f jealousy, and prejudice that divides race from
race, nation from nation, and people from people, by proclaiming
aloud the sublime gospel truth that we are all children of the
same God, brothers and sisters of the same Lord Jesus Christ,
and that we are all aspiring to a glorious inheritance in the
everlasting kingdom of our common Father.

Second. Address by Mr. Thomas H. Carter, of the National Commission,
president of the day.

One hundred years ago to-day the Government of the United States
acquired sovereignty over the vast territory west of the
Mississippi River, which has since been known to the
geographical nomenclature of the world as the "Louisiana
Purchase." Beyond the river the boundaries and the resources of
the territory were ill defined and but vaguely comprehended. The
purchase price of $15,000,000 was pronounced exorbitant, the
free navigation of the Mississippi being the only part of the
property deemed worthy of serious consideration. The transaction
was regarded by many as a violation of the Constitution and a
menace to our form of government. The grave doubts of president
Jefferson were only resolved into action by his patriotic desire
for national supremacy over the river and his prophetic faith in
the possibilities of the mysterious country beyond it. The
revelations of a century most amply justified his faith.

When the treaty of cession was concluded, President Jefferson
represented less than 6,000,000 people. During these ceremonies,
President Roosevelt, the Executive of over 80,000,000 of
freemen, will dedicate the buildings.

The magical story of local development puts to shame the
creations of fiction. The contented and prosperous inhabitants
of the Louisiana Purchase to-day substantially equal in numbers
three times the total population of the United States in 1800.
The conquest of space, forests, streams, and deserts and the
founding of cities and States in waste places within this
territory mark an advance unsurpassed in the history of human
endeavor.

In conformity with a special act of Congress, the President has
invited all the nations to cooperate with us in properly
commemorating the masterful achievements of a century in this
new country.

It is fitting that the celebration should be international, for
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