ADDRESSES OF MAJOR LACEY 259 



through the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean to the far- 

 away Philippines. A few weeks later the steamer Sher- 

 man, laden with American soldiers, followed the same 

 course. Then the Sheridan passed over the same seas; 

 three ships carrying- the names of Grant, Sherman, and 

 Sheridan to the uttermost parts of the earth as the sea 

 again became the home of our country 's flag. 



This is neither time nor place for the discussion of 

 questions which may be regarded as political. I have 

 never to my knowledge violated the proprieties of this 

 day by such discussion, and will only say that when our 

 soldiers were assaulted in the trenches in a bloody at- 

 tack by those whom they had gone so many thousand 

 miles to befriend, from that hour there has been but one 

 side of this contest for me and that is the side of the boys 

 who are carrying our flag in that distant land. And 

 when Dewey returns to the United States he will receive 

 such a royal welcome as no man has known since Grant 

 swung around the circle with Andrew Johnson soon after 

 the close of the Civil War. 



Comrades, we may grow old, but I trust we will never 

 grow out of date. No woman is any older than she looks 

 and no man is any older than he feels. Let us keep our 

 hearts young by keeping their beat in unison with the 

 new generation. 



The coming century is full of hope and promise. The 

 century that is now just passing away is greater than any 

 that have preceded. 



It almost dazzles the mind to think of what may come 

 in the next hundred years. The beginning of the century 

 saw Russia overthrow Napoleon and change the history 

 of Europe. And now as the century closes the czar has 

 called a conference to consider the disarmament of the 

 world. 



