REPORT OF DR. GUILLERMO A. SHERWELL
_Professor of Spanish_
TO THE REGENT OF THE SCHOOL OF FOREIGN SERVICE
_Sir:_
In order to afford the students of the School of Foreign Service an
opportunity to practise Spanish and to study at first hand economic
conditions in one of the South American countries, it was decided in
May, 1920, to send a group of not more than twenty to Venezuela under
the direction of the Professor of Spanish. The Knights of Columbus
agreed to pay for the expenses of twelve of the students, who were
holders of scholarships awarded by that organization to ex-service
men, and six other candidates offered to pay their own expenses.
Consequently, a group of eighteen was selected in accordance with the
following conditions laid down by the University authorities: (1)
That the student's mark in Spanish had not been less than 70% and (2)
That he had not failed in any other subject of the Foreign Service
curriculum. The students chosen were:
PAUL BABBITT, Arizona
J. HOMER BUTLER, Massachusetts
FRANK CHIRIELEISON, District of Columbia
JAMES F. COSTELLO, Wisconsin
WALTER J. DONNELLY, Connecticut
EDWARD FANNING, New York
WILLARD C. FRAZEE, Ohio
MATTHEW HEILER, Massachusetts
NELSON HOPKINS, New Jersey
WILLIAM JOHNSON, District of Columbia
GEORGE E. MCKENNA, Massachusetts
THOMAS MORRIS, New York
EDWARD L. MURPHY, Pennsylvania
JAMES J. O'NEIL, Massachusetts
JOSEPH P. QUINLAN, Massachusetts
DAVID SCHLESINGER, Iowa
PHILIP D. SULLIVAN, Massachusetts
GEORGE A. TOWNSEND, Maryland
It was provided that the students should have, each day, an academic
hour of formal Spanish instruction while in South America, that they
should be distributed among private families where they might have
frequent opportunity to practise Spanish and that they should devote
a second academic hour each day to recitation and discussion of the
economic and financial conditions of Venezuela. Individual research
work on economic topics was likewise required. The results of each
student's investigations were to be discussed in class so that each
student might profit by his fellow-students' labors, each man having
one topic on which to report. This program was carried out as it had
been planned. The topics, distributed by lot during the sea voyage,
were as follows:
Economic history of Venezuela.
Agricultural and forestal resources of Venezuela.
Cattle industry in Venezuela.
Coffee industry in Venezuela.
Sugar industry in Venezuela.
Mineral oil industry in Venezuela.
Mineral resources of Venezuela.
Ports of Venezuela.
Commercial travelers in Venezuela.
Venezuela as a field for the investment of foreign capital. Present
foreign investments.
Banking and currency in Venezuela. History and present status.
Venezuelan foreign trade. American goods in Venezuela.
Bills of exchange, checks, and trade acceptances in Venezuela.
Steamer and cable communications with Venezuela.
Taxation and budget in Venezuela.
Venezuelan public debt.
Population, immigration, and public education in Venezuela.
On June 16, 1920, the group sailed from New York on the Red "D" Line
Steamship _Caracas_. Several representatives of the press came on board
together with friends and alumni of Georgetown to bid Godspeed to the
first missionaries of friendship sent by an American university to
South America.
On June 26th the group arrived at La Guaira, the port nearest the
capital of the country, and was received by personal representatives
of the Secretaries of Foreign Relations, of the Treasury and of Public
Instruction, as well as by a very distinguished group of students
of the different schools of Caracas, headed by their President, Mr.
Atilano Carnevali. After lunching at a beach called Macuto, the group
was taken in automobiles to Caracas and escorted to their lodgings
where two students were placed in each house.
On Monday, June 28th, the message, in Latin, from the University of
Georgetown, engraved on parchment and addressed to the Universidad
Central de Caracas, was delivered to the Venezuelan authorities in the
beautiful auditorium of that University.
The President of the Council, a body which exercises supervision of
the University studies and is the supreme examining tribunal for the
conferring of diplomas, announced in brief words the object of the
meeting and invited us in the following words, to present the message
of the University of Georgetown:
"Gentlemen of the National Council of Instruction and Members
of the National Commissions; President and Members of the
Schools of Physical, Medical, Mathematical and Political
Sciences of the City of Caracas; Representatives of the
Academies and other Institutions of University Extension;
Students, Ladies and Gentlemen:
"We have assembled to receive the visit of illustrious guests
who bring a noble and generous message from the University
of Georgetown; they come at a time propitious for American
patriotism and they are going to spend here the month in which
we celebrate the date of the independence of our countries. It
will be a pleasure for the Venezuelans to do as much as lies
in their power to the end that such distinguished guests carry
back to their country the most agreeable impressions. You are
about to hear the message from the University of Georgetown.
Prof. Sherwell will now address you."
The message follows.
_The
President and Faculties of the
University of Georgetown
to
The President and Faculties of
the
Central University of Caracas,_
_Greetings:_
"_We avail ourselves of a mission made with an educational
object by one of our professors and a group of our students to
send to you and to the students of your University fraternal
expressions of affection and comradeship from the University of
Georgetown._
"_The University of Georgetown has developed at the same time
that this nation has advanced into its proper life. She has
witnessed its struggles for liberty, its efforts to acquire
constitutional life, the bloody conflict which was necessary
to preserve the union and the last tremendous war into which
it entered in order to preserve inviolate the sacred heritage
of liberty which our ancestors have handed down to us._
_"To each one of these conflicts the University of Georgetown
has given liberally of its blood, and she preserves sacred the
names of those who carried the banner of the Blue and Gray
whithersoever the banner of the Stars and Stripes led them._
_"Identified with the country of Washington since the days of
Washington, this University believes itself worthy to regard
itself as a sister of the University of the country of Bolívar,
and in extending its hand to clasp the hand of its sister, the
University of Georgetown presents to the University of Caracas
her sincere wishes that the friendship of the two institutions
may endure and be as profound as was the friendship of the two
liberators for the whole American continent, and as sincere as
is the friendship which exists between the United States of
North America and the United States of Venezuela. Assuredly
there is no stronger bond among men than the pure love of
liberty and truth. In this common devotion, racial differences
are forgotten and party strife ceases. When Truth and Liberty
speak, all else is silent._
_Farewell._
JOHN B. CREEDEN, S. J., PH. D.,
_Rector of the University_.
WILLIAM COLEMAN NEVILS, S. J., PH. D.,
_Dean, Faculty of Arts and Sciences_.
THOMAS I. GASSON, S. J., PH. D.,
_Dean, Graduate School_.
BRUCE L. TAYLOR, D. D. S.,
_Dean, Faculty of Dentistry_.
GEORGE MARTIN KOBER, M. D., LL. D.,
_Dean, Faculty of Medicine_.
GEORGE E. HAMILTON, LL. D.,
_Dean, Faculty of Law_.
EDMUND A. WALSH, S. J., PH. D.,
_Regent, School of Foreign Service_.
[Illustration]
Given at Washington, on the Ides of June, in the year of our
Salvation One Thousand Nine Hundred and Twenty."
[Illustration: SALUTATION--GEORGETOWN TO UNIVERSITY OF CARACAS]
After delivering in Spanish the formal message from the University of
Georgetown to the Universidad Central de Caracas your representative
added the following words:
"The students of the School of Foreign Service of Georgetown
University are very sensible of the honor conferred upon
them by this reception in the Assembly Hall of the Central
University of Caracas, and especially appreciative of the
courtesy shown by this distinguished assembly of selected
social and educational elements of this capital.
"The students of the School of Foreign Service have been sent
to this wonderful country of yours to practise the beautiful
Spanish language, to study the economic and financial life of
Venezuela, and to live among you your own life and observe your
own customs. They come to you with minds set to their work and
with hearts open to all impressions which may come from the
outside world. Most of them have passed through the harrowing
experiences of the World War. They crossed the seas to the
European battle fields to defend the cause of liberty for which
America stands, and now, upon returning to the activities of
civil life, they are preparing themselves for a better service
to their country by improving their minds, with the ultimate
purpose of promoting the foreign trade of the United States.
They have much to learn, and you have much to teach them.
They are in your hands, and I am sure that the University of
Georgetown could never hope to provide better instructors for
students of Latin American affairs.
"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._
_"Venezuelan students have distinguished themselves always by
love of liberty, and have sacrificed themselves with Ribas in
the holy struggle for our independence. With equal love they
venerate Science and Liberty. It is not strange, then, that
they are full of joy in receiving envoys of a University which,
on the banks of the Potomac and near the tomb of Washington,
holds always aloft the ideals which the liberators of the North
and of the South loved with passionate devotion._
_"The professors and students of the country of Bolívar clasp
cordially the hand which the University of Georgetown extends
to them, and will deem it a signal honor to cultivate the
friendship which tradition has originated and which the visit
of your professor and your students will contribute powerfully
to cement."_
_Given in the City of Caracas, the fourth day before the
Kalends of July in the year of our Salvation, One Thousand,
Nine Hundred and Twenty._
_Farewell._
_President of the Council of National Instruction_,
R. GONZÁLEZ RINCONES.
_The President of the Commission of Theology_,
NICOLÁS E. NAVARRO.
_The President of the Commission of Political Sciences_,
CARLOS F. GRISANTI.
_The President of the Commission of Medicine_,
LUIS RAZETTI.
_The President of the Commission of Physics, Mathematics,
and Natural Sciences_,
GERMÁN JIMÉNEZ.
_The President of the Commission of Philosophy and Letters_,
R. VILLAVICENCIO.
_The President of the Commission of Political Sciences_,
JOSÉ SANTIAGO RODRÍGUEZ.
_The President of the Faculty of Medicine_,
LUIS FELIPE BLANCO.
_The President of the Faculty of Mathematics, Physics and
Natural Sciences_,
LUIS UGUETO.
_Secretary of the Council of Instruction_,
EDUARDO CALCAÑO SZ.
[Illustration]
* * * * *
Beginning Tuesday, June 29th, regular lectures in Spanish and economics
were held in a splendid room in the National Library of Venezuela
placed at the disposal of our group. The Director of the Library, Dr.
Manuel Segundo Sánchez, very graciously and with considerable pains
furnished the students with all books, documents, and information they
required, and during our entire stay in Caracas did all in his power
to make us comfortable and render our work successful. Dr. Sánchez
deserves the gratitude of the University.
The Minister of Public Instruction, Dr. Rafael González Rincones,
kindly gave the students letters of introduction to the persons in
charge of the different government offices who were in a position to
furnish them the most accurate information on the assigned topics.
Furthermore, all offices were thrown open to the Georgetown students,
and all the public officials placed themselves at their disposal
whenever they went to them in search of information or help.
[Illustration: REPLY OF UNIVERSITY OF CARACAS TO GEORGETOWN]
The work of the students was supplemented by several entertainments,
such as a luncheon given by the students of the Venezuela in the
Normal School; a reception tendered by the Seminary of Caracas, with
the attendance of the Archbishop and the Nuncio; a theatrical function
in the National Theatre; a picnic in a grove called Los Chorros; a
visit to an industrial exhibition where they learned of the remarkable
progress made by that country in recent years; and finally a concert
and theatrical performance by the College of San Francisco de Sales,
at which the "Star Spangled Banner" was sung by the students and the
United States flag and the Georgetown colors were displayed together
with the Venezuelan flag.
On one occasion the Federation of Students held a reception at the
School of Political Sciences in honor of the Georgetown students.
Addresses were delivered by the president of the Federation and
by your representative, who took occasion to describe some of the
characteristics of student life in the United States, which could not
but be of interest to students in other countries, terminating his
remarks with the expression of a sincere wish for closer relations
between the students of the University of Caracas and those of
Georgetown.
The College of San Francisco de Sales from the first day opened its
doors to the students of Georgetown, who found there a real home,
and they certainly used it to their best advantage, playing tennis,
baseball, and mingling freely with the students and the persons in
charge of that institution. The Reverend Jerónimo Gordini, Director
of the College, Dom Pardo and other professors of the establishment
deserve the gratitude of our University.
The authorities of the Military Academy of Venezuela, realizing that
most of the Georgetown students who were visiting that country had
seen service in the United States Army, tendered them a reception on
the Fourth of July, at which many distinguished ladies and gentlemen
of Caracas were present. The cadets gave an exhibition drill, after
which tea was served in the large hall of the Academy, which had been
beautifully decorated with flowers in combinations representing the
colors of the United States and Venezuela. The Director of the Academy
addressed the Georgetown men, welcoming them cordially; and your
representative answered in the following terms:
"Mr. Director, Officers and Students of The Military Academy,
Ladies and Gentlemen:
"The idea of country finds expression in certain symbols which,
powerfully impressed in the hearts of men, lead them to great
deeds, even to the sacrifice of their lives, for principles
radicated in their hearts and minds from childhood. Those
symbols are the flag, the national anthem and the army.
"The army is a country itself, converted into a weapon of
protection and defense, and is constituted not only of men
who form the ranks of the present, but also of the glorious
traditions of the men who have formed the ranks of days gone by.
"Armies are heirs to a rich legacy of honor, and in increasing
that legacy and leaving it to their successors, they bequeath
the noblest ideals of unsurpassed patriotism.
"Were we to institute a comparative study of the achievements
of the armies of the various countries of the world, we should
find that no one of them surpasses the Venezuelan army in
the glory of its traditions. You are the descendants and the
followers of those men who, under the guidance of Bolívar's
mighty genius, traversed this continent holding aloft the
flag of liberty, creating countries wherever they went, and
writing with their own blood the supreme epic of South American
independence. You students of this Academy are the hope of
your country. She trusts you as a fond mother trusts in the
love and protection of her vigorous growing sons. You have an
inheritance of which you may well be proud. This inheritance
imposes upon you a great responsibility. You are to increase
it, never to imperil it. You will never, I am confident,
tarnish the purity of Venezuela's glory by not exemplifying the
highest ideals of life or by not striving in every way for the
promotion of Venezuela's welfare.
"These young Americans who are here among you have been
soldiers, and with the fellowship of comrades they are here
in intimate communication with you, feeling a deep sense of
respect for the sons of a sister republic which their fathers
have long appreciated and loved. They extend the hand of
brotherhood and ask you to believe that their purposes are also
yours--the best service to their country and the preserving of
the sacred inheritance of honor handed down to them by their
forefathers.
"Wherever patriotism is alive, wherever there exist the same
inspiration and the same lofty purposes, comradeship is not a
mere formula, but a union of souls. We feel that we have seen
the very soul of Venezuela, and when we leave your hospitable
Academy we shall carry away with us a deep respect and
admiration for your country, for your institutions and for your
army."
On the Fourth of July wreaths were deposited on the tomb of Bolívar and
statue of Washington. Addresses were delivered on the latter occasion
by the president of the Students' Federation, Mr. Atilano Carnevali,
and at the former ceremony by your representative.
A most pleasant interruption in our work was a four-day automobile trip
which lasted from Sunday, July 11th, to Wednesday, July 14th, and which
was provided by the Minister of Public Instruction.
On Sunday morning all arose at about three o'clock, and after taking
coffee, we boarded automobiles in the Plaza Bolívar, from which point a
start was made at five o'clock. I shall not undertake to describe the
wonderful Venezuelan mountains and valleys. They must be seen to have
their grandeur appreciated. The automobile roads passing through the
valleys and over the mountains are as good as can be found anywhere in
this country, and it is a matter of great surprise that so few tourists
visit Venezuela, where the scenery has no superior in beauty, where
the climate is unsurpassed in mildness and healthfulness, the safety
of travelers is as secure as in the best streets of a well-policed
city, and where the comforts of traveling--at least by automobile--are
as great as could be found in the United States, not to mention the
extreme courtesy of the Venezuelans, a quality which is not shallow,
but comes from the heart and makes all foreigners feel very much at
home.
At 6:15 A. M. the group reached the little town of Los Teques enveloped
in a morning mist, the stillness broken by the ringing of the bells
of a little chapel, calling the faithful to worship. We left the
automobiles and entered the church, and had one of the most charming
experiences of our lives by attending the service in that quiet country
shrine.
About 8:30 A. M. we arrived at a place called Guayas, where we had
an excellent breakfast. From there we continued our trip through the
valley of Aragua, which lies to the west of the valley of Caracas.
The entire valley of Aragua is rich with memories of Bolívar and the
struggle for independence. There stands his old farm, San Mateo, made
sacred by the memories of Captain Ricaurte, who blew himself and an
hostile army to pieces rather than allow the ammunition of the patriots
to fall into the hands of their foes. There lies the town of La
Victoria, where the brave general Ribas defeated the royalists with the
aid of the students of the city of Caracas. Every plain, hill, brook
and forest seems to speak of Venezuela's epic fight for independence.
At 12:30 we stopped at a place called San Juan de Los Morros, where we
enjoyed a bath in the sulphur springs, had luncheon as the guests of
the Minister of Public Instruction, and had the pleasure of meeting
the president-elect, the provisional president, and several other high
officials of the Republic. From San Juan de Los Morros we continued to
Maracay, a city of about 15,000 inhabitants, where the president-elect,
who is the Commander-in-Chief of the Army, generally resides.
Leaving Maracay early Monday morning and crossing the mountain range
which divides the valley of Aragua from the seashore, we journied
to the port of Ocumare de la Costa. The road is a constant marvel.
Carved in the live rock of the mountain, it climbs from the lowland
surrounding Lake Valencia up to the clouds, and actually pierces the
clouds until a spot called Rancho Grande is attained. From there it
begins to descend towards the Caribbean Sea. On the south side of
the mountains the beautiful lake of Valencia can be seen, visible at
times in its complete extension, surrounded by forests, sugarcane
plantations and cattle farms. The hills to the south are covered with
coffee plantations. There several small rivers finish their courses.
Stretching down to the seashore may be seen numerous cocoa and rubber
plantations.
Ocumare de la Costa is a very fine natural port. There Miranda and
Bolívar landed with their troops to fight for independence, and at
it, too, ten young Americans landed to join the Independent Army of
Venezuela. All these youths were made prisoners by the Spaniards and
executed. We saw the two beautiful monuments erected to their memory,
one in Maracay and another in Puerto Cabello. Colonel Romero, Commander
of the Port, entertained us at luncheon.
[Illustration]
In the afternoon we drove back by the same road and had still time to
visit Las Delicias, where there is a good zoological museum containing,
among other animals, beautiful specimens of herons, which produce
the famous aigrettes. It is to be noted that there is in Venezuela
a very stringent law against the killing of herons or even against
the plucking of their feathers. The aigrettes are to be obtained
only in the places where the herons assemble and drop their feathers
naturally, at certain periods of the year. In view of these facts it
seems reasonable to suggest that our law prohibiting the importation of
aigrettes should make an exception of feathers coming from Venezuela.
After spending a second night in Maracay, we left on Tuesday for a trip
around Lake Valencia. We visited a cream and cheese factory where the
most modern machinery is used in multiplying the products of the dairy
industry. On our way we visited the town of Güigüe, where we were the
object of the most courteous attention from General Romero Galván, who
accompanied us to the great coffee plantation of El Trompillo, owned by
the Pimentel family, two members of which, Don Antonio and Don Manuel,
made our brief stay as pleasant as it was instructive.
From El Trompillo we proceeded to inspect a sugar plantation called
Tacarigua, where the overseer in charge of the machinery explained to
the students all the processes in the preparation of cane sugar. From
Tacarigua we continued to Valencia, where we arrived in the afternoon,
having had luncheon in a small town called Bucarito. Valencia has been
called the most beautiful of tropical cities and, indeed, it deserves
the distinction. From Valencia we continued around the lake until we
arrived again in Maracay, after having once more admired the beauty and
splendid condition of the Venezuelan automobile roads.
Our last night we spent in Maracay, and on Wednesday started back to
Caracas. The return trip was made more slowly to enable us to stop at
several historical places and hear the interesting explanations very
kindly given by Dr. Manuel Segundo Sánchez, Director of the National
Library, who was our kind and learned guide and friend throughout the
trip. At San Mateo, we stopped and took several pictures of the house
where Captain Ricaurte made the supreme sacrifice of his life for the
independence of Venezuela. In La Victoria we visited several places of
historic interest and had a picture taken of the statue of the heroic
general Ribas. In Guayas we remained for over an hour resting. Late in
the afternoon we arrived in Caracas delighted with our trip and warmly
grateful both to the Minister of Public Instruction, to whose kindness
we owed the valuable experience, and to Dr. Manuel Segundo Sánchez,
to whom we owed most of the profit and pleasure derived from the
expedition.
Recitations and research work continued as before until Thursday,
July 29th, when we had the last formal class. It would be of interest
to recount some of the minor activities of the members of the class
if time and space would permit. For instance, several students were
charged to keep a detailed and accurate thermometric and barometric
record in order to demonstrate the fact that Caracas has a clearer and
less oppressive climate in summer than any of the great cities of the
north Atlantic seaboard of the United States. On Friday, the 30th, a
written examination in Spanish was held from 9 to 11, and at 11 o'clock
the students proceeded to the School of Social Sciences where our
course was to terminate with a lecture delivered by Dr. Pedro Itriago
Chacín, head of the diplomatic service of the government, professor
of international law, and a well known internationalist of Venezuela.
In the appendix of this report appears a translation of Dr. Itriago's
address. At the close of the inspiring address of Dr. Itriago Chacín,
a student in his course, Don Pedro La-Riva Vale, briefly expressed
the sentiment of fraternal feelings of Venezuelan students for the
Georgetown students. Some sentences from his remarks are not unworthy
of quotation.
"Our satisfaction is greater when we turn our eyes to the pages
of our diplomatic history, for we can not forget, if we are
grateful, that North America, ever ready to foster noble ideas
of Freedom, has always encouraged those who aspire to Liberty,
with the same ardor which she inspired in the heart of her
legionaries in the crusade for her freedom.
"At the time of our emancipation, following her own indications
that Congress would duly receive the representatives of those
who fought constantly to give us a free country, the United
States on June 26, 1810, sent to the Supreme Council of
Caracas Mr. Lowry, in the capacity of financial agent, who
had the duties proper to a consular position although he was
not received in this capacity because it was not allowed by
the form of government existing at that time. In 1811, the
two Houses manifested their sympathy and interest for the
newly-born sovereignties; it was Democracy sanctioning the
conquests of Liberty. Later, Scott was made Agent of Supplies,
and Lowry, Consul in fact; and Congress voted credits to
establish legations, thus sanctioning our introduction into
the community of free countries. In 1824, commercial ties
were established which, strengthened day by day, are the
vital arteries giving force to the economic organism of our
nationalities.
"Monroe, when he defined in his celebrated doctrine our rights
to independence and formulated the prohibition to Europeans
against colonizing in the new world, sanctioned in the most
emphatic manner the highest achievement of American rights.
"America for Americans,"--without any spurious interpretation
such as some have given to it,--is the condensation of the
efforts of the champions of the freedom of America, of this,
our America, which has known how to defend its right amid
the vibrations of its tempestuous seas! Bolívar, breaking
the chains of slavery with an invincible sword, and Monroe,
establishing a new concept of right, understand each other.
Subsequently the Monroe doctrine was our shield in many
transcendental events of our international life. It was the
formidable weapon opposing the predatory ambition of England
in 1895, when Grover Cleveland valiantly forced her to submit
to arbitration her pretensions to the Venezuelan territory
near the border of British Guiana. It was also our support in
the incident brought about by Count Magliano, when he sought
to obtain pressure from his own government, as well as from
Germany, France and Belgium, on Venezuela. As for the coalition
between Italy, England and Germany, those sorrowful days are
not far distant, when our territory saw itself so seriously
threatened, until finally the opposing parties agreed to submit
their contention to the Supreme Tribunal of the Hague."
In answer to the stirring words of Dr. Itriago Chacín and Mr. La-Riva
Vale, your representative expressed genuine hope in the recovery and
substantial progress of the principles of international law based,
more than ever, squarely upon a thoroughly enlightened and responsive
public opinion. Democracy would, in the course of time, and perhaps
in a surprisingly reasonable brief time, come to contain a genuine
and significant meaning and guarantee of world peace. Perhaps at
present we are passing through reactions natural and inevitable after
the stupendous conflict from which we have just emerged, but those
who are able to measure the progress of culture on a larger scale
than the months and years, are not without great hope and substantial
confidence. He closed his remarks with the expression of sincere thanks
for the generous cooperation and sincere cordiality of the authorities
and students alike of the professional and academic world of Caracas.
On August 7th a reception was given at the School of Political Sciences
at which Dr. José Santiago Rodríguez, Director of the School, who
possesses a wide acquaintance with commercial and economic conditions
in the United States by reason of a careful survey of them made in the
interest of his Government, eloquently expressed the hope of closer
relations between the two countries, not merely with reference to
commerce and investment, but between the youth of both lands and on as
profoundly spiritual plan as possible.
Enthusiastic assurances of the sentiments of cordial solidarity towards
North America animating the sentiments of Venezuela was voiced by
a student of the School of Political Science, Don Aníbal Villasmil
Gabaldón. Again it was the pleasant duty of your representative to
express the appreciation of the students for all the courtesies and
sincere manifestations of friendship showered upon them, and to renew
the expression of confidence that the work of the University of Caracas
would go far in the firm and enduring upbuilding of an enlightened
public opinion, which would be regarded by the students of North
America as of the greatest service to mankind.
On Saturday, July 31st, two of our students left Caracas for the United
States. On Tuesday, August 3rd, six more students left, and on Monday,
August 9th, the rest of the students and your representative embarked
for New York. The steamer stopped for thirty-six hours at Puerto
Cabello, for some hours at Curazao, and for twenty-four hours at San
Juan de Puerto Rico. On Friday, August 20th, we landed in New York,
and thus came to an end the first university field work in economics
directed towards the expansion of American foreign trade.
During our stay in Caracas, the physical welfare of the students was
not neglected and consequently there were no serious cases of illness.
The change of food occasioned some minor ailments but no alarming
results occurred. All the members of the party were comfortably lodged,
and in all respects well taken care of by orders of the Minister
of Public Instruction. They had occasion also to engage in sports,
notably in baseball. Three public games were played, the first with
the students of the School of San Francisco de Sales, the second with
the American commercial employees of Caracas, and the third with the
students of the College of San Francisco de Sales, in which we won a
loving cup offered by the Minister of Public Instruction. Tennis was
frequently enjoyed and excursions to the beautiful mountain, Ávila,
were also organized.
Every opportunity was offered our students to mingle socially with the
best families of Caracas. Thus, they had not only the means to practise
Spanish, but also a rare opportunity to enjoy intimate contact with the
character of the Venezuelan people, whose constant kindness and genuine
courtesy made a deep and lasting impression on the Georgetown boys.
Among the persons entitled to our gratitude, besides those already
mentioned, are Dr. Vicente Lecuna, a senator of the country and the
President of the Banco de Venezuela, a man universally respected by
reason of his high moral character, who was instrumental in obtaining
for us valuable information and who showed himself tireless in his
efforts to help our students at every turn and on any subject; Dr.
Víctor V. Maldonado, the Director of the Industrial Exhibition; Mr.
Atilano Carnevali, President of the Federation of Students, and all
the members of the Federation; the Reverend Evaristo Ipiñázar, S.
J., Rector of the Seminary; Monsignor Nicolás E. Navarro, Apostolic
Prothonotary, and all the dignitaries of the Church, among whom
special mention is respectfully made of Monsignor Rincón González,
the Archbishop of Venezuela, and His Excellency, Monsignor Marchetti,
the Papal Nuncio. Dr. Manuel C. Correa of the Department of Public
Instruction, the Director of the Normal School and the faculties of the
University and of the different institutions of learning in Caracas
also deserve our grateful remembrances.
The Venezuelan press was extremely kind to us in its remarks. An
expression of sincere thanks is due to _El Nuevo Diario_, _El
Impartial_, _El Universal_, _Religión_, _Actualidades_, _Billiken_ and
other publications.
As a last honor, your representative was decorated with the medal of
"Public Instruction" by the Executive of Venezuela, according to a
decree of July 27, 1920, published in the _Official Gazette_ of the
country on Friday, August 13, of the same year, No. 14,138. In his
answer to the communication of the Minister of Public Instruction
notifying him of this honor, your representative made it clear that
this recognition is very superior to his personal attainments and is
to be considered an honor conferred on the School of Foreign Service
rather than on himself.[1]
Respectfully submitted,
G. A. SHERWELL.
_To_
EDMUND A. WALSH, S. J.,
_Regent of the School of Foreign Service_,
_Georgetown University_,
_Washington, D. C._
[1] The Medal of Public Instruction has since been conferred by
the President of Venezuela on John B. Creeden, S. J., President of
Georgetown University and Edmund A. Walsh, S. J., Regent of the School
of Foreign Service.
Dr. Sherwell was further honored by the Venezuelan Government with the
high distinction of membership in the "Order of the Liberator."
[Illustration: EDWARD FANNING WILLIAM JOHNSON JOSEPH P. QUINLAN GEORGE
A. TOWNSEND PAUL BABBITT FRANK CHIRIELEISON NELSON HOPKINS PHILIP D.
SULLIVAN THOMAS MORRIS JAMES F. COSTELLO DAVID SCHLESINGER MATTHEW
HEILER WILLARD C. FRAZEE EDWARD I. MURPHY J. HOMER BUTLER DR. SHERWELL
WALTER J. DONNELLY JAMES J. O'NEIL GEORGE E. MCKENNA]