The Watertown news. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1917-1919, 1918-06-17
FRENCH LIEUTENANT
DELIVERS ADDRESS ON
FRANCE AND WAR
Interesting Parsonage Appears ~ Be-
fore knights Of Columbus in st.
Henry's Hall Friday
Evening.

Lieut.. George Savage of the Frencl
army gave very interesting talk OF
| France and the War" Friday evenin,
in st. Henry's hall, under the auspices
of the Knights of Columbus. Standin,
room was at premium and tn,
speaker held the interest of his large
| audience to the very last words of hi:
| address.
Rev. w. H. LAWN of st. Bernard's
| church in concluding his Introductory
| remarks said: France has saved civil
ization. Germany would have won the
war but for the loyalty and determine
alton of the French people, but now
will never win it,
Father Savage had taught school,
in America for fifteen years as doctor
of theology in Catholic universities
When France entered the war Father
Savage returned to his native land
and enlisted.
ct is great honor to be here with
you on Flag day." he said on opening
his address. your flag today floats
side by side with the French and
British flag"
He described events leading up to
the time war was declared and said
France will fight until it sees vic
tory or until the last Frenchman shall
have died, but all of us must cooper
ate if we want to win. Thanks to
President Wilson, here we have one
able commander-in-ch Everyone
in the allied armies have the fullest
confidence in him."
my duties in the war;" he said,
was to see at all times that there was
clear communication between the
French and British armies at the
front"
He next described the means that
the allied armies employ in making an
offensive against the enemy
Making a good offensive is as i'm
portant as any other thing in warfare"
He cited number of regiments adj
vance ahead of the regular line and
described barrage fire and of how
many are killed by it. He told of how
the American soldiers. are praised by
everyone lover there" Officers have
little trouble in keeping order, and the
soldiers obey readily
Lieutenant Savage now takes us to
the battle of Ypres. Eighty thousand
men began the bloody conflict and
when it was all over barely nine thou
sand were left; some were killed,
some were wounded and persisted on
the battlefield, some were taken pris-
Oners. Eve won that battle and the
Germans were forced to retreat.
Ypres, city of fifty thousand inhabi-
tants, was shattered to pieces.
After four months Somme was TAX
en- by us. A hill 200 feet high, at
ter two months work by the engin-
GERS was blown up with dynamite,
thirty tons of the explosive being
used, with the result that a crater too
gigantic to describe, was created
After the battle of Flanders more
than 100000 Frenchmen, either killed
or wounded or taken prisoners, was
the toll since the beginning of the con-
f1ict. Germany is nation of masters.
Shall we become the slaves of those
masters? No. France prefers death to
slavery"
In concluding his address Father
Savage appealed to his audience to
write letters to their soldier boys in
France. One week was not much,
he declared, to keep those who> are
fighting for us in good spirits, for a
soldier who is not in good spirits can
not be used on the firing line.
When the speaker concluded the
applause from his hearers was loud
and prolonged and the assemblage
seemed loath to leave their seats, un-
til the Star Spangled Banner pealed
forth from the piano, played by Prof
W. ]. Weber, everyone joining in song.