    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: William J. Clinton (1997, Book II)]
    [September 6, 1997]
    [Page 1132]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    [[Page 1132]]

    The President's Radio Address
    September 6, 1997

        Good morning. I'm speaking to you this morning from the Edgartown
    Elementary School in Martha's Vineyard on the last day of a very special
    3-week family vacation. This has been an especially important time for
    Hillary, Chelsea, and me, because it's the last vacation we'll have
    before Chelsea goes off to college in a few weeks. We've enjoyed both
    the natural splendor of this wonderful place and the natural warmth that
    the people of this community, some of whom are with us here today, have
    shown to all of us during our visit.
        Today the world mourns the loss of two remarkable women. Their lives
    were very different but ultimately bound together by a common concern
    for and commitment to the dignity and worth of every human being,
    especially those too often overlooked, the desperately poor, the
    abandoned, the sick, and the dying.
        With the passing of Mother Teresa of Calcutta yesterday, the world
    has lost one of this century's greatest humanitarians. Her worldwide
    ministry to the poor, the suffering, and the dying has served as an
    inspiration to all of us. With the enormous power of her humble faith
    and her lifetime of living it, she touched the lives of millions of
    people, not only in India but in our country and all around the world.
    Hillary and Chelsea will never forget visiting her mission in Calcutta.
    And we will always treasure the time we spent with her and be especially
    grateful for the home for abandoned babies she and her order opened in
    Washington and the chance Hillary had to help in getting it established.
        Anyone who ever met Mother Teresa could see that within her very
    small frame, she carried a very big heart, big enough to follow God's
    will to show compassion and love for all our children, especially the
    sick and the forgotten. Mother Teresa once said, ``The test at the end
    of life is not what you do; it is how much of yourself, how much love
    you put into what you do.'' Well, Mother Teresa put all of herself, all
    of her love, into serving mankind, and the world is a much better and
    nobler place because of how she lived.
        The First Lady today is representing our Nation at the funeral of
    another woman of compassion, England's Princess Diana, whose tragic
    death a few days ago shocked and saddened millions around the world. The
    enormous outpouring of grief and support in the wake of Diana's death
    demonstrates that people saw in her more than her radiant beauty but,
    instead, a different kind of royalty. She became, as Elton John said at
    her funeral, England's rose, because she shared the life struggles of
    ordinary people, she cared about them. She was not too self-absorbed to
    lend her hand and her heart to people in pain or in peril, especially
    people with AIDS and the innocent victims of landmines.
        Hillary and I liked her very much. She was a young woman of great
    gifts coming into her own, determined to raise her children to be well-
    grounded, strong young men, not isolated by their royal lineage, and
    determined to make a contribution to the people of Great Britain and the
    world. On her trips to Washington, Hillary talked with her about the
    challenges of parenting and Diana's civic commitments, her campaigns on
    behalf of children, for people with AIDS, and to ban landmines.
        To our friends in Great Britain, I wish to express a special message
    of sympathy. Our two peoples who experienced so much together are
    experiencing this sad event together. Diana was not ours, but we grieve
    alongside you.
        Mother Teresa and Princess Diana, two women of vastly different
    backgrounds and worlds, are gone. But each of them in her own way has
    shown us what it is to live a life of meaning through concern for
    others. That is the great legacy they leave us. Let us honor it. For
    whether we live to a ripe old age or must leave this life too soon, our
    time on Earth is short, and we live on only through the gifts we give to
    others who share the journey with us.
        Thanks for listening.

    Note: The President spoke at 10:06 a.m. from Edgartown Elementary School
    in Martha's Vineyard, MA.