The Birmingham age-herald., 1918-02-18
Addressed Numerous Audi ences in Birmingham Yes terday, Stressing Mag
 nitude of Task Ahead
sDISCIPLINE" IS THE ESSENTIAL THING IN
 APPLIN'S OPINION
Russell Says Now Is No Time for Strikes and Quarreling, But a Time
 for United Action

Charles Edward Russell, the famous American author and lecturer, and Col. R. V. K. Applin of the brit'sn general staff addressed thousands oi people in Birmingham yesterday and brought home to this community III most striking way the problems which confront America in order to win the war.
 Both speakers appeared Ht
 mass meeting nt the Jefferson
 theatre during the afternoon, heid
 urder the auspices of the iocni
 council of national defense, both
 smoke at the community sing af
 the Rijou; both spoke to the con-
 rreuation of the Independent Pres
 byterian church last night foiiow-
 ing the sermon of pr. H. M. Ed
 monds at the Lyric theatre. Coionei
 AupIin addressed the congregation
 of the First Methodist church at
 the morning service. Mir. Russell
 addressed two large negro con-
 greaations, the Sixteenth Street
 Baptist at the morning service and
 the Sixth Avenue Baptist at the
 evening service.
 Both spoke on the same general theme of how America is to win the war, but each treated the subject from c different angle.
 COLONEL APPLIN'S MESSAGE
 Colonel Applin's message to the peo- ple of Birmingham might be summar- ized by this: "Only discipline will win the war-discipline all the way from the trenches in France to the homes of America; the immolation of selfish ness and the determination on the part of everyone to obey instantly ana willingly any order from his govern ment and in the absence of such or der to do what he would have done if the order had been given to do it."
 MIR. RUSSELL'S MESSAGE
 MT. RusseI's speeches might be sum- marized as follows:
 .sGuard against propaganda of the Germans, which seeks to lull the Americans into security-to make them think that someone else will win the war for them and by insidtous suggestion to delay preparations.
 Let nothing interfere with ship building, the necessary artery for the supply of the men at the front. Be on guard against strikes. Now is no time for strikes. The working man and the capitalist have an equal responsibil- ity and there is no strike which can not be avoided if both sides will meet in a spirit of patriotic fairness.
 "Obey the fuel and food orders of the government.
 Give yourselves unreservedly to the cause of winning the war. It is the greatest opportunity which ever con- fronted any generation in the history of the world to hand down a heritage to the future of ideals preserved and the triumph of right over injustice"
 At the Lyric last night MT. Russell concluded his talk with peroration on Belgium which brought tears to the eyes of his hearers and which stamped him as an orator of the very first magnitude.
 T wish I could carry you to Bel g!um," he said. Poor, bleeding Bel gium. I solemnly swear to you that sitting in a little room on the fifth floor of a building in Paris are a pre- ,n1lIurcly a80Q man ana woman QTlVcn from their home in Belgium who saw their daughter torn from them and driven into forcib1e concubinage with German officer who now has three children by that forced unholy union They saw another daughter outraged and killed, and they saw their only son driven at the point of the bayonet tc dig German trenches from which the conquerors could kill his fellow coun- trymen.
 And I say to you that the teavs of that father and that mother falling upon the little table between them are writing a message which shall go down the ages and which will cause future generations forever to point the finger of scorn at those who were re- sponsible for that and thousand other outrages like it.'
 IS NOT A PESSIMIST
 Earlier in his talk Mr. Russell had alluded to the charges that he is a pessimist. "It is the talk of the pro- pagandists," hs said. Don't I know America can win this war? Of course America can win 1t. When America is aroused America can do anything. What I am trying to do is to arouse the American people from their lethargy, from their trance and ge!
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