Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1915-06-14
HEART OF AMERICA
WILL YET INTERPRET
WORLD'S"-PRESTDENT
Nations Head, in Flag
Day Address at Capital,
Declares Such Is the
Great Mission of This
Country.

WASHINGTON, June 1.-THE heart OF
America will yet interpret the heart of
the world!'
That will be the mission of this nation,
in the opinion of President Wilson, II the
people OF the country are true to its great
traditions. He 50 told crowd of nearly
5000 persons, assembled on the south front
of tho Treasury Building at noon today, in
discussing Flag Day and the traditions
for which the flag stands.
The setting for the address was inspir-
ing. Stretching in front of him was the
greensward of Potomac Park. In the dis
tance the great bulk of the Washington
monument stretched dark shadow across
the sky. from which a scorching summer
sun threw everything into bold relief
On the fag-bedecked speakers stand sat
the new Premier of the Administration,
Acting Secretary Robert Lansing, and
Secretary of the Navy Daniels, while the
President was introduced by Secretary
McAdoo.
For nearly a minute after President
Wilson was introduced the crowd ap-
plauded, and 1t was only after he had
motioned for silence several times that he
was able to make himself heard, He made
no direct reference to the stirring days of
the last week, although many interpreted
the general tone when he appealed to
every one to realize that the great mass
Of the people are not those who get their
names in the newspapers and in his
statement that in the list Of those who
made the flag impossible there was not a
single swashbuckler, as his explanation
of why he has not made any public COM
ment on the events that led to the first
break in his Cabinet.
''I know of nothing more difficult than
TO render an adequate tribute to the enl-
blem of our nation" said the President
in opening his address. "Those of us
who have felt the beat of the pulse of
the nation and who have known of its as
piratiOns must realize the impossibility
of truly expressing the great things that
II represents When we stop to analyze
It we must realize what the flag repre-
sents is not mere body OF vague senti-
ments or OF rhetorical sentiments that
are contained in declarations of inde-
pendence and bills OF rights.
THE things that the flag stands for
were created by the experiences of a
great people. Everything that 1t stands
for was written by their lives,
THE flag is the embodiment not of
sentiment. but of history. II represents
the experience OF men and women, the
experiences of those who did and now
live under that flag.
You do not create national life by
literary expositions, but by the daily en-
deavor OF a great people, living up to
their standard of honesty and Just con-
duct.
I'VE are assembled here today to pay
our tribute to the great men who have
created the experiences that have made
this nation what It is. These men are
known to all the world. They included
statesmen, soldiers, merchants, men of
letters. They have shown us the way
They were not afraid to lead. They were
not afraid 10 go ahead
There was not a single swashbuckler
among them. They were all men of
sober, quiet thought, whose actions were
the more effective because there was no
bluster in them.
These men who made possible the cele-
bration we are participating in today had
no thought OF self-aggrandizement but
only OF their duty.