Honors to Peary 



53 



cism, on my annual report, in that I 

 showed too much warmth at the discrim- 

 ination, the insulting discrimination, 

 shown in certain parts of this country 

 against the uniform of our sailors. Now, 

 ladies and gentlemen, let me detain you 

 two or three minutes by enabling you, 

 as intelligent and public-spirited men and 

 women, to understand what is meant by 

 the discussion on that subject, for if you 

 understand it, that is all that any one 

 can ask. Our ships are manned in great 

 majority by young men from the farms 

 and homes of our country, men between 

 eighteen and twent}'-five years — boys, 

 most of us would be disposed to call 

 them — who are not the old nomadic cos- 

 mopolitan sailors of former days, but are 

 men who respect themselves, and who 

 desire the respect of others, and who look 

 forward — I do not deny that there are 

 black sheep in every lot, and some in 

 these — to becoming useful and respected 

 members of society. These boys are 

 away, isolated from all amusements, lead- 

 ing a monotonous life on ships for 

 months at a time, and when they return 

 to port and are given the opportunity to 

 do what every young thing wants to do, 

 kick up its heels, and have the inclina- 

 tion which it is perfectly natural and per- 

 fectly laudable of men of their age and 

 surroundings to have, to be rewarded for 

 this long period of monotonous isolation 

 by a certain amount of amusement and 

 distraction — these men have, in too many 

 parts of our country, all reputable sources 

 of amusement and relaxation closed to 

 them for no other reason than that they 

 are clothed in the garments which show 

 that they are serving their country. And 

 what are the consequences? That, ex- 

 cluded from the places where they might 

 be amused innocently and creditably, they 

 are driven into haunts of vice, with the 

 consequences that would naturally fol- 

 low. It is not a trifling matter ; it is a 

 matter of which any community which 

 endures it has every reason to be 

 ashamed ; and when the Secretary of the 

 Navy, in company with the President of 

 the United States and with all prominent 



officers of the service, feels and expresses 

 indignation at such treatment for such 

 men, for such service, I say that is no 

 ground for observation that he grows 

 hot over trifles. 



Again, I ask of you to use your influ- 

 ence, the influence which each one of you 

 has, in such circles as he or she fre- 

 quents, to make the people of the United 

 States understand how grave a thing it 

 is to hamper the development of this 

 branch of the national defense, when you 

 must know that in its keeping is the 

 safety of our country from perils too 

 serious to be lightly mentioned, and yet 

 which are often inexcusably forgotten. 



THE TOASTMASTER 



Watts gave to us the steam-engine, 

 Fulton the steamboat, Morse the tele- 

 graph, and finally Bell the telephone. 

 Probably no man has done more to link 

 humanity together, to make us all one 

 kin, than he who has solved the great 

 problem of sending the beautiful modu- 

 lations of the human voice over a metallic 

 circuit. Our Society was honored by 

 having that man for its President, and if 

 I could express and enforce my own opin- 

 ion and that of the members of the Na- 

 tional Geographic Society, he would still 

 be the President of the National Geo- 

 graphic Society. We love him, and I am 

 going to introduce him now to say a few 

 words and to have him introduce Dr 

 Cook, not because we need him to wake 

 things up, but I want you to see him, 

 Alexander Graham Bell. 



REMARKS BY DR ALEXANDER GRAHAM BEEL 



Mr President, Ladies and Gentlemen: 



I am indeed proud of this gathering of 

 the members of the National Geographic 

 Society, and to think that I once had the 

 honor of being your President. I re- 

 member well when the mantle of your 

 first President, Mr Hubbard, fell on my 

 shoulders, and we looked at this little 

 seed that he helped plant. Could we ever 

 suppose it could grow into the great 

 national organization that we have today ? 

 That little seed! And yet I can still re- 



