"We have journied hither with only the general knowledge of this country acquired in our schools, but since our arrival at La Guaira, we have passed through experiences which have left our spirits fatigued, if this expression may be permitted, with the constant spectacle of grandeur and majesty never dreamed of before. As we climbed your lofty mountains, which form a great barrier between the heart of your country and the outside world, we were continually passing from one deep impression to another, and at the same time were arriving at a clearer understanding of the character of your people. We saw the humble laborers of the field stand erect as we passed and show that noble type of manhood which has been observable in all the men we have met in this country. And when we gazed upon the mountains and the huge abysses which abound in this part of the American continent, we ceased to wonder at the marvelous deeds of your famous warriors in your struggle for independence. Backed by men accustomed to fight and conquer a land of mountains and valleys like your mountains and valleys, a chieftain might well dare to range over a continent fighting for the freedom of his own country and offering freedom to neighboring peoples. Bolívar and the Venezuelans seem in some respects identical with this territory. Their characters suggest mountains.
"We shall learn more and more of you during our stay, and I hope you will know us well enough to consider us your sincere and permanent friends.
"To the young men who study in this University I must say a few words, yielding to the old tendency of men accustomed to speak from the chair or the platform of the classroom. It would seem that every teacher should have a message to deliver to the youth of his country, or to those of any other country of the world. My message to you is this: We must use every endeavor in scientific research to extract from nature all that nature has for the benefit of mankind, in order to destroy such evil forces as still molest human beings, to improve our standards of life, to advance upwards to higher levels in thinking and in acting. To accomplish this, we need clear, practical and investigating minds. But beware of the fallacies entertained by those who contend that the mind of man can encompass and explain all truths, and that whatever can not be fully explained by the mind or demonstrated according to the limited means that science may offer is not truth. There are some things above human reason, and to understand them and to explain them we must invoke more than our minds. We must bring to them the best of our hearts. Those great truths that are beyond actual scientific demonstration are not lesser truths, but greater truths. It is not permissible to live indifferent to good and bad as some so-called philosophers pretend, but it is permissible, and it is our solemn duty in many instances, to look beyond science, because there are summits which science does not reach, and to attain which we must fly with the wings of our hearts. The supreme spiritual conceptions of God, of Home, of Country do not fall within the range of the physical sciences, but are, nevertheless, the great, fundamental truths upon which everything noble and everything lofty must rest.
"We thank you, ladies and gentlemen, for opening your doors to us in such a frank and cordial manner, and we hope to prove during our stay in this country that we are not unworthy of such friendship."
The Minister of Public Instruction, Dr. González Rincones, then read the reply of the University of Caracas and later forwarded the engrossed manuscript to Washington:
The President of the Council of Instruction
and the
Faculties of the University of Caracas
to the
President and Faculties
of the
University of Georgetown,
Washington, D. C.,
Greetings:
"We appreciate profoundly your message of friendship, and we see with pleasure under the roof of the University of Caracas your distinguished professor and this chosen group of your students.
"The fraternal expressions of affection and comradeship which the President and Faculties of the University of Georgetown send us have entered into the hearts of our professors and students, and have found there a most cordial welcome. Your travelers will be able to tell you how great has been the enthusiasm which your visit has awakened, a visit which does not come from a house unknown to us, since besides holding in our memory the scientific renown which the University of Georgetown deservedly enjoys, and the marks of glory of which she boasts, we remember with that fondness which we owe to all that proceeds from the Father of our Country, the special recommendation which he made that Fernando Bolívar be educated in the celebrated and ancient College of Georgetown, which we see to-day converted into a great University.