We have met to-day to commem-' orate the life and services of an American citizen and soldier, who has left his impress upon China in way to challenge our warmest adtmalration, It is a rare privilege, in-ideed, to render valuable and conspiedous services to a foreign nation. And when such services are crowned by the surrender of one's fife, it is but natural that future generations should, from time to time, manifest their reverent appreciation of their benefactor. His tory now and then records examples.
such personal sacrifice and immalation, and I know of no instance jin which the people benefited, have failed to accord to their benefactor the highest of honour, and the most unstinted praise. It would be dif-fault, indeed, to estimate the far reaching and lasting influence of ithe heroic conduct of General Frederick T. Ward in aiding China to suppress the Taiping—Rebellion. And it is with special reference to that influence, upon the people of the United States and of China, that I wish to speak to you to-day. very reason, we should be all the more anxious (3 prove ourselves really helpful to these people with whom we live in the, realization of. those advantages and benefits which are ours in the land of our birth. And if we could only appreciate and realize that our present opportanities in China should be made wse of from day to day, and in th best manner possible, it may som time be our good fortune, as it was that of General Ward, to merit the praise of future generations, and piake them feel thankful that we had lived in China, and that our ives here had not been in vain, If this idea of individual service and good wilt to the people of China can only be made more and mors ar rule of dairy conduct, we shall have gained the satisfaction of (t rowing that we have Rived in accordance with the principles and motives which actuated General Ward and the other Americans who were his contemporaries in those carly days in China, and in that tway, as in no other, shall we just fy our living here, and our particpation in the fruits and benefits of this civilization,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.