Evening star., 1924-06-12
Dy the Associated Press,

text of the address of President
Marion Leroy Burton of Michigan
University, placing the name of
President Coolidge before the Repub-
lican national convention was as fol-
lows:
mir. Chairman, ladies and gentle
men, fellow Republicans and fellow
citizens of America the greatest
country the world has ever known:
This hour is fraught with solemn
obligations. Not a single member or
this convention can escape that fact.
A great party, with noble heritage,
with wise leaders. and with RESPONSE
bility for the government today. has
convened to nominate candidate for
the presidency of the United States
of America. No higher office exists
among men. For a time. and by con-
sent of the people, it places mar
velous forces at the disposal of one
man. America today occupies a |
unique position of leadership in the
world. Her financial strength is
unequaled; her agricultural and
manufacturing activities are enor-
nous; her educational, religious and ,
pniEanthropic Institutions and agen-
cies are maintaining with vigor the
cultural, scientific and spiritual
Values OF the nation. In nominating
this man to succeed himself you are
virtually choosing the next Presi-
dent. Such task cannot be under
taken lightly.
Presents the Man.
Il shall speak as one who for
years has known the President.
Follow this plan because l believe
you want to hear from one who has
flrst-hand knowledge of his sub
1ect. The people have an unsuitable
n loa
ways of this man. The better Won
know him the more you will trust
him. The more carefully you study
his written words the more certain
you VIII become of the clarity of his
mind, the depth of his thought and
the soundness of his Judgment
There is no real statesmanship with
out these qualities. My function is
TO present the man. The emphasis /
must be just there. My primary task
GOES not concern policies or plat
course, serve as highly important
illustrative material, but I am asked
to tell you why | believe the Presi
Gent should succeed himself and
1or9a!iy TO place his name in
I'm these days of worthy emphasis
upon social obligations and public
fnI1 fnj1oennesS mes5tI 1T is easy to overlook the
Many powerful forces are now
operative in America which make
LIT tne uisintegration of personality |
and consequent failure always IN
realize that back of every great
movement is a man. There can be
NO Citizenship without the citizen
Ever cause is identified with
person Just SO today the Renub1i
can party has its wise leader tried
iIsn stripise many many years of faithful and
sssIlh!nS puollc service. His prenara |
lion TOT the high Office he now holds
mas oeen adequate and ideal
Description Quite Impossible.
10 describe him in spoken or
eai.,, eltten word is quite. Impossible.
or speech. To know any man YOU
lust see him. To know this
man you must spend time with him
AS ne himself said of Lincoln: The
great men of all times battle all analy
SIS and all description
one thlng we can say. he illus
rates the paradox of greatness. a
emily absurd yet true ANY one will
tell You he is one of us and he is
In keeping with his real qualities |
shali make no effort to exalt him. for
ne does not need it. 1t would be
grossly inartistic and inconsistent
He is not superman and would be I
me last TO think so. There is not a
trace OF show or ostentation about
hlm' Tor he does nothing merely for
appearance. He may be an example,
but he would never set one His
quiet, unobtrusive, and natural way
OF doing things was beautifully and
sraciously illustrated during the sad
days of last August when he assum-
ed the duties of the presidency. He
personj:ies the plain simple virtues !
OF our citizens at their best.
Sees Something Elemental
Yet this is not all. If il be said
that he is rarely common it must also
be known that he is nobly uncommon.
A great man is always simple and di-
rect. About this man there is some
thing elemental. He can see into the
heart of things He knows that every
person has a soul and that the great
est thing about America is her spirit
He never lacks dignity. The Office
he occupies is exalted, for when he
performs public duty it is d cere-
mony.
He has moral fiber. To me it is
his most distinguishing character
about him which does credit to ;
American life. You simply cannot
think of him as soft or f1abby.
knows he ought to do. There is a
rigor and vigor in his life which sug-
gests sterness and discipline. He
helps one to understand that righte-
the world. Knowing him, you see
at once why he believes that the
American spirit is the supreme NOR
al power of the world With him
substitute for virtue When he
knows what is right he follows it
with resistless logic and persistent
endeavor. He seems the epitome of
sheer self-control. His achievementsl
in this respect are worthy of the
highest emulation by the present
generation of Americans From his
youth up he learned that self-restraintl
is necessity for useful living as
well as for civilization.
Boyhood Day Recalled.
His father tells an incident which ,
throws a food of light upon his early
training. 1t was the boys duty each
day to provide an ample supply OF
fire wood for the kitchen stove. On
one occasion in the middle of the
night his father found the son at his {
task because he had failed to pro-
vide the wood for the coming morn I
ing. Stern duty was on his con- /,
science. He early learned that obe Il
dience is essential in a well ordered
group. He is severe with every {
form of selhshness and evil They 6
exist to be conquered. To him char
acter is the first necessity. He well 6
mute our wealth into social progress. I,
All our national power and grandeur. J
all our physical wealth, all of our Z
guarantees of life and liberty will be 8
of real avail just in proportion as in
dividual citizens develop sterling, de- I
pendable character. There can be no t
national greatness which does not ]
rest upon the personal integrity of 7
the people Such man, regardless
OF the consequences to himself. will
do the right. He can be trusted. IL
His FrugaIity Inherited. /
''Frugality is a part OF his being.
T{e inherited IL of the hack