The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1918-02-21
LAUDER TELLS OF
PRUSSIAN ATROCITIES

soldiers at the Helhg
.heatrs Wednesday afternoon of last
week, Is taken from the Oregonisn.
Il was written by Ben Hur Lsmpmsnl
A little man, fearless Of front, whose
eyes twinkle right merrlly behind
glasses shrewd, good natured eyes,
that make friends al single glance.
The years nave taken their toll IN
badness alone. He is sturdy as any
lad of 20 wears, in his brown sack coat
and the plaid kilt.
Soldiers Of Oregon and the North
west. waiting for the word which
sends you to France. where Harry
LADDERS son gave TO England the su-
preme sacrihee-this is Harry Lauder.
At noon yesterday, and for an hour
before, Vancouver Barracks poured a
steady stream Cf olive-drab through
the entrance of the Heilig theatre,
until each seat was held by a soldier
officers and men who came to hear
Harry Lauder speak of the world war.
Pipers skirled airs of the highlands,
their .shakoed heads nodding with the
brave venemence of the tunes. The
drummer, in his leopard skin, twirled
his wrists TO the thunder that ran
the old airs. Then they swung
to "Tipperary, to Marching Through
Georgia, and to Yankee Doodle, :"
with an accompaniment of cheers.
There was Harry standing before
them, as the last piper filed into the
wings. He twinkled at them, stepped
forward and raised his hand to check
the applause. They were silent before
the man who had given his son to the
common cause. He jested with them.
Il hope you don't want me TO sing
and dance for you today" laughed
Harry. II hope you are not all Scotch.
for Scotehman always wants some
thing for nothing, and usually gets 1t. "
The soldiers laughed with him.
But there was little of the comic In
the swift, moving address that fol-
lowed, and. for all that he gave Harry
Lauder got good measure in return :.
for time and again they shouted their
approval or capped his vehement con-
viction with outbursts of handicap
ping.
From the Scotch comedians address
to the soldiers of the Northwest stand
forth two integral factors that it is d
high privilege to fight for freedom,
and that hatred, consuming and i'm
placable, is the due of the hun until
victory is achieved for democracy.
We'll, now" began Harry, with the
burr of Scotland clinging to his talk,
IL have been on this coast for three
weeks, and | have met nothing else
but an absolute, immediate response.
I'm expecting the same thing today.
"l'm awfully glad my audience is
composed mostly of soldiers, because
am here to add my word against any
thing and everything that is going tc
impede victory for tie United States
All along the line | have insisted thai
the soldier shall have all the assistance
the civil population can give him..
"Yet, farther from the battle front
| have found spirit of carelessness
We want to be inoculated with the Sc
rum d sacrifice. We want to remem
ber today that we are citizens of ;
great nation, and that you are wha
yoursforefathers made you, freemen!
Does not the word thrill you? - h'
asked. ut does me to know that
am freeman and that | will never il
any degree bow to Prussian militar!
rule No man should lose his libert!
but with his life. If there is nation
that should fight for liberty, it is tn
United States, because that is you
symbol.
At the entrance to America, saiC
Harry, stands gigantic figure o
promise the Statue of Liberty rep
resentative Of all that America offer
in opportunity and ideals.
Men, he charged, don't let yol
big statue crumble down into the sea
Liberty is the best word in any Ian
guage. Liberty consists of respect TO
the rights of others. "
He made parable of an experience
talk he once had with life prisoner
whose sentence had been commute,
and who saw, for the first time, tn
prospect of fields and water, and opel
places beyond the walls of his prison
because his liberty was before him.
"But the dull gray walls we stan'
behind today" said Lauder, ARE wall
of cannon cannon Of the allies an
behind those gray walls are the bes
and bravest men the world has eve
seen.
Lamplighters of freedom, firemen o
civilization, we are in the great war
declared the comedian, holding trns
so high that the children of men VIII
fall, of men who return, will feel prid
in the sacrifice of their fathers.
So that when the generations com
after us, he said, "they will be abb
to walk erect, with smiles on thei
faces. and say, MY dad lit that lamp.
Aye, and you're firemen, too. Tn
world is on fire. Men, make no bone
of putting that fire out Put it out a
black as night
Don't let US be war.weary, boys !!
he urged. his voice vibrant. "Ih
man that stays at home. as well as tn
soldier, has great responsibility hang
ing on his shoulders. He has aske
YOU to go and defend him, and he mus
look after you.
I'VE mustn't take our bank roll an
say, I'm see what can do. All, no
We mustn't see what we can do
must do. Do our best, our very best
When soldier is ordered over the to
he doesn't say, Well. III see what
can do. All, no! he does it and h
can't do any more than lay down hi
life.
80, tell them, when you re aske
for war necessity, don't take ou
your roll and look at it; don't measur
it by the lives of splendid men. Bt
cause God is God of justice, and h
will see us through
In the Scripture, said Harry Lauder
his voice taking on new enthusiasm
tenseness, is an admonition to lov
thy neighbor, He did not wish to dt
clare his disbelief in it, an exceller
commandment, but he asserted ths
some were beyond the pale of low
human or divine.
"Yes, men, but ! believe that &c
does not expect us to love his en'
mics !" exclaimed Harry. If tt
kaiser isn't an enemy of God | don
know. So we won't love the hun
Wen take him on his evidence, ar
we'll risk the rest.
1.-The kaiser is no friend to anybod,
When altman ceases to respect his fe
l.