The Wheeling intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1903-1961, 1919-04-15
JOHN KENDRICk BANGS, IN BRILLIANT LECTURE,
EULOC|zES The AMERICAN OVERSEAS ARMY
LEcTUEED LAST EVENING TO a
MODERATE Sized BUT VERY
SELECT AUDIENCE LAST
NIGHT.

In n hrillian address delivered at the
Elks' club auditorium under the aus
riccs Of the Womnn'S club If Nh"sIhE,
John krndrick Bangs. noted author ana
lecturer told Il small but very select
audience of his experiences in France
during the prescott war Tho reader Will
notice the use Of present" Mr.. Bangs
convinced his hearers that tn" danger OF
losing the war was not over. considering
that our president was in the "morasScs
Of vcrbosity" in the peace conference III
Paris, which might last forever ana
therefore end war
Mrs. Julian G. Hrarnc. president or
the Womnn's club Of Wheeling. miro
duccd the speaker to the audience.
The lecturer stated that the CONDITION
Of Paris was not as II was reported l"
be during the war-that Of the frivolous
artificial city Of plcaSure-hut eVidcnc"
was on every side that she was tcrrtoiF
in earnest in tho conflict that she was
lighting for civilization. with fun re-
! ,Iizatinn Of tho foe that she had before
her. Mr.. Bangs said that he was hearth
" in favor Of asking tho Hun to pay I"
tho fullest extent for tho pain and sui
fcrinC and loss that had been cauSeu
FFrancc il II took Germany thousand
years TO pay the last farthinE oi E"i"'
On Mr.. Bangs ffty-siXth birthday inc
Germans rropcncd homhardmcnt WIN
the long rang" gun after pauS" u
three weeks. The French had tho range
of the gun figured out so that tneF
could tell in just what part or inc GU!
tho bombardmcnt would oo 'h'cti,'
and could tell TO n certainty a'ter tnt
shells started just when Shcll "ou'u
burst. how many would land and ~hch
! The S1cllS
were just thirty minutes apart anu
! twelve per day were shot.
| Air raids were different. The German
! ayiotors. II seemed. had n sentimental
! liking for Paris in the moonlight. ="
! ,ha, il made Paris. MS il has always
becn. an unsafe place 10 pursue moo"-
| light stroll. An air raid spoiled "A Icc-
! ture for the speaker in IN" \. NJ ~ ~
! at the Rue MontaiGny one night. Al the
| arst alarm the entire audience arose ana
fed prccipitatcly. all four OF them
| Tho American soldier. said Nr. bangs
WAS Il moral soldier. One orEahl"h' 'oit
| in washington spread the news carry W.
| the conflict that tho boys from INV
United States were disgrace 10 H"'e'
| ica and q liability rather than an asset
! N ,hc allies He stated that hc had
! hccn particularly obscrvant. conscious!
| truth or .falstty of this statement. ~
| visited practically every camp from
bordeaux to the fighting front. TAXED I"
| 90 900 soldiers and met on lhlIht'
! terms as. 0n0 Yankees. and his total LOT
! drunkenness was ono lone Amer i." ,i'
! soldier. MIR. Bangs stated that his only
regret was that hccaus" OF the re-
straining influence If seemingly NOR
| important business he could MOI Jo'"
| that boy in everything to the last n'''''
! headache. He had been four weary
| weeks in tho kncedecp mud on the ITO"
| with $50 miles Of French soil, goo miles
! or American soil and 5000 miles Of At
lantic ocean between him and the only
| neoplc with whom he figured as ols-
| iinct personality rather than an imper-
sonal war depa rtment number. He stat
al further that 20 per cent Of our boys
| can be trusted in any event whatsoever.
| Whether or not a man Is brutall"eo
by war depends on two thinGS-lnc
quality of soul there is in tho man ana
| tho quality Of civilization in which ne
has been raised. True. the table man
ners Of the boys have been lowered
| perhaps. bu, the big question was NOT
whether they would he good enough Tor
| enough for them.
| bnost tho work OF the Y. ". & a. He
snid that 81 per cen, Of their work was
iu.l what the Lord himself would har"
| done in like set of circumstances.
! Tho other : PER- cent was caused by tho
| thought lrSsnrSS of some secretaries
/ who were ''concrci" from tho shoulders
up
! In closing Mr.. Eangs stated that ne
| had two ambitions. nnC Of which was 70
| see some manner nf Systematic military
: training fur IN" boys Of all classes IN
. which th"y would h" taught all the
! facts and truths Of Am"riCanism. That
| would y" Il cure enough for III" !. W.
| W. and "arumatic" BolsheVistic propa-
! re nda afIoa, to-day. Tho second ano'-
| lion WIS thai tho people OF Maine
! should eject him 10 tho United states
! scnatr. where hr would be the fnth"r
| T.: a bill Ia compel every American 10
, stand with hnr"i head in the presence
; of Tho hoye who fought the battles OF
! civilization over there.