Among those on the platform was Sergeant William H. Carney, of New
Bedford, Mass., the brave coloured officer who was the colour-bearer
at Fort Wagner and held the American flag. In spite of the fact that
a large part of his regiment was killed, he escape, and exclaimed,
after the battle was over, "The old flag never touched the ground."
This flag Sergeant Carney held in his hands as he sat on the
platform, and when I turned to address the survivors of the coloured
regiment who were present, and referred to Sergeant Carney, he rose,
as if by instinct, and raised the flag. It has been my privilege to
witness a good many satisfactory and rather sensational demonstrations
in connection with some of my public addresses, but in dramatic effect
I have never seen or experienced anything which equalled this. For a
number of minutes the audience seemed to entirely lose control of
itself.
In the general rejoicing throughout the country which followed the
close of the Spanish-American war, peace celebrations were arranged in
several of the large cities. I was asked by President William R.
Harper, of the University of Chicago, who was chairman of the
committee of invitations for the celebration to be held in the city of
Chicago, to deliver one of the addresses at the celebration there. I
accepted the invitation, and delivered two addresses there during the
Jubilee week. The first of these, and the principal one, was given in
the Auditorium, on the evening of Sunday, October 16. This was the
largest audience that I have ever addressed, in any part of the
country; and besides speaking in the main Auditorium, I also
addressed, that same evening, two overflow audiences in other parts of
the city.
It was said that there were sixteen thousand persons in the
Auditorium, and it seemed to me as if there were as many more on the
outside trying to get in. It was impossible for any one to get near
the entrance without the aid of a policeman. President William
McKinley attended this meeting, as did also the members of his
Cabinet, many foreign ministers, and a large number of army and navy
officers, many of whom had distinguished themselves in the war which
had just closed. The speakers, besides myself, on Sunday evening,
were Rabbi Emil G. Hirsch, Father Thomas P. Hodnett, and Dr. John H.
Barrows.
The Chicago Times-Herald, in describing the meeting, said of my
address: —
