The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1918-03-19

that these people should be made to
speak the English tongue if they are
to reside in a country where that
tongue is the symbol of freedom. II
first knew what freedom meant
when 1 came to this country and saw
in the distance a great object 1
! turned to a companion and asked
wha- it was. l was told that it was
the statue of liberty. 1t was stand
ing then 1t was standing the last
time I came over. It is standing now.
Don't let it crumble down into the
sea-
Fire Wagons Went BY.
While Lauder was in the midst of
an impressive part of his speech, fire
companies from headquarters station
across the street from the Chamber
of Commerce, stormed by with clang-
ing bells and whining sirens 1t was
too much for the Scotch bard He
had to stop until the noise had sub
sided and the fire bells could be heard
| only in the distance.
Il didn't know all the races started
] from here he resumed
The audience roared in laughter
| Then, net to be outdone by the fire
| department il its success in distract
/ ing attention, the great comedian,
bending over the speakers table,
shook his fists and said:
This war is an all consuming war.
We are the firemen. We must put it
|
ing spark remains-only a charred
cinder."
! 1t was a powerful climax to the sit
uation.
There is something in the face
! of Harry Lauder as he appears here
| today that makes one look twice
1t is a face that has made millions
laugh; yet sorrow is written deep
] ly upon the features. Just as the
! eyes of Anna Held seem to tell that
the famous comedienne has given
her soul to her beloved Franc the
features of Harry Lauder betray that
his heart is buried n a mound amid
the carpet of white crosses in the
! England and Scotland, for it is in that
mound that his only son, Captain
John Lauder, killed in action, lies
buried.
Brings Message.
And Lauder today dropped the role
of comedian long enough to bring
home to Topeka one of the most Sc
rious messages heard here since that
fateful night in April when a man
stood in the nations capitol and read
the fate of nations into history.
THE war Lauder asserts, will
last Just as long as the German peo-
pie worship the kaiser as god. And
any man on earth VINO proclaims him
self a god is a false prophet. God
says it; he says any man who pro-
claims himself such must be de-
stroyed, We are out for destruction.
but not that of the ruthless sort which
the Huns are practicing. You have
never seen the wee boys in Belgium
with their hands cut off that they may
never be able to raise the sword
against Germany.
THE time has arrived in the United
States when every German must stand
and tell us whether he is for or against
US. The man who does not obey the
commands of his superior officer in
the army is shot. I demand the sa me
treatment for slackers and spies Do
you know what your next door neigh
Dor is doing? You had best find out
He may be sowing the seeds of sedi-
ton even now.
Don't Be War Weary!
Sometimes I hear that you over
here are war weary. God, what have
you done to make you weary? You
haven't heard a shot fired. You
haven't seen columns of merry march
ing men go straight into the jaws OF
hell as 1 have seen them.
THE world is on fire today and we
are relying upon the United States to
help US put out that fire. And let me
tell you this. We over the seas thank