The Washington herald., 1913-03-02
WILSON'S ADIEU
T00LD FRIENDS
FULL0FPAT
President-elect Plainly Affect
ed by Tribute Of Fellow
t0WnSmen.
GIVEN SILVER LOVING CUP
Says He will Miss Intimate Sense Of
Possession When He Enters
White House.
GIVEN SILVER LOVING CUP

Princeton, n. j.. March II hay
never been inside of the White House
and l shall feel very strange when I ge
inside. / shall think of this little hous
behind me, think how much more familia
1t is TO me, and of my many pleasant as
sociations here said President-elect vii
son, AS he stood on a soap box on III,
porch of his Cleveland Lane cottage to
night and addressed about 5000 of hi
Princeton neighbors. townsfolk and stu
dents.
There was a pathetic note in his words
and touch of sadness in his tones. TIL,
President-elect was plainly affected by
the tribute paid to him by his home town
He said he felt more a sense of possession
in his plain little cottage than he even
could feel in the beautiful home nc is tC
occupy in Washington. However. he
added. the task that lies before him will
be the more agreeable because | am try
ing to represent those who have So gra-
ciOusly trusted me-"
Mrs Wilson and Miss Jessie Wilson
watched the assembling of the crowd in
front of the little cottag" from a small
window in the second story. Mrs. Will
son rested her arms on the sill. while her
daughter leaned over her. There was a
delighted smile on the face of each of
them as the procession. led by a big brass
band. which had started on the main
street. came into sight. The band was
playing Hail to the Chief and each
marcher carried a lighted japanese lam
tern.
Present Loving Cup.
The effect was picturesque. Before
the procession came into view, how
ever, several hundred persons had
taken position on the lawn. They
were held back by Boy Scouts. who
held long sticks in semi-circle. The
boys were powerless to keep back the
larger crowd later They swept past
the boys and closed in about the cot
taGe. The President-elect appeared
Immediately. and mighty cheer went
UP.
Then came the speech of the even
ing. Postmaster Charles 5. Robinson.
a Republican. and \. 5. Leigh, an old
line Democrat. comprising a commit
tee, stepped up and presented to the
President a beautiful loving cup
of silver standing eighteen inches in
height and weighing eighty-nine
ounces. 1t bore the inscriptions:
presented to Woodrow Wilson,
President of the United States. by the
Citizens of Princeton. Fourth March,
1918. The reverse side bore the seal
of the old borough of Princeton.
Lieut.. Col. David NJ. Flynn. of the
Second Regiment. made the address Of
presentation. He said that the Presi-
dent elects neiGhbOrs were proud of
his successful career and splendid vic
tories.
Only Loaned to Nation
We have only loaned you TO the na-
uon.' he said. and when the great work
you have before you at Washington is
accomplished. il is our earnest hope that
you VIII come back 10 old Princeton and
spend your days with us"
There was another big cheer for the
President-elect, and he responded as fol-
lows:
col. Flynn and my felIow-citizens: /
1eel very deeplT complimented that YOU
should have gathered here tonight to
say Sood-by to me and to bid me God
speed / have felt very intimate
identification with this town. l suppose
that some of yoI think there is a sort of
disconnection between the university and
the town, and perhaps some of You sup
pose that il is only since | became Gov
ernor of this State that ! have been
keenly aware of the impulses which have
come out of the ranks of the citizens of
this place to touch me and inspire me
but that is not true. l think you will
bear me witness that I have had many
friends in this town ever since | came
here. and that one of the happiest ex-
periences | have had day by day has
been the grasp of the hand and the ia
miliar salutation which | have met at
every hand.
Il have always believed that the real
rootages of patriotism were local: that
they recorded in one conscious of an in
timate touch with persons who were
watching him. d knowledge of his char
acter.
Cannot Love tbstractIy.
You cannot love a country abstractly:
you have got to love it concretely. You
have got to know people in order TO love
them. You have got TO feel as they do in
order to have sympathy with them. And
any man would be very poor public
servant who did not regard himself as a
part of the public himself No man can
imagine how other people are thinking
He can know only by what is going on
in his own head; and if that head is not
connected by every thread of suggestion
with the heads of people about him he
cannot think as they think
L am turning away from this place in
body. but not in spirit. and I am doing
II with genuine sadness.
Il have never been inside of the White
House. and l shall feel very strange
when I get inside of it. / shall think
of this little house of mine and re-
member how much more familiar il is
than the other is likely to be, and how
much more intimate sense of possession
there must be in the one case than in |
the other. One cannot be neighbor to |
the whole United States I shall miss
my neighbors. l shall miss the daily
contact with the men I know and by |
whom / am known, and one of the hap-
piest things in my thoughts will be that |
your good wishes go with me. I shall |
always look at this beautiful CUP with
the greater pleasure because it reminds |
me of this occasion and of all that YOU |
have meant to be.
Overwhelmed by Handshakers
You have said very kind things about |
me, but no kinder than / could say |
about you. With your confidence and |
the confidence of men like you. the task |
that lies before me would be precious /
and agreeable. 1t will be a thing to be i
proud of, because l am trying to repre- |
sent those who have so graciously trust |
ed me-"
The band played America" and as the 1
crowd sang the anthem the President
elect Joined in with Il rich barytone. |
Then he undertook task that he was |
unable to carry out, that of shaking |
hands with all his old friends. There
was a stampede to get near him and
several times he was nearly pushed of
the soap box. After the handshaking
had continued for several minutes Col |
Flynn was obliged to call il of as a |
means of rescuing the President-elect /
from boeily injury. As a closing number /
he band played ',old Nassau" which the