Webster City freeman. [volume] (Webster City, Hamilton County, Iowa) 1884-1946, 1919-09-22
CHAP Lain R0bb
SP PEAKS ON WAR
Well Known Chaplain OF
168th Speaks in Webster
City on Regiments
Part in War.
THE HORRORS OF WAR
Says League of Nations Full
fills Promise Made to
Soldiers.
THE HORRORS OF WAR

RObb at the Methodist church last ev-
ening. While the chaplain is very
busy man and has constant engage
ments, yet he seemed at his best last
evening. He speaks with modesty Of
the achievements of the Rainbow divi-
sion in France and says any other
regiment would have acquitted itself
with as great credit if they had been
accorded the opportunity. Neverthe-
less, none could have gone further than
the Rainbow boys went, for they gave
themselves without stint, and of the 81
500 in the 16Sth only about 200 of the
original number came back without
wounds and hundreds of them lie on
French soil today.
After some opening witticisms, the
chaplain swiftly and graphically de-
scribed the trip Of the 16Sth regiment
from the Iowa camp to France and the
part they took in the various engage,
ments. His intimate acquaintance with
the boys Of the regiment was revealed
when he portrayed Individually the
deaths of the boys and gave the per-
s0nal touches that characterized each
one of them.
How Armistice Was Received.
He told Of the engagements in Lor-
raine, Champagne, Chateau Thierry.
Argonne, and the absolute lack OF all
zest on the part of the boys when the
announcement was made of the armi-
stice. Not cheer went up. Some of
them took it with grain of allow
ance, and others looked askance. But
as soon as they could sense anything of
the significance of that event, the first
question that escaped their lips was,
when do we 90 hOme?' Then he told
of their being honOred by being sent
as part of the army of occupation and
Of the encampment on the Rhine.
He closed with moving appeal to
his audience to abate war. His whole
object in delineating the horrors of the
was to vividly impress the
helliShness of war and its futility as
a means of settling differences. The
League of Nations. he declared, was
only fulfilling the promise given to
the boys when they went over that
they were now fighting war to end
war. Any set of men who will deliber-
ately place themselves athwart the will
Of the American people ALLEVIATE them
selves from the leadership of the peO-
pie and face an ignominious future. He
urged all men and women to use all
their influence to secure the ratifica-
tiOn Of the League Of Nations.
After his lecture, which was an hour
and half long. he proceeded to throw
III the screen about go pictures which
ne had personally taken during his
work with the regiment. While it was
10 :45 o'clock before the dismissal Of
he congregation, yet very few had
availed of the opportunity he gave them !
10 leave any time they desired. There
have been many addresses ON the war
delivered in this city. The concensus
IF opinion, however, seems to be that
Chaplain Robb has excelled in graphic
description and sustained interest.
The demoblizing of the service flag
took place at the beginning of the SER
rice The orchestra played several
during the gathering of the
audience. The boys represented on the
lag sat in body before the speaker,
many of them in uniform. The pastor
read the list of names on the honor
roll of the service flag. The choir rem
lered beautiful and appropriate an
hem entitled MY Country" The en-
tire program was fitting recognition
Of the services which We're freely Of
fered for the defense of the rights and
liberties of our American citizenship
and for the uplift and freedom of the
lations of the world