The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1919-05-02
PATRIOTIC GATHERING At THE
THEATRE LAST NIGHT
ACE GIVES AN ADDRESS
Captain Ivan Bowen Spoke For
Soldiers In Blue Earth
County

Alexander Weatherby or the united
States marines, A. E. F.. and Lieu
tenant William Furlow, ace with the
United States Flying Corps, A. E. F.,
brought vivid word pictures of the
great world war home to Mankato
folk during stirring patriotic pro-
gram at Mankato theatre last night.
Captain Ivan Bowen, F. A., a. E. F.. Of
Mankato, described with telling eff
feet what the men of Blue Earth
county accomplished during the war,
and after hearing these addresses,
and the short speech by w. ID. Willard,
county chairman of the Victory Loan
campaign, the duty of patriotic Amer
lean citizens, not to quit" but to
carry on" to a glorious finale the
work following the great war, and
purchase the splendid investment
bonds offered by the government, was
plain indeed. 80
The Fifth Regimental band marched
to the theatre, playing patriotic airs,
and rendered two selections from the
stage, behind the curtain, the gener-
al regret of the audience being that
they could not see, as well as hear,
the musicians. Although the night
out in large numbers, and the spirit
of the audience was plainly shown by
the enthusiastic applause which
greeted each speaker, and each Sc
lection on the program. The rise of
the curtain revealed the speakers of
the evening, and the Orpheus club
and accompanies seated upon the
stage. Music for the songs was fur
nished by the orchestra, which also
played prelude of popular patriotic
airs, opening the program. The au-
dience and Orpheus club sang 1.-THE
Star Spangled Banner" and the Mar
seillaise," Mrs. H. A. Patterson di-
recting. The invocation was given by
Rev. T. Ross Paden, pastor of the
Presbyterian church. W. D. Willard
presided as chairman of the meeting,
and introduced the speakers.
Can Hear From Soldiers.
Mr.. Willard remarked that in each
OF the Liberty Loan drives of the past
an effort had been made to get some
man from the county who had serv-
ed in the war, to deliver a Liberty
Loan address, but this had been i'm
possible. Now that the men are COM
ing home the people are able to hear
from them. Tonight we are to hear
from three returned Minnesota men,"
said Mr.. Willard, and introduced as
the first speaker Captain Ivan Bowen
of the field artillery.
Captain Bowen greeted his audience
as fellow citizens" saying that al
though he spoke to them in uniform he
wished to speak as private citizen,
as he is one, having been honorably
discharged from the army. He i'm
pressed upon his hearers that every
man who had stayed at home was and
is in the military service inasmuch
as the laws of the state subject every
man to military duty
IF the United States did not call
you into military service it was be-
cause you would be of more value at
Eome," said Captain Bowen. "Tne
United States army was not composed
alone OF the men who were doing the
actual fighting. Only a small part of
the men in uniform were in the actual
fighting. Behind them were the
many branches of the army, and be-
hind them, and as necessary to the
right outcome of the war as the SOL
diers, were the citizens.
The Men Behind.
IF the United States left YOU at
home drawing good salary instead
of taking YOU for service at $50 a
month, which minus the allotment
and insurance fees left you about SIS
a month, it did so for a purpose You
had your duties to perform. To stand
back of the army. When the war
finally ended on the eleventh of No.
vember the duty of the soldiers did
did not cease. The majority of our
haen who did the fighting are with
the army of occupation They would
like to come home but they did not
quit. You must not quit-you must
do your duty to the end. The men
who fought the war were not boys
as some are pleased to call them.
They were men, above the age of
twenty one and below the age of
thirty two. i had in my own COM
pany many married men with wives
and children at home. In all Blue
Earth county had about 1000 men
in the war, 1000 having entered the
army through the draft and 1000 by
voluntary enlistment. Many of these
men are still in service. Put a man
in uniform in company of soldiers,
and they all look alike.
Picture Blue Earth Men in War.
Just picture that four thousand
Blue Earth county men in action. See
what they have done for the coun-
try. l see them in the drives against
the enemy. / see them falling in
the fight and see them coming back
from the front, tired and worn out.
] see Wheaton Williams of Mankato
coming out of the ST. Mihiel sector
with the other men, grim and deter
mined after the terrible battle. |
see Glen Campbell, the first Blue
Earth county man to fall, and | see
his mother who made such a wonder
full sacrifice, and was proud to give
her son to her country. l see Ru-
dolph Thompson of Mankato with a
leg off at the thigh; l see the two
Lorentz boys lying on the fields of
France; / see some eighty men from
this county among the casualties.
They did not quit they did their duty
nobly under the most horrible con-
iditions. With the man over there it
wasn't a question if he should rest
!at night, it was a question if he
could find shell hole in which to
lay down, and if he could find a shell
hole with only two feet of water in