Omaha daily bee., 1919-01-23
War MEMORIAL
MUSEUM URGED
BY CITIZENS
Enthusiastic Meeting Held at
Which John Lee Web
Ster Outlines
Plans.

The erection of an imposing war
memorial museum and art gallery,
as a lasting tribute to Omaha S
heroes in the war, was urged last
night by John Lee Webster in an
address to the Friends Of Art at a
dinner in the Fontenelle hotel.
Francis A. Brogan presided. and
at his table were Colonel Wuest,
Fort Omaha, and Mr.. Webster, the
speaker Of the evening. There were
100 men and women in attendance
and they were enthusiastic in sup
porting the idea of substantial
memorial as outlined by Mr.. Web
ster.
Liberty Memorial.
Mr.. Webster spoke in part as FL
lows;
The memorial should be some-
thing more tiran monuments, audi
forums or hospitals. 1t should be
liberty memorial, representative
of the idealism for WHICH American
soldiers crossed the ocean to do
deeds Of valor on the battlefelds of
the European continent. The pa
triotism of our people is enthuastic
in the demand that they shall give
expression Of their gratitude to the
valiant army and navy, in the erec-
ton of a memorial which shall be
grand in conception, useful and
noble and inspiring in execution,
and enduring through time as shall
Be the memory Of the deeds it COM
memorates.
"A liberty memorial should en-
body the beautiful and artistic with
the useful, educational as we'll as
permanent, and as free to the public
as patriotism is universal.
There is form of memorial
which will combine the elements of
the artistic with the historic, and
where may be collected and pre-
served object lessons telling the his
tory Of the war, its battles, its hard
ships, the daring exploits and brav-
cry of the men, and their ultimate
victorious achievements. All these
may be combined in a soldiers
memorial and art building, of artistic
design and of suitable proportions,
and erected on some slightly spot
within the city.
Proposes War Museum.
"On the first floor of such a me-
mortal and art building as | con-
ceive it should be. there should be
war museum where examples of
uniforms Of officers and men,. of the
army and navy, placed in cabinets,
and near them should be other cab
inets containing other examples Of
the blue uniforms worn BY the
veterans of the civil war, and Of the
uniforms worn by the veterans of
the Spanish war. And then in other
cabinets I would have the Uniforms
worn BY the nurses. BY the women
of the Red Cross and Of the can
teen.
There should be collected every
form of illustration of the incidents
of the war. On this floor Of the
memorial building should be collec-
tions of every variety of relics Of
the war-rifies, swords, helmets.
shells, machine guns, regimental
flags, and flags of all the allied ma
tions. I would have flag which
General Harries took with him into
Berlin. On the ground floor. of this
building there should be medium
sized auditorium where veterans of
our wars, and members Of the Order
of the Golden Star. and of other or
ganizations, can hold patriotic meet
ings. A place where the musical
societies can give concerts and
where the Drama leagne can meet
and give productions Of classic
plays.
There is a happy association be-
tween the war memorial museum
and the art gallery. Both depend
upon gifts, donations and generous
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