The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1912-12-07
ADDRESS TO Mr.. HILL
PRESENTED BY THE FACULTY
AND STUDENTS or ST. PAUL
SEMINARY.
Esteemed Founder:

Esteemed Founder:
Few cities in this Union have, in
the course of their history, witnessed
a manifestation of gratitude as sim
cere and impressive as the one which
st. Paul beheld not many weeks ago.
It's most spacious building proved too
small to accommodate the hundreds
DESTROYS of honoring him whom it is
our signal privilege to greet this even
ing. Not unfrequently men rise to
eminence and attain prestige in their
own immediate circle; they may WELD
power over the members of the same
religious body or social group; but few
are endowed with the qualities which
compel universal esteem and admira-
ton, few serve their fellows with an
intelligence and generosity capable
of winning the gratitude Of all
classes, irrespective of creed or race.
With such towering personalities, how
ever, we of st. Paul are blessed.
Providence has dealt generously with
Minnesota!
Hence, it was fitting that your sew
enty-fifth birthday, Honorable Sir,
should be thus celebrated by the
spontaneous and enthusiastic gather
ing of these twelve hundred repre-
sentatives of millions of our fellow
citizens. From distant cities, country
towns and villages they FASTENED
hither There were farmers, artisans
and business men, teachers, church
men and public officials. Many of
them you had never addressed nor
seen, but some of them had witnessed
and all had read or heard of the mar
velous development of this Western
empire, and at every turn they had
met with evidences of your foresight,
your spirit of initiative and your de-
termination.
How could one forget, for example,
that as late as 1875 General w. B.
Hazen, then in charge of the Depart
ment of the Dakotas, officially de-
clared that it was impossible for a
white man to live in the country west
of the one hundredth degree of longi-
tude. And, still, man, undaunted by
that which for others spells the i'm
possible, decided to transform this
wilderness into home of plenty and
had the audacity Immediately to lay
the foundation for it by constructing
a transcontinental road to the Pacific.
For the least experienced know that
the rise and scientific development of
the transportation system is the one
indispensable condition for the devel-
opment of this vast territory which
constitutes one of the largest, most
compact and most productive regions
of the world.
An Empire Builder.
The Importance of that undertaking
could not possibly be exaggerated. We
fully agree with you, Honorable Sir,
when you say that the development of
the Northwest, though occupying the
space of but single lifetime, has af-
fected the past profoundly and will
influence the future more widely than
many events of greater historic
celebrity. For it has stimulated and
financed immigration. It has supplied
a large share Of the worlds food. It
has given homes to an army of
workers who began with little or no
capital. It has revolutionized some
industries and created others. 1t has
opened opportunities for the increase
Of wealth and for human progress;
and all this, you hope, it will continue
RI 10 in on ircroo ciu0 mao euro with
every generation.
Entertaining such high conception
Of the role that this part of the Ameri-
can Continent can play in the future
history of mankind, you have, with the
conviction and earnestness of an
apostle, expounded to the people the
ways and means which alone can
secure realization of that glorious
destiny. Thus, you were the first to
call the attention of the country to
the absolute necessity of a policy of
conservation of natural resources, re-
minding us that nation is, above all,
a trustee for posterity. You have
never ceased to emphasize that agri-
culture, conducted according to a
painstaking and scientific method, is
the indispensable basis of sound ma
tional development You have taught
Americans to look upon both drainage
and irrigation as part Of the great
national conservation plan. You have
directed the attention of legislators to
the proper method of extending and
improving our waterways. You have
frequently pointed out the neglected
opportunities in the development of
commerce. Against the attacks of
ill-informed theorizers and of biased
politicians, you have always advocated
and defended trade with the Orient as
one Of the most important elements In
our national prosperity. Finally, I'M
der your experienced and intelligent
leadership, during the last thirty
years, the efficiency of transportation