Arizona republican., 1910-06-08
ROOSEVELT
 AT OXFORD Ills Lecture OR Biological AnaIOgies In History COLONEL IS NOW < J. [. l..
It Was Predicted That He Would Not Long Remain a Private Citizen-Ox- ford Had Witnessed No Similar Scene Recently.

oxford. June I.-Oxford today con ferred upon Theodore Roosevelt the honorary degree of doctor Of civil law. The ceremony took place in the Shel- donian theater where for three cen turies and more il has been the custom To hold the exercises. the annual com memoration of the founders, and other official assemblies. but MT. Roosevelts 8 reception surpassed in enthusiasm anything within the memory of the oldest OXonian.
 lis "Romanes" lecture which dealt with biological analogies in history proved to be a powerful exposition Of all the strange analogies" as the lee turer himself expressed 1t.
 Toward the close MT. Roosevelt's voice failed and he was obliged to leave undelivered a portion of his pre- pared lecture But before he with drew from the platform he had won the great audience in the theater by his vigorous utterances and forceful ges- lures. being cheered repeatedly.
 Even the usually solemn redrobed dons were carried away and stood up and Joined in the loud-iunged hurrahs of the younger element.
 Lord Curzon. of Keddleston, chan cenor of oxford. in introducing the new created doctor of civil law. who appeared for the first time in the red robes of the doctorate. spoke of Mir. Roosevelt as "a ruler of men-the most conspicuous figure in America since Abraham Lincoln"
 After touching on the former presi- dents many achievements. the chan cellor said: Although he is now talk ing a holiday. it is undreamable that such a man will long remain out of public life
 Colonel Roosevelt said:
 Rome fell by attack from without only because the ills within her own borders had grown incurable. What is true of your country, my hearers. is true of my own; while we should be Vigilant against foes from without. yet We need never really fear them so long as We safeguard ourselves against the enemies within our own households; and these enemies are our own pas sionS 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 quail ties indispensable to the success Of great democracy, and second only to high and stern sense of duty. of moral obligation, are self-knOwledge and self mastery You, my hosts, and l may not agree in all our views; some of you would think me very radical democrat-as. for the matter of that. ! am: and my story of imperialism would probably suit the antiimperial- ists as little as 1t would suit d certain type of forcible- feeble imperialist. But there are some points on which we must all agree if We think soundly. The precise form of government, dem ocratic or otherwise, is the instrument. the tool. with which we work. IL is important to have a good tool. But. even if it is the best possible it is only tool. No implement can ever take the place of the guiding intelligence that wields it. A very bad tool will ruin the work of the best craftsman; but a good tool in bad hands is no better In the last analysis the all-
  is national character.
 WHAT OF THE FUTURE.
 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 lifec None can tell. Forces that we can see and other forces that are hid den or that can but dimly be appre- hended are at work all around us, both l for good and for evil. The growth in 1 luxury. in love of ease. in taste for | vapid and frivolous excitement. is both | evident and unhealth. The most omin- i ous sign is the diminution in the birth | rate, and the rate of natural increase, now to a larger or lesser degree | shared by most of the civilized nations ! Of central and western Europe. of ! America and Australia: diminution so | great that if it continues for the next l century at 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.
 There is much that should give us | concern for the future. But there is much also which should give us hope l No man is more apt to be mistaken | than the prophet of evil.