New York at the Louisiana Purchase Exposition, St. Louis 1904 | Page 8

of government to have it. And who is not? Every man possessed of a ballot is responsible and has the power, not only to formulate but to criticise and to punish as well. If this right be properly exercised, an honest and efficient administration of our affairs can always be secured. To aid in this work we have given to the press the broadest possible liberty, a freedom which, however, should never be abused. It should never be used as the medium for the circulation of charges or of calumnies which are without foundation, and which please but the fancies of those in whose minds there always exists envy and discontent. Such a misuse of privileges should be condemned by all right-minded citizens. In its virtuous indignation with those who abuse public place and power, it should be careful to do exact justice because in our busy and active lives we have come to depend to a very great extent upon the wisdom and the honesty of these who edit our newspapers for the information rightly to judge of the conditions, events and necessities of our country. By means of the press, and with an intelligent citizenship, we may always feel sure that there will come into our public life influences for good which will render our government more stable, will add to its renown and to its glory and will insure for all the perpetuation of those principles which have come down to us through the wisdom of our forefathers and which have been amplified by the knowledge of succeeding generations.
"The greatest solvent for political heresies, for doctrines which are antagonistic to popular government, is education. To the educated mind there comes a conception of duty which is not possible to the ignorant. The great colleges and schools with which we are blessed are performing a vital work, and these institutions for developing a higher order of citizenship are of far more worth and of greater importance than all of the ships of war or the arms of the nation in maintaining and upholding those policies which have been adopted for our protection against foreign and domestic foes. But it is not alone a theoretical education which is necessary for this higher citizenship. It must be linked with the knowledge which comes of the study of the character, of the manner and methods of other nations than our own, which leads the artisan to inspect and to improve upon the ingenuity of his fellows of other lands. It is this feature in the exposition which is to take place upon this ground next year that is particularly significant and important in the solution of the problems to which I have referred. It is the contact, the friendly rivalry thus created, which brings about a betterment and improvement of conditions. It is appropriate, therefore, that at the one hundredth anniversary of this great event of our nation's history, we should gather here all of the ingenuity and the genius of the past and the present, that we may contrast and make note of our progress. This will be an inspiration for us in the performance of our duty, and will add to our affection for our native and adopted land, and thus make of America a still greater power for good. A patriotic people is possible only when there exists a love of country which has been inspired by the stories of the past. It is the stories of the glorious past which encourage us to grapple with the problems of the present and to look with disdain upon those who fail to solve them. What fills our mind with more gratitude; what inspires us with greater heroism; what instills more patriotism than the struggles of the early colonial wars? The Anglo-Saxon energy which swept from this continent the dominion of those who sought only wealth, and which substituted the thrift of the voyagers of the Mayflower and of the settlers of Jamestown--which Speaks of the battles with the Indians, which tells of the glories not only of victories but of the defeats of the heroes of the Revolution--all are incentives for purer and better citizenship. And so, too, as we recall the struggles to the death of the descendants of these earlier settlers in the greatest civil war that the world has ever known, let us to-day, both in charity and in patriotism, remember them all as heroes. While we may differ as to the principles for which they fought, there is no conflict of opinion, no divergence in thought, which bids us to-day to withhold our admiration for all those who took part in that great struggle. It was but a page in our nation's history, but a page shaded by human blood. It was but the working