Evening star., 1926-04-08

The text of the Presidents address
ffollows in full:
Members of First American Con
4 gress of Journalists:
This Is the First Pan American Con
gress OF Journalists. In the number
of countries represented and in the ex
, tent or territory embraced. il is with
out doubt one of the most important
meetings of publishers and editors that
was ever held And when il Is con
Sldered that within your numbers are
those VINO control and shape the poll
cleS OF the press in almost all the
Western Hemisphere, the weight and
significance of your conference be
comes still more impressive. 1t Is a
peculiar pleasure to extend to your
congress, which represe nts so many
American republics. most cordial
greeting. and to assure you that the
Government and people of the United
States are pleased to make an appro
nrfate response to the honor which
your presence corfers.
| Possibilities of broad and beneficial
| results lie in the very nature of the
untrammeled constituency of your
body. While provision was made for
| ii under resolution Of the Fifth In
| ternational Conference of American n
| States. commonly known as the Fifth
| Pan American Conference, held at
| Santiago, Chile, in 1923. II is not an
| official gathering Your members in
no wise represent their respective gov.
ernmentS. You are here in your in
! dividual capacities as the free agents
! of a free press of free countries. in
voluntary conference to discuss ways
| and means of bringing the people of
the Western world to a better under
sst F,djr n nd xrAt
cord.
Truth dissipates misunderstanding
and misconception. 1t is the function
| Of a free press not only to make the
truth available to every one within it's
sphere, but to cherish and develop
a public sentiment for all that is loyal
to the truth. A free and enlightened
press. by this means. becomes one Of
the safeguards of liberty. When de-
voted to these ideals 1t is q vitally
stimulating cultural force.
Common Bond Exists.
Since the earliest establishment of
republics in Latin America there has
been a common bond between the peo-
pie of those countries and our people.
The strength of this bond has grown
with the years. But, up to very re-
cent times. there has been an unfor
tunate lack of information on the
part. OF the general public of the
United States Of the aims. achieve
ments and progress Of those regions.
And, I am told, similar condition in
regard to affairs in the United States
has existed among their people. Such
conditions can be remedied only by
the dissemination of knowledge. Vari-
Gus PanAmerican organizations have
done a most valuable work in this di-
rection. But one Of the most import
ant factors in bringing about a better
un6ersta nding has been an awakening
of interest among us in the news or
the countries represented by our
visitors; conversely has come the de-
sire on their part to learn more of
what we are doing and why we are
doing it, This has resulted in the en-
largement of old and the organization
of new services for the interchange or
news. AS | understand the purpose
of your conference, 1t is not only for
the forming of friendships by personal
contact, but also for the exchange or
views and the discussion of conditions
and problems, as they come to the
editor who is striving to present TO
his readers a true perspective OF What
is taking place in his own country and
in other countries.
After YOUR deliberations In WaSn-
ington you, who are our most wei
come guests, will visit other parts or
our country to see for yourselves the
material and cultural progress we are
making. Perhaps in other years our
journalists will have the privilege or
coming into intimate contact with
YOUR nations and of seeing for them
selves the wonderful advance you
have made in these directions, thus
r0non1ete knOWl-
edge and understanding of our COM
mon aims, aspirations, and achieve
ments.
1t is most appropriate that you are
meeting In this beautiful building. In
very real sense this is your nome.
The ideals and the purposes OF the
Pan.American Union are those which
the press of this hemisphere should
seek to serve 1t should promote
better understanding among the west
ern republic, and it should foster
q spirit of sympathy, harmony ano
cooperation. Your newspapers may
do much to emphasize and make more
effective the efforts of this organiza-
ton to bring the United States and
the Latin American republics into
closer bonds of mutual helpfulness.
Will Aaid Understanding.
Your visit to our country VIII,
trust, be beneficial to you by reason
of what you may learn of our gen.
eral mode of life. You will come in
contact with our industries. our uni
versities, our political and our re-
lisious institutions. This will enable
YOU the better to interpret our ideals
in your future communications to
YOUR own people. 1t will also provide
an opportunity for our citizens to give
YOU personal assurances or the deptn
and breadth Of the friendship which
exists here for you and your people,
and the earnest desire for contlnu.
alton of those friendly relations which
are the result of commercial inter-
course and mutual aspirations.
1t will also afford the occasion for
the inhabitants of our country to
learn more of what our sister re-
publics are and what they represent.
1t will give them an opportunity to re-
call that the early inhabitants OF CO.
lonial South America established
centers of culture earlier than similar
agencies were established in English
colonial possessions in North America.
No less than eight institutions OF
higher learning were founded prior to
the establishment in 1886 of Harvard.
the Oldest university in the United
States. The Royal and Pontincal Uni
versity of ST. Paul, in Mexico. and the
Greater University Of st. Mark. in
Lima, both were chartered by royal
decree in the year 1851. These insti-
tutions were intended to equip their
pupils for the priesthood, just as the
first schools in North America were
designed primarily to train young men
for the ministry.
Printing in the new world first
appeared in Latin America. The first
printing press this side Of the Allan
tic was set up in Mexico in 1886 and
the second in Lima in 1886. 1t was
not until 1889 that the first printing
press in what is now the United