There is no more beautiful example in history of international altruism
than that displayed by Col. G. W. Goethals, who will for all time be
remembered as the one who successfully completed the Panama Canal. And
if all men were like him in spirit the brotherhood of the nations would
begin tomorrow.
For when the National Geographic Society honored Col. Goethals with the
presentation of a medal, at its ninth annual banquet held at Washington,
D.C., which was attended by the president of the United States, his
cabinet and the diplomatic representatives of every great foreign
nation, these are the words--entirely free from American
provincialism--that the eminent engineer used in responding to the
presentation of the medal by President Woodrow Wilson:
"Mr. President, it is an easier task to build the Panama Canal than it
is for me to find words to express appreciation of the honor conferred
upon me by the National Geographic Society and the distinguished manner
in which the presentation of the medal has been made. This medal
represents the satisfaction of the National Geographic Society at the
practical completion of the canal and its approval of the services
rendered.
"Those services are not only individual services but national services.
The French were the pioneers in the undertaking. But for the work that
they did on the isthmus we could not today regard the canal as
practically completed. But for the English we probably would not have
known the means of eradicating malaria; the death rate would have been
great. Among individuals we have national representatives in the Spanish
and the English in our laboring force.
"The canal has been the work of many, and it has been the pride of
Americans who have visited the canal to find the spirit which animated
the forces. * * * And so in accepting the medal and thanking the
National Geographic Society for it, I accept it and thank them in the
name of every member of the canal army."
Goethals is truly a world citizen. And The National Geographic Magazine
well defines his spirit in these terse words describing the completion
of the canal:
"Atlantic--Goethals--Pacific."
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