Arizona republican., 1909-09-27

Elks' theater Early in the evening
clear weather was promised and a
large audience assembled in the air.
dome. The Royal Hungarian orches-
ira rendered several fine selections,
when it began 10 rain. The Central
church was Offered as a place of ref
/ uge and the management, assuming
that about all its patrons had arriv-
ed, accepted the offer instead of go
| ing to the theater. II transpired
that many who wanted to hear the
! lecture but did not care for music
went late, only to find the grounds
| dark. Continuing their travels to the
theater they found that dark also.
Then the. grounds were again illumi-
mated after the rain and the late ar
rivals returned, only to be told that
the Chautauqua had gone to the Gem
| trail church. In the meantime, when
the change was announced at the
grounds. the vast audience, realizing
that the church would hardly hold the
people, all moved in that direction,
each trying to get there first. They
not only filled the sidewalks but
marched down the street like an army
and quickly filled the edifice The wo-
men however, all secured seats and
the men who came late were willing
to stand.
At the church the orchestra finished
its program. disagreeably broken into
by the rain, and an excellent program
it was. ending with "The Star Span
gled Banner" the audience rising.
Rev. Mr.. Douglas, with brief re-
a,-l-c f,,tr nrod
O'Neill as the chairman of the meet
ing, and Mr.. O'Neill in his own
characteristic way introduced the lee
turer, Captain HobsOn- The latter
after his preliminary reference to
statehood. and his kindly promise to
cast his influence for the political
sovereignty of Arizona, began his lee
ture, and in its earliest sentences he
discovered that the temperature of
the densely packed house was con-
siderably higher than that of an
open lot in a rain storm. He an
nounced that talking under these
conditions was hot work and as he
wanted to give his audience the best
there was in him, he asked permis-
sion to remove his coat, with due
apologies to the ladies. 1t was grant,
ed with laughter and applause and
from that moment to the end the
captain spoke with the earnestness
of man with sincere convictions.
having a message to deliver of deep
concern to his auditors.
The recital called attention to the
march of empire from the earliest
beginning of civilization, westward
through the north temperate zone,
and told of the reason why that lati-
tude had always been its pathway
II has finally reached America and
America has spread across the west
ern sea. He then outlined the nat
ural physical, agricultural and indus
trial resources of America. incom-
parable with anything else in his
tory. giving facts and figures in IL
lustration. He next took up races,
showing the white race to have ever
held the sceptre OF progress. Then
comparing white races and the inter-
mingling of peoples from the earliest
European nations to the present day,
physically, and mentally, he meta
phorically created" the average
American as the finest specimen of
average manhood in nature. Then
came the story of the events of re-
cent years. showing how the white
man and the yellow man who had
often clashed before. had at last met
for their final stand.
In his arguments he did not assail
the integrity of other nations or
charge them with wicked or unnat-
ural ambitions. He only attempted
to show that the present conditions
are but the natural result of the con-
flict of huNan enterprise. of human
character and racial instincts, of
growth and development.
of the awakening of the orient to its
latent possibilities, and said that the
temptation that America now offers
to the ambitions, the greed. and the
commercial opportunities of the yell
low men are more than human nature
can be expected to endure. America
stands unprotected, and if she goes
down in the battle for supremacy,
civilization as promulgated by the
white race will go with her. And this.
he contends. may be averted if
America acts promptly in the build
ing of a larger navy. one that win
first insure the white dominion of the
western ocean and. in addition, hold
in check the warning influence of