The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1915-11-04
William f. Collins Greeted
by Large and Interested
Audience
VISITED COUNTRIES
OF .BELLIGERENTS
Former Brattleboro Resident Shows
Stereoptioon Illustrations of Two
Trips Abroad Since Conflict Began
All Desire Peace.

All Desire Peace.
A large audience greeted William F.
Collins, former Brattleboro boy. literary
editor of the Newark Evening News and
correspondent, who has been favored with
close views of the belligerents in war
trodden Europe, when he gave in the
Centre Congregational church last even
ing a very interesting illustrated lecture
on the war Mr. Collins came here under
the auspices of the Brattleboro Woman
club
He said by way of introduction that it
was a relief to be able to speak freely and
intimately of things he had seen, but that
so gigantic was the scope of the field OF
action that whatever might be said in an
evening would be necessarily a collection
of selected bits of information and the pic
lures shown would be those illustrating
points of his talk
Mr.. Collins grouped his talk into several
phases of the history of the war. He
showed stereopticon pictures illustrative of
the early stages of the invasion of Bel
gum. Views of destruction wrought by
German shells were followed by pictures
of groups of refugees Two war maps, il
Illustrative of the Iiege and Antwerp sieges.
and group picture of Boy Scouts were
followed by collection of views ilustrat-
ling phases of the naval side of the con-
fiict, and the concluding pictures were of
the Red Cross work and of the leading po-
| lItical and military personages of the war
Mr.. Collins spoke informally and what
ever regret there was on the part of his
audience was that time did not permit
| him to give, along with his descriptive,
| more of his personal experiences in his
two trips abroad since the war opened
and his visits to the hcme countries of all
/ the bellgerents
| Frederic G. Adams sang group of three
songs, accompanied by Miss Izetta Stew
art, and Mr.. Collins was introduced by
Mrs. F. |. Swift, president of the Wo-
mans club
The speaker, in opening, thanked Mrs.
Swift for a personal reference to his IA
ther, the late Rev William H Collins of
Brattleboro, which he said touched him
deeply He offered to answer any ques-
tions he could at the conclusion of his
talk
/ Privileged as he was to visit the coun-
tries on both sides of the conflict and to
mingle both with the people and with the
dignitaries, he had been impressed with
the fact that the sentiment of all peoples
of Europe leans towards peace. While the
nobest side of the characters Of all classes
has been brought out in this conflict there
are none who do not desire peace
He explained that almost all of the pic
tures to be thrown on the screen were
? from photographs taken on his first trip
, for he was unable to obtain any on hi,
second visit.
He showed first pictures of Belgian sol
diers in the opening days of the war, il
shallow, temporary trenches. explaining
: that one development of the war had beer
the digging in of the armies in elaborat,
; trenches.
\ night picture of battlefield, shown,
1.-THE use of searchlights, which now play
t prominent part in the war, and a pictur
I of an armored automobile, one of the de
!. velopments of this war, were followed b.
I a human interest illustration of Belgian
d soldier feeding dog He said that he wa
:, impressed wherever he went with th
attitude of kindness shown by the commo
k soldiers of all countries.
5 Illustrations of churches occupied b
L soldiers brought the statement that thi
Ipractlce, common IN the early stages {
e the war, has been changed and that no,
# the churches are unmolested, general
st speaking, either during an attack or q
It barracks or hospitals.
e Pictures showing the partial destructio
a. of Belgian town gave clear idea of ho
n complete is the destruction wrought
le the big shells of the attacking force. Il
E. said that the towns are generally bui
le along one, long struggling street and tn;
W there is always a line where the destru
in tion stopped This illustrates the point
k which the defending force surrendered
abandoned the defense of the town
Describing the effect of shell fire on Il
forts at Liege, he told of making tr
over a four-acre field under the guidan
of German officer and that the offic
told him that over 1900 shells fell with
t. that section of the field The ground hs
the appearance of having been clawed
giant hand.
- Other pictures showed how the invadiI
10 Germans have cleared the debris from Il
u streets of the captured towns, as was ne
- essary to preserve their lines of commur
~ cation. and of having restored the dama
y done. SO far as is possible under the ci
n cumstances. In this connection he e
III pressed the belief that reports of the
RI struction in captured towns have be,
gross exaggerations He does not believ
st from his personal observations, that
is averages over one-fourth or one-ffth of
tie town.
ed A picture of soldiers passing a burnil
lis house caused him to remark that in
vn Journey to the Dutch frontier from nea
ed Eby town in Belgium he passed almost co
les ltinuously between rows of burning hous,