tion. I speak of it not in the narrow sense in which the term is employed in courts of law, but in the broader sense recognized by every man of self-respect. The lawyer owes it to his profession to maintain the dignity of independence, and is false to the trust conferred upon him when he is admitted to practice as an officer of justice, if he permits himself to become the tool of unprincipled manipulators. The editor shamelessly ignores his obligation when he hides or distorts the facts or uses his columns to pervert the public judgment.

Of highest importance is the sentiment of honor and the sense of fiduciary obligation in connection with public service. The people will tolerate no cynicism here. Parties may dispute as they will over principles and policies, but there can be no dispute with reference to the demand that public privileges shall be granted only in the public interest, and that public officers shall regard only the public interest in the administration of government.

The cry "Every man for himself" is out of date. The demand of the future will be "Every man for the people." No one can be permitted to put private interest above the

public advantage. And thus in recognizing the necessity of giving fair opportunity for individual success, of protecting thrift and the rewards of industry, and at the same time in insisting upon fidelity to trust, upon the rights of the community and upon the supremacy of law representing the will of the people, in endeavoring to call the most efficient to the service of the State, and in discharging the duties of public office with sole regard to public interests, shall we diffuse the blessings of prosperity, making it servant to the happiness of all.

We in New York should rejoice in the opportunity which is afforded us by the very difficulty of the problems with which we are confronted. In tracing the history of the past we find abundant reason for encouragement. The capacity of American manhood in each generation to deal successfully with the conspicuous evils of its day has been abundantly demonstrated.

We are far better off in the Empire State than we have ever been before. A resistless force of public opinion is directed against wellnigh every abuse. There is not a New Yorker here who from his own experience cannot recount the tale of progress. We are

a well-disposed and a genial people. We are not given over to bitterness or censoriousness. Scurrilous denunciation has but a limited vogue. In every department of official life there are men endeavoring to serve the State to the best of their ability, and the people are ready to give credit to faithful service. But they are also intolerant of faithlessness. Throughout the State are manifold evidences of determination that the just rights of property shall be protected, that the public rights shall be conserved, and that those who represent the people shall be held strictly to account for the manner in which they discharge their trusts.

The State of New York is equal to its task. It daily gathers strength from all the Union. In its success all the States may justly claim a share. Steadily it gains in population, in wealth, in the diffusion of happiness, and, attaining and still seeking to attain, aiming always at higher levels of achievement, its watchword will ever be "Excelsior."

XII.

Address at the Dedication of the Monument to General Franz Sigel, New York City, October 19, 1907.

It is our privilege to assemble here in honor of a brave soldier who rendered distinguished service to his adopted country. In the dedica tion of this monument we pay a fitting tribute to his memory. But it is more than a memorial to courage or to military skill; it is more than a tribute to individual worth. It speaks not simply of the service of the accomplished officer whose name it bears, but is eloquent of the patriotic ardor which has characterized the sons of the Fatherland he so worthily represented, and of their important contribution to our National life.

General Franz Sigel was born in Baden in 1824; he received his military education at Carlsruhe and served with distinction in the Revolution in 1849. Leaving the land which he loved and for whose liberties he had fought, he came, an exile, to this country, and after a

few years settled in Missouri. We should entirely miss the significance of this occasion if we did not emphasize the spirit which animated this newcomer on American soil. He came defeated but not disheartened; he was torn away from the fond associations of his youth, but he was not cynical or morose; he did not give himself over to discontent, nor was his vitality sapped by vain regrets; he came true to the cause of liberty, with generous heart, with vigor and zeal to give the best he could bestow to the country which henceforth, by virtue of his manhood's choice, was to be not a mere asylum, but a home. And at the outbreak of the Civil War, with no less zeal for his adopted land than he had shown on his native soil, he offered his services to the National cause, and in large degree through his vigor and efficiency Missouri was saved to the Union.

It is not my purpose to tell the story of his career, which may more fittingly be narrated by him who is about to address you. His military service was extensive and distinguished. He took part in many important engagements, and his courage, his military ability, and the value of his services to the Union cause not only won distinction in the