The Montgomery tribune., 1910-04-29


er as we'll as q scholar.
Individual Citizenship.
To-day, shall speak to you on the
subject of individual citizenship, the
one subject of vital Importance to
you, my hearers, and to me and my
countrymen, because you and we are
citizens Of great, democratic republics.
A democratic republic such as each
of ours--an effort to realize in it's full
sense, government by, of and for the
people-represent the most gigantic
OF all possible social experiments, the
one fraught with the greatest posi-
bilities alike for good and for evil.
The success Of republicans like yours
and like ours means the glory, and
our failure the despair, of mankind !;
and for you and for us the question
of the quality Of the Individual citi-
ben Is supreme.
Lauds GalIantry Of French.
France has taugh many lessons to
other nations; surely one of the most
important is the lesson he whole his
tory teaches, that high artistic and
literary development Is compatible
with notable leadership in arms and
statecraft. The brilliant gallantry of
the French soldier has for many CEN
turtles been proverbial; and during
these same centuries at every court
In Europe the Free Masons of Fash.
ion" have treated the French tongue
as their common speech; while every
artist and man of letters, and every
man of science able to appreciate that
marvellous instrument of precision,
French prose, has turned towards
France for aid and inspiration. How
long the leadership in arms and let
ters has lasted is curiously illustrat-
ed by the fact that the earliest mas
terpiece- in modern tongue is the splen-
did French epic which tells of Ro-
lands doom and the vengeance of
Charlemagne when the lords of the
Frankish host were stricken at Ron
cesvelles.
Mans Force and Courage.
Let those who have, keep, let those
who have not, strive to attain, high
standard of cultivation and scholar
ship. Yet, let us remember that these
stand second to certain other things.
There Is need Of sound body, and
even more need of sound mind. But
above mind and above body stands
character, the sum of those qualities
which we mean when we speak of a
mans force and courage, of his good
faith and sense of honor. believe in
exercise of the body, always provided
that we keep In mind that physical
development Is q means and not an
end. l believe, of course, in giving to
all the people good education. But
the education must contain much be-
sides book learning in order to be
really good. We must ever remem-
ber that no keenness, and subtleness
of intelligence, no polish, no clever
ness in any way make up for the lack
of the great solid qualities. Self re-
straint, self mastery, common sense,
the power of accepting individual re-
sponsibility and yet, of acting in con-
junction with others, courage and res
olution-these are the qualities which
make a masterful people. Without
them no people can contol itself, or
save itself, from being controlled from
the outside. l speak to brilliant as
semblage; l speak in great univer-
sity which represents the flower of
the highest intellectual development;
pay all homage to intellect, and to
elaborate and specialize training of
the intellect; and yet know / shall
have the assent of all you present
when add that more important still
are the common plans. everyday quail
ties and virtues.
"ls Right to PrevaiI?"
In the next place, the good man
should be both strong and brave
man; that is, he should be able to
fight. he should be able to serve his
country as soldier if the need arises.
There are well meaning philosophers
who declaim against the unrighteous-
ness of war. They are right. only
they lay all their emphasis upon the
unrighteousness. War is a dreadful
thing, and unjust war is a crime
against humanity. But 1t is such a
crime because it is unjust, not because
1t Is war. The choice must ever be In
favor of righteousness, and this wheth-
er the alternative be peace or wheth-
er the alternative be war. The ques-
tion must be. is the right to prevail? {?
Finally, even more important than
ity to work, even more important than
ability to fight at need, is to remember
that the chief Of blessings for any ma
tion is that 1t shall leave its seed TO
inherit the land. 1t was the crown of
blessings in Biblican times; and 1t is
the crown of blessing now. The
greatest of all curses. Is the curse of
sterility, and the severest of all con-
demnations should be that visited
upon wilful sterility. The first essen
tial, In any civilization Is that the
man and woman shall be father and