The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1914-05-15
WILSON'S NOBLE
AND PATRIOTIC WORDS


Following is the speech in full OF
President Wilson at the burial OF the
Vera Cruz dead:
know that the feelings which
characterize all who stand about me
and the whole nation at this hour
are not feelings which can be ex-
pressed suitably in terms OF
oratory or eloauence They are
feelings too deep for ordinary
speech. For my own part / have a
singular mixture OF feelings. The
feeling that is uppermost is one of
profound grief that these lads should
have had to go to their death And
yet there is mixed with that grief a
profound pride that they should
have gone as they did, If / may say
1t out Of my heart, a touch of envy
OF those who were permitted so
quietly, so nobly, to do their duty.
Have you thought of it, men,
here is the roster of the navy, the
list of the men, officers, and enlisted
men and marines, and suddenly
there swim nineteen of the stars out
OF the list, men who have gone sud
denly into the armament OF memory,
where we shall always see their
names shine; not because they call
ed upon us to admire them, but be-
cause they served us without asking
any questions and in the perform
ance of duty, which is laid upon us,
as well as upon them.
Duty is not an uncommon thing,
gentlemen. Men are performing it
In ordinary walks of life all around
US all the time and make great sacri-
fees to perform it. What gives men
like these peculiar attention? Not
because they did their duty, but be-
canse duty had nothing to do with
them or their own personal and
particular interests. They did not
give their lives for themselves; they
gave their lives for US, because we
called upon them, as a nation, to
perform an unexpected duty. That
is the way in which men grow dis
tinctive, and that is the only way
by serving someone else than them
selves. And what greater thing
could you serve than nation such
as this we love and are proud of?
Are you sorry for these lads?
Are you sorry for the way they will
be remembered; does it not quicken
your pulse to think of them? II
hope to God none of you may join
the list, but If you do you will join
an immortal company.
SO while you are profoundly sor-
rowful, and while there goes out of
your hearts very deep and affec-
Tomato sympathy to friends and rel
atives of these who for the rest of
their lives shall mourn them, though
with touch of pride-we know why
We do not go away from this occas-
ion cast down, but with our heads
lifted and our eyes on the future of
this country, with absolute conf
dence of how it will be worked out;
not only the more vague future of
this country, but the immediate flu
ture
We have gone down to Mexico to
serve mankind, if We can find out
the way. We do not want to fight
the Mexicans: We want to serve the
Mexicans. il we can, because we
know how We would like to be freed
and how We would like to be served
IL there were friends standing by
ready to serve us.
A war of aggression is not war
in which it Is proud thing to die,
but war of service is a war in
which 1t is proud thing to die.
Notice that these men were OF our
own blood, men of our American
blood which is not drawn from any
one country; which is not drawn
from any one stock; which is not
drawn from any one language of the
modern world, but from every
where people have sent their sons,
their brothers and heir daughters
to this country in order to make that
great compounded nation, which
consists of all the sturdy elements
and all the best elements of all the
whole globe.
Listen to this list with a pro-
found interest at the mixture of the
names bear the marks of several ma
fional stocks from which these men
came; but they are rot Irishmen:
nor Germans, nor Frenchmen, nor
Hebrews any more. They were not
when they went to Vera Cruz. They