The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1914-05-20
SPEAKS Of DYING
DEATH IN WAR OF SERVICE IS 4
GLORIOUS OFFERING.
wilson Makes GRAFTON

Standing at Biers of Youths Who
Have Given Their Lives at Their
Country's Can President Utters a
Nations Gratitude-Tmge Of Envy
Broods Over Heroic Dead.
Standing with barred head in the
inclosure at the Brooklyn navy yard
President Wilson Monday, before TO-
COS people who had massed their way
In to pay tribute to the bluejackets
and marines who gave up their lives
at their country's call, delivered this
address:
"Mr. Secretary: 7 know that the
feelings which characterize all who
stand about me, and the whole nation
at this hour, are not feelings which
can be expressed suitably in terms of
attempted oratory or eloquence.
They are things too deep for ordinary
speech. For my own part 7 have
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
vet there is mixed with that grief a
profound pride that they should have
gone as they did and, If I 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 men, officers and enlisted men
and marines, and suddenly there
swim 10 stars out Of the list, men
who have gone suddenly into the
armament OF memory, where we shall
always see their names shine; not be-
cause they called upon US to admire
them, but because they served US
without asking any questions and in
the performance Of duty, which is
laid upon us as we'll 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-
cause their 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 nation, to per-
form an unexpected duty. That IS
the way in which men grow distinc-
tive and that is the only way-by
serving some one 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 re-
membered? Does it not quicken your
pulse to think Of them? hope to
God none Of you may join the list,
but if you do you will join an i'm
mortal company.
$50 while you are profoundly sor-
rowful and while there goes out Of
our hearts very deep and affection
ate sympathy to friends and relatives
of these who for the rest of their lives
shall mourn them, though with a
touch of pride-we know why we do
not 60 away from this occasion cast
down, but with our heads lifted and
our eyes on the future of this coun-
try with absolute confidence of how
it will be worked out, not only the
more vague future Of this country,
but the immediate future.
1--WE have gone down to Mexico to
serve mankind, If We can find out the
way. We do not want to fight the
IMexicans; we want to serve the Mex
licans, If we can, because we know
how we would like to be freed and
|hoT we would like to be served II
There were friends standing by ready
to serve US.
"a var Of aggression is not war
IN which it is a proud thing to die;
but a war of service is a thing in
which it is a proud thing to die.
"Notice that these men were OF
our blood, men Of our American
blood, which is not drawn from any
lone country; which is not drawn from
any one language of the modern
world, but from everywhere people
have sent their brothers and their
daughters to this country in order to
make that great compounded nation,
which consists of all the sturdy e!e-
ments and all the best clements of the
whole globe.
Listen to this list with profound
interest at the mixture Of the names,
for the names bear the marks OF sew
eral national stocks from which these
men came; but they are not Irish
men nor Germans nor Frenchmen
nor Hebrews an! more. They were
not when they went to Vera Cruz.
They were Americans. every one OF
them, and were no different in thier
Americanism because OF tie stock
from which they came. Therefore
they were in a peculiar sense OF ou:
blood and they proved it by showing
that they we're OF our spirit, that no
matter what their derivation; no mat
ter where their fathers came from
they sought and wished and did the
things that were American, and the
flag under which they served was a
flag in which all the blood Of man
kind is united to make free nation.
"War, gentlemen, is only a sort OF
dramatic representation, a sort Of
dramatic smile Of thousand forms
- 1f T