The daily sentinel., 1907-04-11
COL. BANS sEARoHLIGHr
Orator and Lecturer
Discusses the Race Ques-
ton and Others.

plete satisfaction than the lecture de-
livered last night at the Congrega-
tional church by Col. George w. Balm
the Kentucky orator and lecturer and
dean of the American platform.
COLI Bain's subject was ''The
Searchlight of the Twentieth Cen.
tury' and a more wholesome. elo-
quent, powerful. thoughtful or a more
richly entertaining lecture has rarely
ever. If ever, been delivered In Grand
Junction. This was the first appear
ance of the veteran lecturer in
Grand Junction and all who heard
him last night turst that II will not be
his last night trust that il will not be
ed the lecture the best of the course,
all pronounced 1t as one of the fin
est things they had ever heard.
Although a man past sixty years
of age and with 80 years experience
as lecturer, Col. Balm possesses a
vitality and magnetism and a delivery
that would be the envy of many
younger noted lights of the platform
world. He. was in splendid fettle
last night and for an hour and half
held the very closest attention of
the big audience. His discussions
of vital problems of the day were at
once calm and logical, his thoughts
were clothed in perfect language and
his Illustrations were original and to
the point. As a word painter and
descriptive talker Col. Balm has but
few equals, many times his word
painting coupled with natural elo-
quence of the old orator reached the
sublime. He is a humorest too of
the cleanest and truest class and the
dashes of quaint humor and side pitt
ting jokes that were thrown through
his lecture acted as a spice that ad-
ded deliciousness to the address. He
handles pathos as few men do.
In opening his lecture Col Balm
stated that during the afternoon he
had taken a drive through the valley
and to say that he was surprised at
what he saw would be mildly ex-
pressing how he felt. He had only
nkown Grand Junction and the Grand
Valley as places on the railroad line.
he had no idea that here lis one of
the richest little valleys in all the
world" Such orchards. such trees
and such evidences of horticultural
resources he had never seen before
and he had travelled up and down the
continent, in every state and terri
tory for over 80 years. Truly you
have one of the real orchard spots of
the whole world and hereafter when
see anybody wanting information
about Grand Junction and Grand val
ley I'll give them information that
will convince"
Col. Balm carried out the idea of
turning a searchlight upon our coun-
try and the great problems of the
day, and discussing briefly and inter
estingly one by one as he turned the
imaginary light upon each one,
He told how short hundred years
ago foreign countries laughed at the
American eagle and the stars and
stripes and declared that they simply
ruled over a barren waste. Then he
gave statistics showing how mighty
had grown this alleged barren waste
America being in every way the great
est of all earthly countries.
He spoke in this connection of the
LOYALTY of Americans to America, no
such loyalty is shown in other coun-
tries of the world. Eve have had
our family quarrels. it is true, but
they are all over" When a man be-
comes an American he is always an
American. He declared that there
were people up to a few years ago
who did not believe the men of the
south would ever fight for the stars
and stripes, then he referred to the
Spanish-American war and named
the Southerners who took the lead in
this great contest. Ensign Bagley, a
southern boy was the first to die for
his country in that war, Victor Blue
Fitzhugh Lee. Fighting joe Wheel
er and other men of the South were
spoken of in connection with their
loyal fight for the country when
Spain was the antagonist Time was
when people did not believe Ameri-
can Irish Catholics would take arms
against foreign Catholics if war came.
vet in 1898 some of the very finest
and most gallant regiments in the U.
S. Armies were made up of Irish Ca
tholics fighting the Catholic armies
of Spain.
one of the prettiest word pictures
of the address was when he drew
metaphor of "England's runaway
Daughter. Columbia. being welded to
'liberty," with George Washington,
chief magistrate, performing the cere-
mony. In 1861 a divorce was applied
for but thank God that application
was not granted"
RAPIDLY he TOOK up tle uuSolNeu
problems of the day, touching first
upon the race question. In calm,
sensible and not radical manner the
colonel dwelt upon the negro ques-
tion. and typical southerner that he
is there was no bitterness In his re-
marks. Increasing as they have in
creased since the civil war there VIII
he 6O.OOO,OO0 negroes in the coun-
trv at the end of the goth century
and thev will be almost entirely IN
tbe south, he declared. THE negro
will never leave the cane breaks, the
cotton fields the magnolia groves OF
the south, said Col. Balm and he con-
cIusively proved this declaration
s"Tbe south held the negro in slavery
the north set him free but he is still
sitting there by his cabin in the
south" Referring to Booker 7 wash
ington he said. I belive that Booker
Washington is the greatest negro OF
the country. Booker Washington 90
es moi preach social equality. lie
breaches dignity Of labor among ms
peon1e. the spread of education ana
he letting Of social equality take
care of itself" Col. Balm by fllustra-
lion showed that there is not even
social equality between white people
ae evidenced by 1.-The fine lady retus-
ING to invite her washwoman to her
functions yet respecting her as