Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1915-05-11

| great crowd-thcre we're 90 900 in the hall
| from the moment he took his seat. He
| did not miss anything while Secretary of
| Labor Wilson was speaking. one of the
new citizens. who should have been in
| bed, but who had to listen with his pa
| rents to the cxhortatons Of the men in
black on the platform. began to cry. The
| baby's wall rose above the tide of human
ity like that of a lost soul, Mr.. Wilson
| shifted In his chair and then shook with
suppressed laughter. while the young per-
| son was carried out, still wailing.
HARMONIzES MUSICIANS.
Again he demonstrated his self-posses-
sion when the chorus of 1000 women,
banked on the stage behind him, sang the
"Star-Spangled Banner and got out Of
time with the Police Band. playing in
front IF him. The President, smiling,
tried to get the two together and began
to beat time with outstretChed arm. He
could not hope to get the rye OF the
chorus leader. 80 he waved and nodded
to the band leader, who replied with II
gesture of despair that it wasn't his fault,
but managed to drop a few notes, ut Mr..
Wilson'S heckoning, and so made up the
musical gap.
He delighted the two little Italian girls
who brought him flowers, When the
Mayor had made them sit in his big arm
chair the President walked over and
shook their hands with a few words and
the children sat there, with occasional
shy glances at the great men about them.
1t was only when the venerable chap
lain of the United States House of Rep
made the prayer that the
President sank into the posture of
deeply tired man, welcoming the rest of
putting his elbows on his knees and lean
inS his full weight on his hand. in the
most pronounced attitude of prayer of
any one on the stage.
When he rose to speak he tried in vain
to stem the tide of applause for several
minutes. He manifestly enjoyed the op-
portunity of speaking on a theme that
was fundamental to the great issues with
which he is now dealing. He was at his
best when he spoke of ideals. His face
glowed and he smiled as IL inspired when
he said
"a man does not go out to seek the
thing that Is not in him. A man does
not hope for the thing that he does not
believe in, and If some of us have for
gotten what America believed in. you,
at any rate, imported in your own hearts
a renewal of the belief.
THAT is the reason that /. for one,
make you welcome. II / have in any de-
gree forgotten what America was in
tended for. l will thank God II you
will remind me, was born in America
You dreamed dreams of what America
was TO be. and | hope you have brought
the dreams with you. No man who does
not see visions will ever realize any high
hope or undertake any high enterprise,
and just because you brought the dreams
with you, America Is more likely to real
iZe the dreams such as you brought. You
are enriching us II you come expecting us
to be better than we are. But see, my
friends, what that means. 1t means
that America must have a consciousness
different from the consciousness OF any
other nation of the world"
Mayor Blankenburgs speech appealed
to the sympathies of the audience even
more warmly than the Presidents, and
when he sat down Mr.. Wilson and Secre-
tary Daniels warmly shook his hand In
He expressed the beauty
of the homely virtues,
MY good old father" said the Mayor,
used to tell me to DO right and fear
and that was his advice to new
citizens. "Own yourself
Judge Joseph Burlington, who had ad-
minlstered the oath of allegiance to most
of the new citizens. advised them to
stand by the sehoOlteacher." He meant
that they should send their children to
school, but many persons thought he had
the President and his profession in mind
and a murmeT of appreciation arose,
which almost developed into cheers, but
Mr.. Wilson gave no sign that he saw any
In the reference.