Evening star., 1926-12-18
FIVE HOURS OF EULOGY MARKS
RUDOLPH TESTIMONIAL DINNER

accurately what his conclusions would
be, because he was thoroughly sound
and never erratic.
'Dignif1ed.--He has in full measure
the dignity, the distinction of ap-
pearance and the savoir faire so es.
sential to success in high Office; and
with 1t all he Is unusually approach
able and willing to listen patiently to
everybody. He has no repellent crust
about him and Is never hasty or In
tolerant No matter what was said
about the Commissioners or about
him personally, he never descended to
the plane of pickering and counter
accusation. Others might sling
mud but he ignored it.
Accomplishments will not at
tempt to enumerate them. Charitabis
and hospital work. the father of the
playground system. the originator
and developer of better methods in
our penal institutions, the supervisor
of administrative and financial de-
partments. He gave not only service
he gave freely Of his own funds, and
when appropriations failed he saw
that the work was carried on. He has
unusual ability to cooperate with his
colleagues and assistants and to help
them in their work. and he is entitled
to full share of the credit for all
accomplishments and improvements
by the District Government during
his long service. This city is O more
wonderful city because of his work.
Loyal and Sympathetic.--He
taught loyalty and sympathy to the
District employees by setting them an
example, and after eight years serv-
ice he retireS with the 100 per cent
loyalty and esteem Of the officials and
employees with whom he served.
Honored by three Presidents and by
the people whom he has served so
long and so we'll. he is richly entitled
to that relaxation and rest to which
he and Mrs. Rudolph have looked for.
ward so eagerly.
LAS Mrs. Rudolph has helped to
bear the burdens and furnish the in
spirations during years of service, she
Is entitled to no little part Of the
public's esteem.
Their greatest and best reward
will be pleasant retrospection Of serv-
ice well DONE"
Eul0gized by Bishop.
Bishop Freeman then eulogized Mr..
Rudolph as follows:
"A decade of public service rem.
dered with high honor and distinction
Is worthy Of the gratitude and high
praise of this entire community. The
honor guest of the evening, II is safe
to say. has given the best and most
efficient years of his life to the
duties of public Office. Supremely
important as 1t is to have fit men to
serve the community, the State and
the Nation, it all too frequently hap
pens that instead Of receiving CRATE
full Acknowledgement from their fell
lows, they are the recipients of
ungenerous and bitter criticism.
1T would sometimes seem that as
soon as man steps out of private
life into public service immedi.
ately he becomes the object of dis.
favor, Of suspicion and unmeasured
condemnation. The guest Of this
evening has been sufficiently robust in
mind and body to survive all attacks
and to come to the close Of his long
years or arduous and devoted service
uncontaminated and unspoiled. We
felicitate him upon this rare accom-
plishment. He is an exemplar of that
kind Of civic consciousness that
rightly senses it's civic obligations
and accepts and discharges them to
the best of its ability. We believe
he has set a standard worthy of high
emulation and praise. We felicitate
him tonight, that in retiring from his
office he does so in the fullness of
his years with vigor and strength to
carry on" even to the sunset hour.
We are met here to tell him with
utter frankness, on behalf of a CRATE.
ful community. that we acknowledge
our debt to him, give him his service
stripes and his marks Of distinction,
and bid him God-speed as he retires
to the cool sequestered wales to seek
recuperation and refreshment
After all, the applause Of the multi.
tude is transient and ephemeral The
thing that abides is that quiet and
tranquility of mind that remains to
satisfy ones own consciousness that
the task performed has been done
with utter fidelity, with selfiess de.
votion, and with a reasonable effort
to produce results that shall be per.
manent and salutary. The very fact,
Mr.. Rudolph, that this great host Of
citizens has gathered here tonight to
do you honor Is not only to you an
evidence OF the esteem In which you
are held. but a certificate OF merit
which witnesses to the worth Of your
character and the effectiveness of
your service.
"On such an occasion as this we
are compelled to take cognizance of
the obligation which every man owes
to the Nation of which he Is a citizen
Lincoln's famous phrase clearly de.
fines for us the form of government
under which we live. "A Nation Of the
people, by the people and for the
people, There are too many Of us
who think of it with dissatisfaction
as a Nation for the people, Too few
Of us in devotion to it's high ideals
and splendid institutions think of it
as a Nation by the people, Civic
and religious duty are closely associ-
ated. That old word of Scripture
comes back to us If man hateth his
brother whom he hath seen, how can
he love God Whom he hath not SEEM
To love ones neighbor as ones self
Is a law that is fundamental to our
life and happiness.
Lauds Civic Pride.
cold provincialism or selfish insu.
larity that dfScloses no sense Of re-
sponsibility for the common veal of
all Is menace to national integrity
and the sure precursor of national
dissolution. Louis Kossuth had this
in mind when he said concerning
America: If your ship of state is
ever lost, the rock upon which it will
split will be the devotion of your
citizens to their private interests at
the expense of the state AS the
great Hungarian patriot envisioned
the future of this great Nation, he
saw its infinite possibilities and it's
unprecedented growth. But one thing
could halt 1t in it's onward march,
namely, the loss of civic pride and
disregard or disesteem of civic re.
sponsibilities.
1T is only within our generation
that we have come to recognize more
fully the intimacy of the ties that
bind us together in a great common
wealth. More and more we have been
cnmnnlad to realizn that nilr forty