The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-10-26

Philadelphia, October 25.-Congress
hall. in historic independence square,
where the Senate and House of Repre-
eentatives sat from 1890 to 1900. was
rededicated today with patriotic exer-
cfses, the occasion marking the COM
pletion of the restoration of the hall
to almost its original appearance. Pres
ident Wilson was the central figure in
the ceremonies and delivered a 20
minute address in which he harked back
to the early days of the republic and
contrated men and things of those
times with the present
President Wilson, who was accom-
panied from Washington by Secretaries
Wilson and Houston, Speaker Champ
Clark. Ambassador Jusserand of France
and a delegation of members of the
Senate and House was given an enthus-
iastic welcome.
Wilson Last Speaker
The President was the last speaker.
He sat In the high backed chair used by
John Hancock when he presided over
the Continental Congress. In front of
him was the fiat top desk at which
many signers of the declaration of in
dependence attached their signatures to
that immortal document.
There has come over me since I sat
down here sense of deep solemnity,"
seemed to me that l saw ghosts crowd
ing in, a great assemblage of spirits
no longer visible to US, but whose in
fluence we still feel as we feel the
moulding power of history itself.
Il feel today compulsion of men, a
compulsion of examples which were set
us in their place. And their examples
remind us not only of public service.
but of public service shot through with
principle and honor.
- can feel my own mind as happily
upon the circumstances of the reyolu-
tionary and constitutional period as you
cam the President continued, but ]
cannot feed my thoughts with them IN
Washington now because every day
problems arise which wear some new
aspect. 1 must fan back If 1 would serve
my conscience upon those things which
are fundamental, rather upon those
those things which are superficial i
ask myself this question: How are you
going to assist in some small part to
give the American people, and by ex-
ample, the peoples of the world, more
advantage, more liberty, more happi-
ness, more substantial prosperity, and
how are you going to make that pros
perity common heritage, instead of
self-possession?'
Had Great Advantage
celebrate had a very great advantage
over us in this one particular: Life
was simple in America then. Our task
is very much more difficult.
1.-THE city of Washington is in some
respects self-contained. 1t is easy there
to forget what the rest of the United
states is thinking about. / count it a
Fortunate circumstance that almost all
the windows of the White House and
its offices open upon unoccupied spaces
that stretch to the banks of the Po-
tomac. and then out into Virginia and
into the heavens themselves. AS I sit
there ] can constantly forget Washing
ton and remember the United States.
Not that l would intimate that all of the
United States lies south of Washing
ton, but there is serious thing back
of my thought. If you think too much
about being reelected it is very diff
cult to be worth re-electing."
Concluding, the President said my
theme here today, my only thought, is
very simple one. Do not let us go
back to the annals of those sessions of