The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1918-09-24
BRITISH TRIBUTE TO
WORK OF DR.. PAGE
rarrueiI Address To Retiring Nricri-
can Ambassador Recognizes ih-
portanee Of His Efforts
During War.

During War.
London Sept 23.-The high esteem
In which the retiring Arhef ian e.
hassador Or. waiter hlhss
hels In Great Britain found warm eA-
rrassion In the farewell address pre-.
se,tad him along with gold vase OF
tne George " period At II BelgraNe
Square.
rso ALLEGATION which waited on
r..n represented the Anglo
.n,.rtcan society. the committee Oh
anaseuent of the BelgraNe Manor
- pritish American Peace confer
200 cor, rntttee. and consisted OF lnFa
u-.araa,e yiscount Bryce, Sir Nlihaih
M,,her Sir Robert Hadheld, SIT ~.
.,-,or firth. Sir Harry Rrittain ahd
Mr.. Robert Donald
T-he address expressed the Iegf+
-, the representative OF the hfltlSH
.oc;etfes for promotion al NHEi'7
.,,erican friendship at tho am haSsa-
49, retirement after his strenuous
very during the four years 81 "ottd
war for bringing together Inc W.
.~ea, nations as one English-speaNtt
renple in a common aim 10 oete", ~
ionr premeditatsd aggression OF Nt'
law against the peace OF the N"ft@-
'Ne nave U9fD RiFhS@'''''s'
continued the address. by your whoie-
hearted syrn pathv with the Bfr1EH
rorernment and people from the Gay
~, the German armies regardless
~ treaties. suddenly attacked Belgium
with a -uthlessness unprecedented IA
the history of Europe. You ioreSaW
ma. the liberties of mankind were N
Great danger. and from that hour you
Iabored with great wisdom ana an W.
Outstanding of the real motives OF bte
arrressor to represent 10 the tNi'eil
can government and people inc INA
rrinent peril, which threatened ann.
American and British INSTITUTIONS y,
rrar6on, Your efforts have resulted
:. ,,ri,,rr our two peoples In the glo-
r,ous purpose OF making the "ho!e
-.~,a safe for democracy,' tho bed
10y an which our prosperity ana
..r nrorrsss towards happiness haNE
been based Your eloquenee anu nm
t,yinr zeal have inspired ana aeehtS
moved the English people, Whii" YOU
nave represented to your own couh~
trvmen the lofty spirit in which Eng
land. risking her own existence, 5oi''eo
her allies to save CIVILIZATION from
the domination of despotism supported
by military force.
won have secured the continued
existence OF otJiltt' ~
nv vour efforts 10 create an indissoiu~
hie union between England with her
sister nations and America.
''Be assured" the address went on,
"of the lasting gratitude Of the BRUSH
people throughout the world Tor inc
mobile work YOU have done Tor us.
work which will be appreciated more
ana more az the world settles down
safely in possession Of the liberties
and institutions. which shall hrthE
peace and goodwill between NATIONS
for eyernore
bannv influence and cooperation Of
your gracious wife, who has devotedIy
encouraged YOU in the performance
Of the great services through which
Won have become enshrined in the
hearts of old England.
DR.. Page replied in a few simple
words He said that the great force
behind public events was so enormous
that very few individuals ever really
affected them. Il have had Simply
the good fortune to be placed IN inns
rather conspicuous and certainly most
interesting place during these momen~
tous years. think no man could be
happier in the accidents Of public
service than to have had such an ex-
perience as | have had since ! lived
among you.
"on the personal side, it is even
more affecting than this great COM
pltment you pay me for nay pubic
services | remember FIVE years ago
when | came here. / Was stranger
to most people in England. hut OF
course ! was received with the ac-
customed open heartedncss which you
show to representatives of our great
~ Nl.t 20 fa
expected because that is your nature.
but many things which followed were
not to be expected. namely. the per
sonal relations established with Off
GERS OF His Matesty's government in
an official way, and the fact that 50
many good British people have taken
Mrs. ragc and myself into their homes
and their hearts"
Sir William Mather. having pre-
scented a gift to Mrs. Page, Niscouut
Bryce said il was not perhaps known
TO every one that there were moments
at the earlier stage of the war in which
questions arose which might have
given a good deal Of trouble, II thcy
had not been handled in the way DR.
Page had handled them. There was
no position so difficult as that Of am
bassador OF a neutral power when
war was going on, He felt. therefore,
that a great deal had depended on
DR.. Page, and he wished both DR. and
Mrs. Page TO understand that the Brit
ish people thanked them for the wis
dom, tenderness and thouEt1ttulneas
they had shown in bringing the exist
ing relations between England and
America
viscount Grey had often talked to
him of the confidence he had in Or
Page. and they wished to thank him
fof the part he had played. which had
been more extremely important than
these who had no practical expert
snce OF these matters were aware.
We have a theory that an enter
prising man who could 20 to Russia
and establish string of freedmen