Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1912-10-12
TAFT IS WELCOMED TO WOODSTOCK
The President and Party Greeted by Hundreds Citizens and
School ChIdren-A Brief Speech and Luncheon at
Woodstock Inn - President Monroes Visit in 1917

her history, entertained the head ni
the nation on Tuesday. and gave
President William Howard Taft q
very cordial greeting when he stop
ped here for an hour or two on his
tour through Vermont and New
Hampshire Flags and bunting
were displayed on many stores and
private residences; the decorations
gave holiday air to the village, and
in front of the Woodstock Inn. where
stand had been erected, were gath
cred 600 or 700 people, including
nearly 800 school children, each
carrying tiny flag
The party left Rutland at Ii As,
reacaing here about two hours late-
behind schedule time on account of
frequent stops to allow the President
to speak to school children and other
assembldges on the way. Later, and
unofficially,th the presidential chauffeur
spoke hotly of the excessive grades
in this section Of the Union.
In the Presidents car were Mrs.
Taft and Miss Mabel Boardman, Major
H. L. Rhoads, the Presidents aide and
physician; in another car were four
secret service men, and baggage
car followed.
The ladies of the party, Mrs. Taft
and Miss Mabel Boardman, were en-
lertained by Judge and Mrs w. b.
Sanders-of Cleveland, friends of the
President and Mrs Taft, who have
had the Warder house this season
The party stopped there on en-
tering the village, the President then
coming to the Inn preceded by a
detail from Company G under COM
mapd of Sergeant r w. Boyce, the
militiamen lining up on both sides
of the walk at the entrance, where
they were stationed until the party
left for Montpelier Company @ was
on hand to render a salute, though
possibly the Juveniles forgot it in
their eagerness and excitement
The President was received with
cheers and waving of flags as he en-
tered the stand from which he spoke,
and though not unused to such de-
monstrations he seemed genuinely
pleased at the welcome The chill
dren sang two verses of America
with much fervor, especially the
very small ones, and Hon. William
E. johnson introduced the distin-
guished guest. Ladies and gentle
men your President. he said briefly,
and President Taft spoke us follows:
PRESIDENT TAFT's ADDRESS.
First, L want to address the dear
little children. All this morning
coming down the valley at each
schoolhouse ten or dozen or fifteen
or twenty children came out TO vel
come me and | enjoyed seeing them
very much, and somehow or other !
thought they liked to see me. DO
you think they did children (chorus)
Yes" DO you like to see me ?
Chorus Yes" You know !
believe could tell you why. You
know am President of the United
States and you love your country
and the man who is President for
the time-beiDg represents the whole
country, doesn't he ?" (chorus J
Yes / think he does. Do you
study pretty hard, children? Are
you going to grow up to be good
citizens--are you2 (chorns i" Yes"
And some of You to be voters, or
are all of you TO be voters? Well, /
don't know. ! guess you will have to
get ready, all of you, to be voters,
and you must study hard and play
hard and become good citizens.
If you become good vermonters you
will be certain to become good citi-
zens, as all Vermonters are good
citizens.
And now ladies and gentlemen of
Woodstock, it is a great pleasure to
be here A great pleasure to meet
Vermont people. claim to be a
a vermonter in origin myself. At
least my father was born in Vermont
and always prided himself on having
been born there. My grandfather
was born in Massachusetts, but he
lived here fifty or sixty or seventy
years of his life and then, having
acquired that perpetual youth that