t years, as one of the noblest and most
attractive figures in all history. Dr. Hale is just such
a figure now.

We love him and we revere him. We are prouder of our citizenship
because he is our fellow citizen; and we feel that his life
and his writing, both alike, spur us steadily to fresh effort
toward high thinking and right living. To have written "The
Man Without a Country" by itself would be quite enough to
make all the nation his debtor. I belong to the innumerable
army of those who owe him much, and through you I wish him
Godspeed now.

Ever faithfully yours,
THEODORE ROOSEVELT.

I spoke as follows:

"If I try to say all that is in my heart to-night, I do not
know where to begin. If I try to say all that is in your
hearts, or in the hearts of his countrymen, I do not know
where to leave off. Yet I can only say what everybody here
is silently saying to himself. When one of your kindred
or neighbors comes to be eighty years old, after a useful and
honored life, especially if he be still in the vigor of manly
strength, his eye not dim or his natural force abated, his
children and his friends like to gather at his dwelling in his
honor, and tell him the story of their gratitude and love.
They do not care about words. It is enough if there be pressure
of the hand and a kindly and loving glance of the eye. That
is all we can do now. But the trouble is to know how to do
it when a man's friends and lovers and spiritual children
are to be counted by the millions. I suppose if all the people
in this country, and, indeed in all the quarters of the globe,
who would like to tell their gratitude to Dr. Hale, were
to come together to do it, Boston Common would not hold them.

"There is once in a while, through the quality is rare, an
author, a historian, or a writer of fiction, or a preacher, or a
pastor, or an orator or poet, or an influential or beloved
citizen, who in everything he says or does seems to be sending
a personal message from himself. The message is inspired
and tinctured and charged and made electric with the quality
of the individual soul. We know where it comes from. No
mask, no shrinking modesty can hide the individuality. Every
man knows from whom it comes, and hails it as a special message
to himself. We say, That is from my friend to me! The message
may be read by a million eyes and reach a million souls. But
every one deems it private and confidential to him.

"This is o