Evening star., 1921-07-04
OLDEST CITIZENS
OBSERVE FOURTH
Conrad H. Syme Extols Right
Thinking Before inhab-
itants' Association.

If the Individual citizens Of Amer
lea think in terms of righteousness
and Justice the nation will be right
and just, Conrad II. Syme. former
corporation counsel Of the District,
, declared addressing the Association
of Oldest Inhabitants Of the District
, of Columbia at their independence
day meeting in Union engine house,
. 18th and H streets. today.
3 Our country" said Mr.. Syme. "is
what our thinking makes 1t, and If
we all think in terms of righteous
: ness and justice-individual. national
. and international-we need never fear
!. for the land we love"
The usual patriotic atmosphere of
the Fourth of July meeting of the
association was dampened today by
: the absence of Benjamin w. Reiss. one
EEof the best known and most liked
( members, who died Friday. The sec
/ retary's chair, which he occupied for
/ twenty four years, was draped IN
black. and on his desk were placed
( twenty-four white roses.
Tribute to Mr.. Reiss.
Henry L. Bryan, the presiding officer.
opened the meeting with tribute 10
I Mr. ReisS He reminded his fellow
/ members Of the devotion which the
former secretary showed toward the
I organization. declaring that he gave
( nearly all Of his time for many years
to the work Of the association.
+ Mr.. Bryan recalled how Mr.. Reiss
never failed to visit members VINO
were ill., or confined to their homes by
: the infirmities of age.
( The patriotic exercises were opened
with an invocation by Rev. VIM. Tay-
I loe Snyder. The association then re-
cited the American creed. This was
{ followed by the singing OF America
Excerpts from the Declaration OF In.
dependence were read by L .. q.
ELamar. Then followed the address by
sMr. Syme.
z Mr. Syme said, In part:
Z For more than two years we nave
tbeen seeking to orient ourselves
.amidst the moral, economic and politi-
fcal chaos following the greatest up
Eheaval the world has ever known. The
Tremendous forces Of good and evil.
Ebeaten upon the nations of the world
E-all of the quantities we have here
ktofore known and weighed In the
tequations of life. the formulas of In
Edividual and national conduct and the ne
Irrespective of our relations man to
Eman, man to country. nation to ma.
Etion and each to civilization itself
Ehave been disturbed. distorted or de-
Estroyed.
= 'aThe sea is yet rough and greatly
ktroubled. Cross and counter currents
sdrag aimleSsly. but insistent: the winds
Fare fitful, but the stars are true.
= Each one of US must take his bear
sings and search the eternal verities for
those rules of duty and service which
will bring him into true relation to
shis fellow man. his country and the
world.
" Safety in Individual
I'm this individual effort lies the
safety of the republic. A nation Is es-
Lsentially the expression of the COM
sposite thought of its people. If that
thought be right, If 1t places individ-
.ual and commercial and national
honor and integrity above all else: If
1T loves justice, squares itself with
duty and consecrates itself to the
service Of right. the nation will be
full Of light.
: National destiny. like human des-
tiny. will be sordid or splendid as
national purpose or human purpose
willis. We must either be construc-
tors of Individual. national and inter-
national right thinking or become
the instrument of those destructive
forces of lust and greed and selfish
ness which are the train attendant Of
an unclean national consciousness.
"As citizens Of this republic the
time has doubly come when We must
Individually seek to realize our true
relation to our own government and its
relation to US. We have the back
ground Of one great tradition. It
springs from that fierce, disdainful
strain Of Saxon blood and manhood
which for centuries defied the perils
of Land and sea in search Of an heroic
death To such manhood liberty in
its best sense was the breath of life.
tho very aspiration of existence
liberty to live and strive and love
and die unfettered, unafraid and unre-
strained. except to that extent which
the safety of the nation and the rights
of others required.
National Tradition.
This is our great national tradition.
It wrote itself into the Declaration
of our Independence; it wrote itself
into our Constitution. and it breathes
into our laws the only vitality they
possess. Translated into terms Of gov
ernment, it says that no government
Is fit to govern that governs more
than Is necessary to insure the ma
tional security and that equality Of
right and opportunity among it's peo-
pie which is the real reason for gov
ernment itself 1t says that no gov
ernment that does not do this is not At to
govern: that favors a class or
group unjustly; and it says, finally,
that the safety of republic lies in
IF we will take these fundamental
truths to heart; if we insist upon
them and live and express them: II
we will only remember that we can
not legislate into ourselves morality
or right thinking; If we will hold
fast to the truth that our country
really is what our thinking makes it.
and If We all think in terms of right
and justice. individual, national and
International. we need never fear for
the land we love-"
New Members Elected.
The following new members were
elected: John B. Lord, 1912 Monroe
street northeast: 3rillard F. Lord.
1920 Monroe street northeast; Frank
l. Durand. sa4 Eye street: John A.
Reynolds. HOO 23d street: William F..
Taylor, 1882 29th street; Charles H.
Bradley 1401 Fairmont street: Robert
Padgett. SIS 18th street; Francis A.
Blundon. Silver Spring. Md; William
W. Dodge. 134 B street northeast:
James S. O'Hagan, 1871 Kenyon street;
William B. Hardy. 119 5th street
northeast; N. NJ. Diliinger. 1920 Hiatt
place: James A. Dowrick. 1925 1st
street: William NJ. Dove, 1910 G
street, and Myer Cohen, SIS Wood
ward building.
: j. Eliot Wright. assistant secretary,
announced the death of three mem
:bers since the last meeting. They
were Benjamin W. Reiss. N. NJ.
Brooks and Edward T. Bates.
; Following the meeting a large DEL
of the deceased secretary. Mr.. Reiss,
10 nav him a final tribute before the