The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1918-05-22
A POWERFUL
APPEAL MADE
Mrs. Beatrice Forbes-Rob-
ertson Hale Swayed a
Large Audience
TOLD OF NECESSITY
FOR SAVING FOOD
Her Address Was .e Of the
Most Inspir ! Ever
Heard IS ARE
- ~


Foreeful in h = amatic recital Of
events leading g and succeeding our
entry into the - and appealing in her
plea for even more intensive conservation
OF food, Mrs Beatrice Forbes. Robertson
Hale, the lecturer and actress, held in
her magnetic sway an audience of more
than 1000 people in the opera house last
evening. Ii was one of several war rail-
lies that have stirred Barre to its depths
in the past twelve month, and undoubt-
edly the most enthusiastic gathering of
its kind TO be held here since America
entered the lists against German autoc-
racy.
Coming to Vermont from Washington,
ID. c., where she has been working with
the federal food administration Mrs.
Hale spoke with the conviction of one
who firmly believes that next to sacrifice
in the first and second line trenches over
there, conservation here at home in the
great third line" is one of the most es-
sential factors in winning the war 1t
was a capacity audience that crowded
the opera house to hear an English born
American woman tell what she knows
about German frightfulness and the sac
ritices that must be made here at home
if that theory of frightfulness is to be
everastingly exploded.
1t was an audience which followed
eagerly every syllable of an address that
was two hours in the delivering, and in
that fact alone lay one of the secrets of
the speakers ability TO turn the meeting
into most successful war rally For
the heat inside the theatre was enervat-
ing, of necessity part of the address
was summarization of what most~peo-
pie already knew; and more than that,
it is something for speaker to stand up
and tell an American audience in plain,
straight from the shoulder phrases what
it must do if the cause of right and JUS
tice is to triumph. Therefore, Mrs.
Hale's unusual hold of her audience must
be attributed to a ready command of
language. quick access to storehouse of
facts, and above all to her uncommonly
developed dramatic ability.
The Christopher Columbus band, led
by p. Gropelli, played in front of city
hall just before the rally, and opened the
included the battle and national anthems
If America and her allies. At the close
If the rally the musicians PLAYED "The
Star Spangled Banner" Frank 4. Lang
ey acted as chairman.
AT the outset Mrs. Hale gave her hear
RS an interesting summary of the causes
which precipitated the entry of America
nto the conflict She paid a moving
ribute to the wonderful courage of our
lilies, mentioning separately the sscri-
ICES made by the British the French, the
'elgans, and Italy. To Italy she
scribed one of the most important roles
+ the war, relating in intimate fashion
ow our ally in the south of Europe re-
overed quickly from its savage dose Of
ierman propaganda and kept the Huns
rom overriding all of the peninsula.
anada, England, Scotland, France and
elgium were lauded for record that
he whole world knows, and then the
peaker set about to arraign German
-ightfulness. She did it in splendid
ishion, describing it as military weap-
n carefully devised and brazenly exe-
tied.
Concerning German designs on Amer
a. as revealed in intercepted messages
Count Won Bernstorff and in other
lannels. she hammered home the facts
and eonvincingly. From the
attic to Jerusalem our allies are holding
e line that separates democracy from
ltocracy, and they wait not alone for
merican soldiers, already there to tha
lmber of from 100000 to 100000, not
one for the American navy, which for
ore than a wear has been co-ordinating
e work of the British navy, but for
ntinued support of the American peo-
e here at home, for food and yet more
cd. for that sinew which is everything
the fighting man.
Without disparaging any of the move
ents which they represent the speaker
id that in the last ditch the soldiers
uld do without the Red Cross, even as
e Serbians did; that paper money and
that il doesn't stand for might conceiv-
ly take the place of Liberty bonds;
{ that food and food alone is the ons
sential that cannot be circumvented.
A Great Event Described
Perhaps Mrs Hale took well deserved
lg at some of the captious critics who
always pinpricking the government
alleged sins of omission. Perhaps
, flung at no one. At any rate she
re about the failures, such as DELAYS
aircraft production, etc, and not so
ch about the successes of our govern
MT In one of her most dramatic mo-
nts she told of message cabled ia
lnce by Hoover in which an error made
appear that America could send her
' but 100000 bushels Of wheat per
nth; and of how il developed soon
erward that the message should have
d "l2 100000 bushels or a million
re than France had asked for. The
aker asserted. too. that France is only
ing the 100000 bushels, although
ore the war she imported 2s,000.000
hels. Patiently, the speaker explained
: corn, which does not keep in damp
iates like France and England. Is be-
left here for home consumption,
le we are asked 10 send our wheat.
gave vivid description Of what
nee and Italy and England are DOING
Increase their crop. production. and in
case OF England she explained that a
! army Of 100000 women are tilhng
fields Much Of the most fertile land
france either i in the hands Of Ger
a. rr raunof ha filled for the reason