Webster City freeman., 1917-06-05
Large Crowd Gathers at the Armory
to Arouse Enthusiasm for
Registration Day in Web
ster City.
IT WAS A SPLENDID MEETING
Many Words of Praise and Encour
agen1ent for the Young Men
Who Will Go to Front.

A large concourse of people turned
| out last night in response to the an
nouncement of patriotic meeting at
the armory opera house to create
| enthusiasm in Webster City for reg
istration day and enlistments in the
| home military organizations. The
Webster City band played a number
of selections upon the streets prior
| to the meeting, which added largely
to the zeal and vim of the occasion.
At the hour for the beginning of
the program the opera house was
well filled. Mayor r. G. Clark pre-
sided.
The first was a selection by the
band, after which Rev. w. ]. Todd
was called upon for the invocation.
The Choral society then sang
america, the audience joining in
most heartily. Mayor Clark then
made a short Introductory address,
commencing the people for their
| presence and enthusiasm and pre-
| dieting that the boys of 1917 would
sustain the enviable record made by
| their fathers in 1861 and by their
forefathers in 1916. The same spirit
of patriotic devotion that animated
and fired men in those years is pres
ent today and will make itself felt
in this war.
After song, Iowa." by the Cno-
| raj society, County Attorney Burn
stedt, who had been requested To do
so, explained at considerable length
| the registration law. Mr.. Burnstedt
took the opportunity to make few
| preliminary remarks anent the duty
of the men and women who cannot
go to the front. He urged in an i'm
| passioned appeal that the men do
their duty by buying liberty bond,
if possible, and it is possible for any
man having work and credit. These
fine young men who are going to the
| front to fight for humanity and
their country must be fed and clothed
and cared for, and those Of us who
are left at home must be ready to fur
nish the wherewith to do it. This
| war is most serious one, but the
American people are not yet fully
aroused to its far reaching possibili-
ties. Mr.. Burnstedt made q most
powerful plea to the conscience and
patriotism of his auditors and was
rewarded for his efforts by warm ap-
| plause. After these few preliminary
observations, Mr.. Burnstedt explain
ed the meaning of the registration
law, and he did good job. After he
| had finished there was nothing left
| to be said in explanation, and every
| body present must have fully under
| stood it's meaning.
| The Choral society followed Mr..
| Burnstedt in the singing Of Tramp,
| Tramp, Tramp, the Boys Are March
ing
Harry f. Shook, chaplain of the
Second Iowa regiment. then took the
platform. He was attired in his mil
/ itary uniform and gave the boys
| about to go to the front in the SER
vice of their country many words OF
| encouragement. He declared that
war at best is terrible thing, but
| predicted that very large majority
of the young men who will fight in
| defense of American rights and the
rights of humanity will return to
their homes. The civil war was one
of the most bloody of history up to
| that time, yet only about 13 per cent
Of those who Joined the Union army
died in the service and very small
| percentage of those were killed in
battle, the total number approximate
ing less than 10000 out of enlist
ments of Ia. than 2,225, 900. Many
ing from the battle front in France
and elsewhere, but the fatalities are
not so numerous as they might be
and many of the soldiers will return
to their homes uninjured. Many
temptations will confront the soldier,
but man can be a man if he wants
to under any and all circumstances.
Rev. Shocks remarks were very re-
assuring and must have been COM
forting to the many present who are
about to bid their sons or brothers
| or husbands goodbye.
"The Soldiers Chorus" by the
Choral society, was the next num-
Der on the program.
]. r. Files of Fort Dodge followed
with strong address. Mr.. Files is
a fine speaker and was last fall the
democratic nominee for congress in
this district, making the contest