten. In the
long run there can be no justification
for one race managing or controlling
another unless the management and
control are exercised in the interes,
and for the benefit of that other race.
This Is what our people have In the
main done. and must continue in the
future In even greater degree to do. in
India. in Egypt and the Philippines
alike"
OF race suicide his most striking
declaration was:
"a most ominous sign Is the diml-
mutton In the birth rate now shared by
most OF the civilized nations of cen
trail and western Europe. of America
and Australia: a diminution so great
that II II continues for the next cen
tury for the rate which has obtained
for the last twenty-five years. all the
more highly civilized peoples will be
stationary or else have begun to go
backward in population. while many
OF them will have already gone very
far backward"