The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1910-12-15
APPLIED ETHICS.
The Subject of Col. Reoseyelt's
Nobel Lecture.
HeSpeaks in Praise of Carnegie's
Peace Endowment.

OHei roosevelt IOucIl6u aOll CltS
building of the Panama canal, the
progress of conservation and the
movement toward a general peace as
typified by the recent fisheries decision
at The Hague.
The Nobel lecture in Harvard is
provided by a fund given by Mrs. Will
lam 3. Nobel, in memory of her hus-
band, an Episcopal clergyman, and is
for the benefit of the students and the
faculty. Colonel Roosevelt's visit to
Massachusetts was expressly for the
lecture
Just before going onto the lecture
platform Colonel Roosevelt learned of
the Carnegie peace foundation fund
He hailed the announcement with de-
light and was especially pleased with
the selection of Senator F,lihu Root as
the permanent representative OF the
United Sizes at The Hague
Toward the end of his lecture he
referred to the gift as providing the
means of making real progress in
bringing about the results which Mr..
Carnegie desires to achieve"
HE is entitled to the hearty praise
OF all good citizens here" said Colonel
Roosevelt, land of all patriots in all
countries"
but remember he said, warning
Iy, that the ultimate worth depends
on the good practical sense, the judg-
ment and ability of the men who, adj
ministering the fund. succeed in trans
lating the theory into action"
This translation of the moral the
what he termed applied morality,
he sought to illustrate by the Panama
canal, under TIE direction of Colonel
Goethals: conservation as eXemplif1ed
by the labors of Garfield and P1nchot,
and the peace movement as furthered
by John Hay and Elihu Root.
He favored the fortification of the
canal and of a larger navy as the best
guarantee of peace.
The COlonel's Address.
In his address the colonel said in
part:
FOR instance, it is greatly to the
credit of any nation, of any govern
ment, when it performs some vast I'M
dertaking which will last for many
centuries and which adds perceptibly
to the sum of achievements of man
kind. Such an undertaking is the
Panama canal. Last spring when in
Europe, was struck by the fact that
every statesman 1 met deemed two
acts of the American people during the
past decade pre-eminently worth not
ing. these two being the voyage of the
battleship fleet around the world and
the business-like efficiency with which
we were doing the work of the Pan
anna canal
Now, our own people have largely
been ignorant Of the really wonderful
work that has been done on that canal.
No men in our history, save only some
of the men engaged in the great wars
which founded and perpetuated this
nation. have such a claim on the graft
tude of the nation as those who have
done such efficient work on the Pana-
ma canal.
THAT work represents one of our
greatest national assets, one of the
greatest feats to be credited to our ma
ton throughout our entire history.
r1q hoy
spent, and yet there is practically no
faint of corruption in connection with
spending them.
VERY, very few private business con-
Germs, no matter how well administer
ed can show such a high standard of
probity and efficiency as has obtained
among the men doing the work on the
Panama canal
MANY men have rendered high and
honorable service to the United States
in connection with the work of the
Panama canal, but by far the greatest
and most important work has been
that rendered by Colonel Cocktails. 1t
is to him more than to any other one
man that we owe the successful ac-
complishment of one of the great bust
ness and engineering feats of all the
ages. Il -l.-
Conservation Question.
Again. take the question of conser-
walton of our natural resources, of
preserving our forests, our water sup
ply, our soil and not only of preserv-
ing them. but of seeing that they are
preserved for the use of our people as
whole and not exploited merely for
the benefit of a few people of great
wealth. 1t is by no means difficult to
make speeches and deliver lectures OF
that subject. nor to hold conventions in
it's favor and applaud declarations in
favor of conservation.
But as socn as men in actual prac-
tical work begin to apply the doctrine,
they meet with all kinds of difficulties,
they are brought face to face with all
kinds of selfish interests and they are
exposed also to the even greater dan
ger of being misunderstood by honest
men.
Those who actually do the work Of
conservation have, therefore, peculi9 r
claim upon US. While I was president.
there were no two men to whom / felt
l owed more, from the standpoint Of
the public service, than Messrs. Gar
field and Pinchot, for the work they
cid in connection with conservation
Their work was done not only with
zeal and disinterestedness but with the
utmost efficiency. They actually put
| into practice as working principles the
theories which, a great many men, in
| Guiding myself for instance, thorough
| ~ approve, but which were reduced to
action in satisfactory shape for the
| first time by these two men.
International Peace.
Let me take one more illustration.
For over half a century there have been
repeated and organized efforts to fur
Their the cause of international peace.
| Great peace meetings have been held
again and again in country after coun-
try. Now. real good has been accom-
| plished at some of these peace meet
ings; they have some times resulted
/ in furthering the cause of peace.
For instance, it was a fine thing to
estab lish The Hague court; but having
| been established, the court was never
used, for it was found to be infinitely
easier to pass lofty resolutions as to
| it's existence than actually to get any
| power, any nation, under any circum-
/ stances to try to take advantage of =.
! The court would, in actual fact, never
| have come into existence, its memory
would have vanished if it had not been
Ic,la1 1af