Norwich bulletin., 1918-02-27
NEARLY TWO HUNDRED
(continued from Page Five)

E 2sth of May. In June sailed for New York.
 A-Prisoner in German Camp.
 I have a little surprise for you gen. tlemen, said the toastn1aster. Sergt. Arthur Gibbons, who has spoken four times at the Davis theatre today, un- der the auspices of the Connecticut State Council of Defense. has dropped in on us. I understand he has been a prisoner in German camp and I am sure you will be pleased to hear a word from him.
 Sergeant Gibbons was given a royal greeting by the audience. He spoke of conditions over there as they existed in the early days of the war and as they are today. He was wounded twice at Ypres, was made prisoner and finally placed on the exchange list He said it is often said that the allies were not prepared for war. He said this could not possibly describe the condi- ton in which the allies found them selves when the war broke out r He spoke of the brief training given the Canadian and English troops be- fore they were sent into the trenches. They could hardly be called trenches They were only rough shelters. One greatest need was for big guns and ammunition. Today we are prepared! ! Instead of one. line of trenches we have seven or eight lines of reserve trenches full of men. W can take l trenches today with very small casual l ties compared with the casualties of l the early days of the war And we ! have modern trenches and proper suM- 1 plies today. Today we have the guns and we have the ammunition. I said when I began that the enemy could 1 throw thirty shells to our one. Today | the advantage is on our side And we will soon have the enemy's guns 1 in the same condition as they found cur guns. (Applause).
 With everything in their favor and l with everything against us they failed to break a through. (Applause). And ] if they failed to break through when
 break through today when we are prepared. {Applause).
 Americans in the Field.
 The war has. gone on for some time America has entered the war Ameri-
 cans are in the field And American soldiers may soon infict great dam.
 age on the German army. Ana theI lperhaps the high German command VIII realize LfldL An16rlCa can ana VII do more than protest
 1 Sergt Gibbons urged his hearers tt
 educate the American people Tn tnt meaning of the war and the meanin: of sacrifice. If the boys can give III 50 much for their country, then tn, people who stay back home should do all they can to back them, up. This thing can't last forever. Tn boys are coming back some day an,
 if you do your part, you will be a.,l to say to them when you meet them We couldn't go to Flanders. W
 weren't able to go to France and figh l by your side, but we did all in ou power to back you up.
 Stirring Address by Plaiafield Recto
 As the final speaker of the evenin EToastmaster Cary introduced, to th l. audience Rev. William A. Keefe o
 Plainfeld, who was enthusiasticall,
 greeted. Father Keefe said in part: The one purpose of every America
 individual and organization now mus
 he to save and sacrifice and, combin
 and work to do all that we can t
 back up Uncle Sam and send the de lenders of American ideals across, tn
 Rhine to nail The Star Spangled Ban ; ner on the flag staffs of the autocrati IL Hohenzollerns of old Berlin. We mus realize at once that every individus , and every organization and every in dustry and every asset in Americ