Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1918-05-15
BLUE DEVILSOWN
CITY AND HEART
OF EVERY CITIZEN
Principal Figure at Greatest
of War Meetings Yet
Held in Harrisburg

The great nation of France walked
into the heart of America last night
by way of Harrisburg. Swarthy,
sun kissed. robust. debonnaire, 100
Blue Devils" wedged on boarded
terraces of the Chestnut Street Hall
stage, banked against white back
ground, with an aura of Allied flags
above them, convinced the capital
city of Pennsylvania that other ma
tions have just as brave and fine
men as the United States. From ev-
cry eye of the multitude and of the
valiant warriors, each of them COW
cred with wounds and decorations
for valor, there flashed a spirit of
universal love and determination
that even the cruel Kaiser might
have appreciated. 1t was the near
est approach to actual battle scenes
and atmosphere that many will en-
joy, and Harrisburg realized it's op-
portunity with a deluge of song and
vociferous applause, not forgetting
some genuine tears when a slim,
modest, eloquent woman, "Pound-a-
Minute" Kathleen Burke, pleaded for
the Red Cross cause with sobs in
her dulcet voice.
Vast hope and cheerfulness marked
loyal and passed by the censor, can
be properly deviled, but it is safe to
say that no community in history
except. perhaps, ancient Edmonton in
England, was ever so thoroughly
-bluedeviled.
The very moment of the French
mems early arrival was a signal for
all hands to polish up its "Parlez-
vous" and by noon many uncommon
ly impressionable persons imagined
they were in gay Paree. The fire
and vigor OF the veterans, their
light notion of the Germans as fight
ers, their supreme confidence that
America will help wipe up the earth
with the Hun so gingered up the
populace that Mercer B. Tate last
night gave many vivid illustrations
of going over the top, having the
orchestra so alarmed that it skipped
couple bases in following the COM
munity singing.
Abner Hartman, song leader, quite
outdid him, his sturdy figure curled
up into knots as he Vaulted altitud-
inously in his efforts to encourage
the audience to hit 'er up" So i'm
pregnated was the nsighborhood
with French that when headquarters
asked the fat cop who had worked
be relieved he moaned gently over
the phone: "SeeI volplane," meaning
"if you please"
When the Blue Devils" were pa
rading, Chestnut Street Hall and Re-
formed Salem Church filed to the
brim with the intelligence and pa
triotism of our city. Mr.. Hartman
waited not to launch the song pro-
gram and there must have been some
really fine harmony, for he congrat-
ulated his chorus, time 'and again.
The chorus OF "Old Black Joe" went
better than any one other Tilt. The
solosts were Mrs. Cox and George
Sutton, with an improvised orches-
ira and the Commonwealth Band.
Temporary Chairman w. T. Hill
| drup introduced Jesse L. B. Cunning
ham as the one to preside and he
first called on Lieutenant LIE Moal,
Eleventh Battalion, Fourth Regiment
| of Zouaves. While this hero spoke
fairly good English, he was not a
man of many words and may have
been Slightly disconnected by Mer-
Ger B. Tate, who cut loose trench
spring" at the psychological moment
and called for three rousing cheers.
He surely got them, and the eXhale
of roars made everyone feel easier
however, expressed his sentiments
briefly and from the heart.
This reception is the incest we
have had in America" he began, and
he had to wait until Harrisburg un-
corked for that compliment. Every
body again rose up to cheer when
he finished with the assurance that
the Allies would win, and a critic in
the pressbox, who had upped and
downed twelve times, had to pinch
himself to make sure he was not in
an Episcopal service.
Chairman Cunningham then intro
duced Miss Burke. telling something
of her extraordinary career and work
in the trenches. Sent to Verdun by
the French government in the height
of that fray, she won the name from
General Petain of Little One of
Verdun." She was the first woman
permitted to visit the French 'front.'
line, and has the record of raising
S2.000,000 in America for war reliefs
in a very short time. Her sympa-
thetic voice and utter seriousness
caught the huge audience as with
magic.
Owe Liberty to Them
owing to these men," she waved
to the blue Devils" I'VE can say
We are 1ree women ana not SlaNeu
to-day. Speaking lightly of her
honors and decorations, she declared
they were no tribute whatever COM
pared to the honor of speaking for
the American Red Cross. She
preached that there should be no ad-
jective in front of Red Cross. that
it should be international. and from
this statement went on to show that
this organization can make a united
world.
She spoke of the pacifists In Eng
land one of whom at a great meet
ing declared. MY friends, we paci-
fists are so few we must hang to-
gether."
"'The sooner the better" yelled a
British Tommy in the audience.
Miss Burke numerically lashed
the German nation as she saw it
murder and outrage with her own
eyes. THE only peace that England
can accept" she assured, "is to crush
the scourge of militarism."
One of the most stirring narratives
was that of the arrival of the first
American Red Cross forces in strick-
en- Italy. 1t appears that Italy was
just on the point OF giving in to
German demands when aid came in
thig f.obiop sThank God for Ap,nr-