VI. DEDICATORY CEREMONIES OF THE CHAMPLAIN MEMORIAL STATUE AT PLATTSBURGH, N. Y., JULY 6, 1912
The dedicatory ceremonies, over which Chairman H. Wallace Knapp presided, were opened with music by the Fifth Infantry, U. S. A. Band. The Invocation was pronounced by Rev. H. P. LeF. Grabau, Rector of the Episcopal Church of Plattsburgh.
The Champlain memorial was then unveiled by Miss Katharine M. Booth, daughter of Judge and Commissioner John H. Booth of Plattsburgh, as “The Star Spangled Banner” was being played by the band. As the Stars and Stripes were drawn from the statue and it was revealed to view, a shout of applause broke forth from the enthusiastic assembly. Then followed a salute fired by the Fifth Infantry of the U. S. A.
The Commissioners had the memorial draped with the historic flag owned by Dr. George F. Kunz of New York City, President of the Scenic and Historic Preservation Society of New York, which had been offered for the occasion and accepted. That flag had flown from the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris on July 4, 1900, when the Lafayette statue by Paul Bartlett was presented by the school children of America to the French nation. It was also used at the dedication of Stony Point Park on the Hudson, and on the funeral train when the remains of Governor Clinton were transferred from New York to Kingston.
Senator H. Wallace Knapp, Chairman of the New York Lake Champlain Tercentenary Commission, then delivered the following address:
Your Excellency, Governor Dix, Ladies and Gentlemen: We are assembled on an historical spot that may properly lay claim to official recognition, for associations connected with the progress of humanity in the Champlain Valley and this vicinity are especially to be distinguished for the important events that are known to have proceeded from the subject that we are here to recall.
The battles of Valcour and Plattsburgh, and the maintenance here of a permanent military post, are vitally connected with conditions attending the passing through the lake of the first white man.
The patriotic spirit has never slumbered here. The sons of this county and of the city of Plattsburgh who have dedicated their lives to the service of their country, in the army and navy and in civic councils form a long roll of distinguished honor. They have upheld the integrity of their country in every quarter of the globe, and their deeds are glowing on the pages of history. And this public service has been continuous since the first settlement here. This record has not been interrupted. Here surely, then, our Memorial may be safely entrusted to fulfill its purpose and we may leave it here, as in its long appointed home, telling to the future, with voiceless eloquence, the meaning of the scene that appears before us.
For when we have gone away there will appear in the ensuing quiet a significance here that can hardly be discerned through the sounds and the pageantry of the present hour. Now we look upon the brave soldier, the intrepid sailor, the grand discoverer, the wise administrator, the successful courtier, and the gallant friend of kings. But when we are here alone and undistracted we shall recognize a deeper and more abiding import. We shall recall his unfailing goodness of heart, his helpful and untiring care for his associates, his generous mercy to the traitor, Vignan, his motto that the saving of one soul was more worthy of endeavor than the conquest of an empire. We shall know Champlain as the devoted lover of his fellow-man, and in this philosophy we shall find the basic motive of his career, and indeed I think it is for the charm of such qualities shining through virile manhood that we most love to remember him. The Spanish conquerors were strong and venturesome, but there is no gathering of many peoples to do honor to their memory; no songs are sung for Cortez and Pizarro.
Our Monument will always be an inspiring influence for good and as time goes on, piety and poesy and song will enrich the memory of our hero, and romance will cast a halo around his deeds. It is perhaps from such beginnings that all the great epics of the world have been developed, yet none of them, it is safe to say, have proceeded from a nobler basis of character and action.
We are inaugurating our Memorial under happy conditions. A century of peace between France, England, and America bespeaks a perpetuity of good will. Their representatives have taken part in all the important functions of the Tercentenary observances and they are here to-day with messages of cheer and friendship.
Copyrighted and by courtesy of Powers Engraving Co., N. Y. City
Front View of Memorial and Granite Approach to Samuel Champlain at Plattsburgh
At Crown Point on May 3d of this year, Mr. Hanotaux, who led the French delegation entrusted with the presentation of the bust, “La France”, to the United States, remarked in his address:
A French delegation has come to seal upon the base of this magnificent monument an image of France. It expresses well what we have wished to say; it will depict to you France, such as we Frenchmen conceive it, and as we love it. It is France as she wishes to be and as she is.
Perhaps it is not amiss to supplement this sentiment by pointing out that we have chosen as the historic genius of our lake, not an American, nor an Englishman, but a Frenchman, who represents to us France and the sons of France as we know them and as we wish them to be. He was for us the crowning exemplar of ideal chivalry, without fear and without reproach,—the first of many Frenchmen through whom we owe so much to France. But such a character belongs to the world. His representation here presides over the scenes of a great historic epoch that will never be repeated. Our house is no longer divided: England and America will never again contend upon the battlefield.
Samuel Champlain was called to his reward on Christmas day, the anniversary of the Prince of Peace and Good Will throughout the world. That peace is now assured us by the peoples who have gathered here, and as time goes on and the agencies of human happiness increase within our border, the silent form above us will tell His Master’s message with an eloquence that we in our day cannot hear so well. (Applause.)
I now take pleasure in presenting to you His Excellency, Gov. John A. Dix.
Governor Dix spoke as follows:
Admiring to-day this beautiful statue of Champlain, this splendid embodiment of genius and patriotism, it seems as if one were gazing upon it through the vista of a beautiful parkway. The statue, in all its edifying beauty, is here before us, and yet its influence and its meaning carry the mental eye adown three centuries of visualization of civilizing events—sad and happy, depressing and gladdening, horrible and glorious, all necessary in the foliage of the avenue of progress through which the mind perceives and tries to understand the character of the man whom we here honor.
Have you, in walking along the parkway of a city’s breathing-place or the lane of an arbored village, at the end of your line of vision, come upon a solitary figure—a monument, a great tree, the section of a home with a cupola upon it, or whatever it may be that by its height and loneliness interrupt and end the vista? Have you noticed that the width of the vista is seemingly greatest where you stand, and gradually diminishes until at the finishing point it is narrow, very narrow?
As I view this product of man’s acknowledgment of his indebtedness to the past, and of man’s ability to express for the present and for the ages to come his conception of his obligation to heroes and pioneers, I seem to be looking from this statue down the vista of a parkway of the three centuries between Champlain and us.
On either side stand sublime events of history, with the sun of Hope and Faith shining above. Here and there trees shut off the sunshine, while others only serve to beautify and embroider that sunshine as it filters through their verdant branches. And all the while the roadway of civilization grows gradually from the narrowness of the past to the breadth and the warmth of the present.
This is the picture as it presents itself to my mind, of the historic event we celebrate and its true meaning.
We, of the more tolerant, more enlightened, and, I hope, happier world, of the year 1912, see in this statue the heroic figure of the intrepid explorer, who was the pioneer of civilization in this magnificent region of country. His was the narrower world, perhaps, but to him belongs the immortal fame of beginning the gradual broadening of the way which, through war and sacrifice, honor and glory, leads to our present proud position among the nations of the world.
Since the plan of this Tercentenary celebration of Champlain’s discovery was so well inaugurated and so well organized, tributes of the ablest orators, the greatest writers, and the foremost officials of state and nation, have been paid to the character and the achievements of Samuel Champlain. Words seem now almost superfluous, for what can be said that will add to the fullness and the beauty and the sincerity of the expressions of honor and appreciation which have been placed upon the enduring records of time.
Champlain truly typifies the chivalry, the intrepidity and the charm of the people of his time and country. The best tribute that has been paid to him, I think, was that of Hamilton W. Mabie, and with Mr. Mabie’s words I will close: “A gentleman by birth and training, calm in danger, resourceful and swift in action, strict in discipline, but always just and kind.” (Applause.)
Copyrighted and by the courtesy of Powers Engraving Co. of New York
Gov. John A. Mead of Vermont was officially represented by the Adjutant-General of that State, Col. Lee S. Tillotson of St. Albans, who was introduced and delivered the following address:
Mr. Chairman, Your Excellency, Ladies and Gentlemen: My position here to-day reminds me of the story of the old colored gentleman who was being prosecuted for the usual misdemeanor of stealing chickens. When his case was called, the judge, who knew the culprit, looking down into the prisoner’s box where he was seated, said: “Uncle Rastus, are you the respondent in this case?” “No, yo’ honah,” said Uncle Rastus, “I’se not de respondent, I’se got a lawyer here who is goin’ to do all de respondin’ fo’ me; I’se de ge’man who done stole de chickens.” In this case, I am the respondent. The gentleman whom you invited and expected to be present to-day has not stolen any chickens, but he is, unfortunately for you and for him, detained at home by a slight attack of rheumatism, and when I tell you that it was contracted while attending as a delegate the recent national Republican convention at Chicago, you will not be surprised to learn that his malady is inflammatory in its nature. But I want to tell you that Governor Mead is not tying up his sore places with the red bandanna handkerchief. I don’t know how you feel over here, but we in Vermont do not think that the facts and events incident to the present presidential administration afford any man the right, constitutional or otherwise, to charge President Taft with fraudulent practices. I know that this is not the proper time nor place to talk politics, but, as you may have guessed, I am a Republican, and we Republicans don’t have much incentive to blow our political horns in Vermont, because everybody over there agrees with us, and the inspiration of this opportunity in Governor Dix’s jurisdiction was too strong to be resisted. However, I think we had better get on to a safer topic of discussion. (Laughter.)
I suppose that on this occasion I ought to talk about history, but I don’t know enough. I don’t even know whether the battle of Plattsburgh was a land engagement or an aerial contest. The weather is usually a reasonably safe topic, but the temperature here for the past few days has been so hot that it won’t admit of public comment. So I have decided to talk about the scenery. I think I have made a discovery. I have often wondered why it was that you New Yorkers were so much more successful in attracting summer visitors to your territory than we in Vermont. Since I have been over here I have discovered the reason. It is because of the magnificent scenery afforded you on this side of the lake of the Green Mountains of Vermont. You have been capitalizing our resources without our permission. Now you must even things up, and I want to tell you that your Adirondack Mountains appear to much better advantage, and are grander and more magnificent from the viewpoint of the Vermont shore than from anywhere else. If you don’t believe it, come over and see for yourselves. You will find in Vermont just as warm a welcome, just as comfortable hotels, just as good roads, and just as refreshing water,—and other things,—as anywhere else.
And now, Mr. Chairman, in closing, I wish to extend to you and the members of your Commission, the Governor’s regrets, and mine, that he was not able to be with you personally, and to thank you for the many courtesies which you have shown to my friends and myself on this occasion. (Applause.)
Plattsburgh has many enterprising citizens and has had some liberal benefactors. In the latter class, the name of the Hon. Francis Lynde Stetson of New York City, a native of Clinton county and long-time resident of Plattsburgh, will be cherished in grateful remembrance for his many beneficent acts to that city. It was quite natural, therefore, that he accept the Champlain memorial in behalf of the city of Plattsburgh, which he did in the following touching address:
Governor Dix: Through the kind favor of the Mayor of the city of Plattsburgh and in his behalf, I take pleasure in accepting from you this fine gift of the State of New York, worthily set in this beautiful park provided by the liberality of the people of Plattsburgh. The location is ideal, overlooking the most attractive and the most famous bay of this lovely lake, which, unlike most North American waters, bears the name of the discoverer, bestowed by himself. To those here seeking for his monument, as in the case of Sir Christopher Wren, the answer during three centuries might well have been, “look about you.” But now in the fullness of time, the accumulating admiration of many generations has demanded and has found concrete expression in this beautiful memorial of the character, the constancy and the courage of Samuel Champlain, the Christian Explorer. This work of man’s hands cannot enhance his fame, but it can and will indicate to countless generations our capacity to appreciate his virtue.
To carry abroad the gospel of his Lord and Master; to extend the influence and the prosperity of his beloved country; to replace savagery with orderly government and religious civilization, he crossed the Atlantic twenty times; he traced its western shore from Newfoundland to Cape Cod; he explored the Isthmus of Darien, and proposed to join the two oceans; he pierced the Laurentian forests, and discovered not only Champlain but also Nipissing and Huron; and he became the founder of New France. For more than a score of years he ruled in justice and equity, winning the hearts of his countrymen and the almost idolatrous affection of the savage tribes of Canada. His integrity was spotless, his sincerity unquestioned; and his piety was attested by his last will, devoting to religion his entire estate of about $1,000.
That we should give ourselves for others, for community and for country is supposed to be a call specially significant of the present hour. But three centuries since it was heard and was followed by Samuel Champlain at the sacrifice of much that most men deemed desirable. Luxurious ease at the royal court of Henri IV. he despised, and through unbroken forests led the way for civilization, thus answering the question of the Duke in “As You Like It”:
“Are not these woods
More free from peril than the envious court?”
In the deep fastnesses of the forests he carried the cross as his amulet and sought the salvation of souls.
This day can show no higher type nor profess a nobler faith than his. This poor French boy of Brouage by three-score years of faithful duty proved that virtue is not the monopoly of any age or country or class; and that to help the world greatly forward no special calling is necessary. All that is needed is the faithful following of high ideals. Such was the accomplishment of Champlain and such, two centuries later, of the other great hero of these waters, the chivalrous and God-fearing Macdonough, soon to be honored by a monument on this shore.
It is well that this generation should make recognition of such lives, proving that love toward God and man and its constant expression in a consistent life are not incompatible with the development and exhibition of the most heroic and manly virtues.
But to limit our recognition to the raising of a monument were indeed an empty show. Those who without genuine and active sympathy would build the tombs of the prophets and garnish the sepulchres of the righteous were denounced by the Master as hypocrites.
Life service and not lip service is required of those who would perpetuate, and should emulate the virtues of Champlain.
This monument is erected to him and not through the pretext of his name to ourselves. But, in a sense it must imply a sympathetic appreciation by this generation and this community. Let the deed follow the profession. Self-sacrifice, integrity, devotion to duty, truth-telling, clean-living and love of God and man must be the aim of every man, woman and child who in heart and truth helps raise this monument. The aim I say, but, only by God’s help, the achievement, for to few are given the enduring fortitude and the prevailing persistence of Champlain and Macdonough.
That this monument shall stand and shall continue to stand a silent but effective monitor, teaching the men, the women, the boys and the girls of this valley to lead clean and helpful lives, and to leave behind them memories which shall encourage others so to live, is the hope in which this gift is accepted and will be preserved. (Applause.)
Ambassador J. J. Jusserand was unavoidably absent on a visit to the Republic from which he is accredited to this country. He was represented, however, on this occasion by Count de Peretti de la Rocca, Chargé d’Affaires de France, at Washington. Count de Peretti de la Rocca was introduced and spoke as follows:
It is often said that America looks always to the future. The beautiful festivities at which we are assisting prove the contrary. Descendants of the pioneers of former times on this continent, which they opened up to civilization, you are continuing their work. Animated by their spirit of daring and activity, you are extending each day the field of their conquests, and you are reaping the fruits of the harvest of their deeds. But you like sometimes to stop your daily toil, to come and meditate before the rude cradle of your great nation.
To-day, pleasure boats sail on this beautiful lake, and its shady banks seem to have been intended always as a place of rest for tired city dwellers. It is not without some effort of imagination that we can now recall the rugged Champlain and his strange troop, sailing on the same lake in pursuit of the Iroquois. However, you wished that the tourists, who come here each year in thousands, surrounded by luxury and beauty, should be reminded of their first great predecessor. And you have raised up to Champlain this monument, which does honor both to the initiative of your Commissions and to the talents of your architects. You found that there was in the life of Champlain, as in those of the other French pioneers, of whom your historian, Parkman, so well wrote the lives, lessons which should not be lost. The example of their ingenuity, which nothing could rebut, of their energy, which nothing could daunt, of their faith, which never was discouraged, is still a lesson of confidence and optimism. Pessimistic persons might perhaps point out that these men failed to attain their ends. They traveled over this continent seeking a way to China, and that way did not exist. Anyway, they hoped that the countries which they discovered would become the possessions of their nation and of their King, and now the lilies of the French monarchy have been replaced by the Stars and Stripes of the American democracy. But these are only partial failures and their efforts were not in vain. China remained closed to them, but America and its treasures were opened to them. The vicissitudes of events have caused a change of nationality in the countries discovered by them, but I am sure they are content in their graves on account of celebrations of their memory such as that of to-day: on account also of the unalterable friendship which binds your nation to theirs and especially on account of the confident eagerness with which, inherited from them, you continue and complete their work.
Now, ladies and gentlemen, if you permit me I will add some words in my own language.
Cela ne sera pas pour déplaire à mon grande compatriote Champlain. Je tiens à exprimer au Gouverneur Dix at au Chairman Knapp tous mes remerciements pour la manière si flatteuse at si affectueuse dont ils ont parlé de mon pays. Je veux vous dire à tous combien je suis heureux et reconnaissant que le souvenir de la France ait été si intimement associé à ces belles cérémonies.
Enfin j’ajouterai combien j’ai été touché par l’aimable accueil que nous a réservé la cité de Plattsburgh dont la beauté des paysages, le pittoresque des rues et des maisons, le charme des habitants m’ont tout spécialement frappé. Aussi est-ce du fond de coeur que je forme les voeux les plus ardents pour la continuation de sa prospérité.
The address was enthusiastically received.
The Hon. John A. Stewart of New York was the next speaker and in the course of his address, which was extempore and therefore unreported except in substance, he said:
From Champlain’s day we have grown into the most potential nation in the world, but let us thank God that mere power is not the measure of a nation’s greatness. We have become the richest nation in the world, but every day of our existence we should give thanks to the Almighty that our standing among the nations rests upon another basis than the mere possession of great wealth. We are the most populous among the nations of advanced civilization, but we should thank God that the gauge of our power and our greatness does not lie merely in superiority in point of numbers. A nation like the individual is great only to the degree of the possession of the homely virtues, the virtues of the home and fireside, of contentment and the peace and satisfaction which come from honest toil, from the day’s tasks done in the proper spirit of thankfulness for all the blessings which have come from advantages given by a prodigal nature. The prophetic vision of Champlain which saw occupying the North American continent a great and a mighty people has been realized. It is to men of Champlain’s blood that we owe the searching out and the discovery of the fertility of this great land and its adaptation for the uses of mankind. To those of his own race, who have succeeded him, we Americans are tied by the bond of a common destiny. Though separated politically, Canada, which is the heritage of Champlain, and this beautiful north country which is equally his heritage and one of the most beautiful parts of the great Republic, stand shoulder to shoulder in the working out of a common fate; for no danger can menace the one without the other sharing in that danger and no great national blessing can come to the one without that same blessing working its benefit to the other. Blessed is the land and blessed the people where the homely virtues are still inculcated, where that admonition of the Almighty is regarded not merely as an article of faith, but as a precept to be followed, “Honor thy father and thy mother that thy days may be long in the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee,” for of such is the land which Champlain found and the people which bless him as the great discoverer. (Applause.)
The last speaker was the Hon. Job E. Hedges of New York City, whose address sparkled with wit and kept the audience in a ripple of laughter. It was also extempore. In the course of his address he said:
The specific things Champlain did are not so important as his motive. He was an epoch in history. It falls to few men to be greater than their generation. If we are to draw a lesson at this time, it is that physical courage unbacked by moral effort is futile. It is very easy to be good rhetorically. I believe in the efficacy of prayer, but it is possible to remain on your knees so long that you overlook a neighbor’s distress.
It is better to try and fail than not to endeavor. Champlain never felt that he was called—he just went. He never worried about prosperity. He framed his opinions without asking himself whether he was in the majority or not. It is better to practice one commandment and forget the other nine than have all of them committed to memory as a rhetorical exercise.
It is a great thing to have a man’s memory remain 300 years without tarnish—or even 300 days without it. It is a wonderful thing to be great and not know it. Champlain could have closed his eyes forever at the end of any twenty-four hours of his life and have said, “I have done the best I could.” (Applause.)
Benediction was then pronounced by the Rt. Rev. Monsignor M. J. Lavelle, Vicar General of New York, as follows:
Father of Bounty from Whom all blessings flow, we thank Thee from the inmost recesses of our souls for the blessings bestowed upon our country and the human race, through the courage and self-sacrifice of Samuel Champlain. This monument dedicated to his memory to-day, is a token, primarily, of our gratitude to Thee for the favors Thou hast granted us through Thy servant. Teach us all to be like him, intrepid in danger, indomitable in trial, undismayed in failure and unspoiled in success. May everyone who has participated in the erection and dedication of this monument have the grace to direct his own life in the way of happiness and virtue, and also to be a source of benediction unto generations yet unborn.
We pray Thee, O Father of Might, Wisdom and Justice, through Whom alone authority is rightfully administered, laws enacted and judgment decreed, assist with Thy Holy Spirit of Counsel and Fortitude, the President of these United States, that his administration may be eminently useful to Thy people over whom he presides, by the encouragement of virtue and religion, by wise enforcement of the laws in justice and in mercy, and by repressing vice and immorality. Let the Light of Thy Divine Wisdom shine upon the deliberations of Congress, and manifest itself in all the laws framed for our government, that these regulations may tend to the preservation of peace, the extension of National prosperity, the increase of industry, sobriety and useful knowledge, and may perpetuate amongst us the boon of equal liberty.
We pray also for the Governors of these two states, for the members of the Legislatures, for all judges and magistrates and other officials appointed to guard our political welfare. Aid them with Thy guiding hand, that they may be able to discharge the duties of their several offices with honesty and ability.
We pray also for all our brethren and fellow-citizens throughout the United States, that they may be blessed in the knowledge, and sanctified in the performance of Thy Holy Will. Preserve us in unity, and in that peace which the world cannot give. And after having tasted Thy bounty here below, may we be admitted to the joys that are eternal.