The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1915-05-11

At sny rate. imported In your oen
hearts q renewal Of the belief. Tina
II the reason that I, FOR one, make
you welcome. II l have in any de-
gree foTgottei, what America was ir
tended for, will thank God IL YOU
will remind me I vas born in
America. You dreamed dreams OF
what America was to be, and | hope
you brought the dreams with YOU
No man that does not see visions will
ever realize any high hope or under
take any ldkh enterprise Just be-
cause YOU brought dreams with you
America IL more likely TO realize tn"
dreams such as YOU brought. You
are enrichlng us If YOU came expect
ing us to be better than we are.
See my friends. what that means!
Il means that Americans must have
q consciousness different from the con-
seriousness OF every other nation in the
world. | am not saying this with even
the slightest thought OF criticism of
other nations You know how II is with
q family. family gets conferred on
itself N IL is not careful. and is less
interested in the neiehbors than II liz
in it's own members. SO a nation that
is not constantly renewed out of new
sources is AFT to have the narrowness
and prejudice Of a family; whereas
AFNeDiVA TuuhA AhAH NpttFt'CS~f'N'.
that on all sides II touches elbows and
touches h>arts with all the nations OF
mankind. The example of America
must be a special example.
Peace tie EievntinE Influence.
The example of America must be the
example not merely of peace because II
will not fight, hut because peace lis the
healing and elevattng influence of the
world and strife is not. There Is such
thing as a man being too proud TO
light There is such a thing as ma
ton being 80 right that IT does not need
to convince others by force that 1t is
right. So II you come into this great
nation as you have come, voluntarily
seeking something that we have 10
give, all that we have to give is this
we cannot exempt you from work. No
man is exempt from work anywhere in
the world l sometimes think he is for
iunate II has to work only with his
hands. a. I with his head. 1t is
very easy 10 40 what other people give
you TO do. but it is very difficult to
give other people thingt to do.
Tile Spirit of Hope.
I'VE cannot exempt you from your
work. we cannot exempt won from the
strife and the heartbreaking burden
of the struggle of the day that is
common to mankind everywhere; we
cannot exempt you from the loads
that you must carry; We can only
make them light by the spirit in which
they are carried. That Ia the spirit
of hope, it is the spirit of liberty.
It Is the spirit of justice.
When I was asked. therefore. by
the mayor and the committee that
accompanied him. to come up from
Washington to meet this great com
pany of newly admitted citizens. I
could not decline the invitation, I
ought not to be away from Washing
ton. and vet ! feel that IL has re-
newed my spirits as an American. In
Washington men tell you so many
things every day that are not so. and
] like TO come and stand in the pres
ence of a great body of my fellow cit
liens, whether they have been my
fellow citizens a long time or short
time. and drink. as IL were. out OF
the common fountains with them, and
so back feeling that you have SO
generously given me the sense of your
support and of the living vitality in
your hearts. OF this great ideals which
made America the hope of the world -