REPORT OF SPEECHES AT THE TWENTY- NINTH ANNUAL DINNER 

 OF THE SOCIETY OF NAVAL ARCHITECTS AND MARINE ENGI- 

 NEERS HELD AT THE WALDORF-ASTORIA, NEW YORK. N. Y.. 

 NOVEMBER 18. 1921. 



After the service of the dinner, the President, Admiral W. L. Capps, acting as Toast- 

 master, called the company to order, and said : 



"Gentlemen, on the program the President is usually put down for some remarks. This 

 evening he thinks it is advisable to reduce them to a minimum. We are now^ passing 

 through a very serious stage in the history of shipbuilding and ship designing. There are a 

 great many clouds on the horizon, but I feel perfectly sure that your attendance here this 

 evening shows that you are not cast down, and that whatever the future has in store for us, 

 engineers, shipbuilders and naval architects will do their duty, even though it may not be in 

 shipbuilding always. 



"As all of you doubtless know, our program has been rather seriously interfered with 

 by the exigencies of public affairs in the city of Washington. The last day or two have been 

 signalized by the receipt of several telegrams of regret and withdrawals of previous accept- 

 ances for this evening. Incidentally, in this same city at this same hour, is being held a ban- 

 quet of a sister society. This, undoubtedly, has attracted a great many. But as this room is 

 already as full as possible, I think we are starting off very well. 



"Now, gentlemen, you have some interesting addresses in store for you so I will imme- 

 diately proceed to the business of the evening. At all of our gatherings it is our very high 

 privilege and honor to begin our proceedings with a toast to 'The Health of the President of 

 the United States.' " 



The Toastmaster: — "The President." 



The company rose and drank the toast, the orchestra playing the Star Spangled Banner. 



The Toastmaster : — Gentlemen, it is also invariably our custom to follow with a toast 

 to the senior arm of the National Defense — "The Army." We had an acceptance of our 

 invitation to this banquet from one of the most distinguished officers of the United States 

 Army, who would have responded to that toast. A few days after receiving his acceptance, 

 however, it developed that, on the same evening, in New York, was to be given a banquet to 

 a most distinguished foreign military officer, thus necessitating General Bullard's withdrawal 

 of his previous acceptance. This particular foreigner is the most illustrious military figure 

 which has emerged from the great world war. His name and fame are known to all of you. 

 It also so happens that he has had under his command the largest number of American sol- 

 diers ever commanded by any one commander. It, therefore, would seem unusually appropri- 

 ate that, in giving this toast to the "Army," we couple with it the name of that distinguished 

 general, who commanded all of the allied forces in France, including two million officers and 

 men of the United States Army. I give you, gentlemen — "The Health of Ferdinand Foch, 



