Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1920-12-21
DELIVERS
PLYMOUTH GRAFTON
Massachusetts, Senator, Speaker at
Tercentenary Celebration Of
Pilgrims Landing.
Nv Associated Press to Every Evening.


Plymouth. Mass, Dec 2l.-On the
shore of Plymouth Bav. where "the break
ing waves dashed high" whom the Phi
grfims set foot on Plymouth Rock on
December 81, 1920, their descendants
,oinedwith other distinguished men of this
generation in America, Great Britain and
Holland in observing today with due So
lemnitv the tercentenary of their landing.
The orator was Senator Henry Cabot
Lodge, q successor in representation IN
the Senate from Massachusetts, of Daniel
Webster. who delivered the famous "Plym-
outh Grafton" Mt the two hundredth
anniversary.
An address was delivered by Governor
Calvin Coolidge, vice-prcsident-elect, and
n poem. "I620-I920. :" was read by Dean
LeBaron r. Briggs of the faculty of arts
and sciences ofHarvard University Hymns
appropriate to the occasion We're sung,
including the Landing of the Pilgrims
bv Mrs Felicia Hemans. known to every
American school boy and girl for genera
tons.
Senator Lodge gave scholarly out
line of the Pilgrim story and IN drawing
from il q lesson for present day Americans
he pointed out that they set character
first, sought to give men freedom both
in body and mind and tried TO reduce
the sum of human misery.
''Whatever out faith, " he said. what
ever our belief in progress. there can be-
no nobler purposes for man than thus to
deal with the only earth he knows and
the fragment of time awarded him here
While the great republic is true IN heart
and deed TO the memory of the Pilgrims
of Plymouth it will take no detriment even
from the hand of time"
In stately measures Dean Briggs set
forth the vision of the Pilgrims and their
prayerful determination:
Freedom Thy newborn nation here
shah cherish Grant us Thy covenant.
unchanging, sure;
Earth shall decay; the frmanent shall
perish;
Freedom and Truth, immortal shall
endure"
The answer of their descendants 70
this challenge came in these words
The Pilgrims faith the Pilgrim courage
grant us;
Still shines the truth that for the Pill
grim shone.
We are his seed. not life nor death shall
daunt us.
The port is Freedom Pilgrim heart
sail on
The Official party came from Boston
on aspec; I'll tran and proceeded immediate
lv to he old Colony Theatre. where
the exercises were held. In their number,
IN addition TO the speakers of the day,
were official representatives Of Great
Britain and Holland, several New Eng
land Governors, members Of the New
England Judiciary. Senator Oscer W,
Underwood of Alabama and members Of
patriotic societies. including the Society
of Mayfiower Descendants The presiding
officer was Louis X. Liggett of Boston,
chairman of the Massachusetts, Pilgrim
Tercentenary Commission.
After the formal exercises the guests Of
the day were entertained a luncheon.
The remainder of the day they gave over
70 pilgrimage TO Plymouth Rock, the
Coles Hill Burying Ground and other
parts of the town intimately connected
with the Pilgrims history
Senator Lodge touched upon 'the pee
wish, meaningless objection that il the
great men of history had not accomplish
I'd the specific deeds attached To their
names somebody else would have done
I'll these things and continued
ihe nigh. have beeGs have no claim
70 cclebrs tion- Tha which alone l. en-
titled to this high honor is what was
The actual deed and the men who did
the deed which breaks he horizon
Ievel line not those who did no do il
ven if they though about i, alone de-
serve honor. reverence and conmemoration
Can We, then. Justly place what hap
pened here a. Plymouth and the men and
women to whom we owe the great act
the small. high class of decisive events
due o the actual doers Of great deeds
Clearly. think we can. jamestown and
Plymouth were the cornerstones OF the
foundatiors upon which the great fabric
of the United States has been built up
The Senator quoted from modern phi
Iosophers Of Europe words which he seid
we're - fiat negaf 'on Of whet the nine
teenth century devoutlv believed.
In our own country, he said 'thcre
Is q stronger hope IN the popular concep-
tion of progress. and letter apparent
grounds for il. perhaps. than II any othel
hut IS tbs months have slipped bv siacc
the war no observant man can deny that
there IS a growing doubt, Z rising tide OF
pessimism, among those who hirk and
who a. first II see and weigh the chances
of the future. This situatioa, showing -
.rorg,v this tendency oI thought ia
west ara civilization. is very s9ieml onc.
rot - be dlsregarded o. lightly brushed
side