Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1910-06-08

yersity conferred on him the honorary
degree of Doctor of Civil Law. The
lecture and conferment constituted the
big feature of the day but did not COM
nlete the program, which was about
az crowded as any that Mr.. Roosevelt
travels.
oxford was glad to see the former
President and made the fact known
First there was reception given by
the mayor of the corporation at the
Town hall. The auditorium was filed
N its limits, and when the guest APP
neared the audience joined in singing
rFor He's a Jolly Good Fellow
From the Town hall Mr.. Roosevelt
wade hurried visits to the leading col
,ao.e and TO other places of historic in
arrest He was entertained at lunch
.,f,arwards for the Sheldonian theater
eon by the American Club. leaving soon
for his lecture and the ceremonies that
added q d. c. l.. to the other honorary
,it,es that had been bestowed upon
him
Tho ROmanes lectureship at Oxford
wos named for George John Romanes,
who was born at Kingston. Canada,
Nav 20 1913, and died at oxford in
1904 He gained celebrity as Il natural
ist and Fullerian professor of physiol-
ogv at the Royal Institution.
Lord Curzon, chancellor of the uni
versity, presided at the exercises today.
Mr. Roosevelt's subject was "Biolo5l-
cal Analogies in History Mr.. Roose-
yelt's voice failed him after time and
he was obliged to leave unread the lat
Ter part of his lecture. He said:
'.Eome fell by attack from without,
only because the ills within her own
borders had grown incurable. what
is true OF your country, my hearers,
10 true of my own; while we should be
ypilant against foes from without. yet
We need never really fear them so long
as we safeguard ourselves against
Inc enemies within our own house
holds: and these enemies are our own
passions and follies. Free peoples can
escape being mastered by others only
by being able To master themselves.
We Americans. and you people of the
British Isles. alike, need ever To keep
in mind that, among the many qnali-
ties Indispensable to the success 81 a
great democracy amt Seconi Only 10
a high and stern sense OF duty, Oh
neral obligation, arr sell -knoWi+dse
and self mastery. You, my hosts. ana
NAV not agree in all our views;
some of Won would think me 4 very
radical democrat-as, fer the matter
of that, | am and my theory of mn
perialism would probably suit TN"
as little as it would
suit n certain type of forciblc feeble
imperialist. But there are some points
on which we must all agree IL we
think sOundly. The precise form OF
government, democratic or OTHERWISE
is the instrument, the tool. with whlcii
we work. II is important to nave
good tool. But, even if it is the best
possible it is only a tool. No ifnple-
ment can ever take the place OF the
guiding intelligence that Yields 1t. "A
very bad tool will ruin the work OF
the best craftsman; but good tooi
in bad hands is no better. In the
last analysis the all-important factor
in national greatness is national char
acter.
There are questions that we of the
great civilized nations are ever tempt
ed to ask of the future. Is our time
of growth drawing to an end? Are
we as nations soon to come under the
rule of that great law Of death which
is itself but part of the great law
of lifeo None can tell. Forces that
VIC can see and other forces that are
hidden or that can but dimly be APP
are at work all around us,
both for good and for evil The
growth in luxury, in love of ease, III
taste for vapid and frivolous excite
ment. is both evident and unhealthy.
The most ominous sign is the diminu-
ton in the birth-rate ana the rate
of natural increase. now TO Il iarser
or lesser degree shared by most or tile
civilized nations of central ana west
ern Europe. of America and Australia
n diminution so great that il 1t con-
Times for the next century at the rate
which has obtained for the last twen-
ty-flve wears. all the more highly CIV
ilized peoples will be stationary or else
have begun to go backward IN popu-
iation, while many of them VIII nave
already gone very far backward.
There is much that should give Us
concern for the future. But there Is
much also which should give us nope
No man is more apt to be MISTAKEN
than the prophet of evil. After 'ne
French Revolution in 1880. Medium
hazarded the guess that all civiiiza'
fion was about to go down with Il
crash, that we We're all about to snare
the fall of third and fourth century
Rome-a respectable but pam "iis
overworked comparison. The fea's
once expressed by the followers oi
of Nautilus as to the future Oh .ne
world have proved groundless as re-
CARDS the. civilized portion OF tth,
world; it is strange indeed to look pach
at Carlyle's prophecies of some seven :
ty years ago, and then think oil ,lle
teeming life of achievement the III.
of conquest of every kind. ana "'
noble effort crowned by success w,iio'
has been ours for the two gehela.i'i'.
since he complained to high heaNei
that all the tales had been 'oia ano
all the songs sung, and That all '''
deeds really worth doing had o'e'
done. believe with all my heart ma,
a great future remains for us on'
whether it does or does not. cur "l,s