The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1919-02-13
Attorney Chester d. Barnes
in Address at St. Matthew's
Men Club Issues Challenge
of Reconstruction.
"AMERICANIZING AMERICA
Kenosha Attorney Raises Vital Cues
tions Which Reconstruction Period
Must Meet-Miss Sarah Won
Wald Pleases With Melodies.

''Face our problems day by day,
meet them resolutely and solve them
and our America certainly must sur
vive. - This was the challenge and the
promise OF reconstruction which was
brought out by Attorney Chester d.
Barnes in an interesting and inspiring
address delivered Tuesday evening to
the members of the st. Matthew's
Mems Club in the assembly room Of
Guild Hall One hundred members of
the club were present at the regular din
ner which preceded the program and
heard the appeal Of the local attorney.
HAmericanizing America" was the
subject chosen by Mr.. Barnes and de-
clared by him to be the most important
problem which our nation faces today.
He explained that America was more
than the l~nd which it occupied in both
hemispheres, that it was not race be-
cause racially there are no Americans
except the American Indians, but that
America was the embodiment of an
ideal which we must preserve or we
must perish Reconstruction, according
to the speaker, called for better Ameri-
cans and we must meet .he challenge.
The possibilities which are cont aimed
in our one hundred and ten millions
of souls to adapt themselves to condi-
tions was illustrated, said Mr.. Barnes,
in the marvellous success Of the draft
in America. The same results are pos
sible in other phases Of life if Ameri-
ca will accept the opportunity.
The speaker raised many important
questions which must be settled imme
diately if we are TO have better Ameri-
cans One Of these was the question of
schools in other tongues than those of
the English language which were de-
clared to be menace to the process
by which foreign born children may
quickly become real American citizens.
The speaker also raised the problems
of immigration and those which will
follow if the wake of the prohibition
amendment and the wave of bolshe-
vism which must reach America. For
each Of these he urged that the
stable element of the population must
face the problem boldly and help solve
it for the rest.
Tn conclusion, the problem Of re-
construction which faces the church
was clearly presented. The speaker de-
clared that the church--organize re-
hglon oof any sect--was on trial today.
Soldiers in the trenches had not doubt
ed the reality of fundamental religion,
but they were testing age worn prac-
tices of the various churches. "Will
the church close its eyes, was asked,
and so blindly on its way to die or
or dry rot or will it meet the crisis
and solve it9' This was declared
to be the problem which must either
make or destroy, not religion, but
the church
Prior to the address Miss Sara Van
Valid entertained the members of the
club with her singing of several very
pretty melodies. Especially beautiful
was her rendition of ffThe Years at
the Spring with feeling which made
it doubly effective Miss Van Wald
also won her audience with her singing
Of the appropriate war song "When the
Boys Come Home,'' as she mingled
melody and sentiment in her descrip-
tion which America, will give her re-
turned heroes.
In the business meeting of the Men s
Club a movement was started to have
daily noon hour Lenten services in Ke-
nosha during the coming season to make
the services union in character and
further announcement of the plan will
be made later.