Evening star., 1939-05-22
bdnkhead Urges
Adequate Arms
For Defense
Speaker Outlines
Policy at Cathedral
Messing of CoIors
BY JAMES WALDO FAwCETT.

A policy to keep America out OF
foreign strife was outlined by Speak
er William B. Bankhead at the 18th
annual massing of the colors service
at Washington Cathedral yesterday
afternoon.
"It is my humble opinion" Mr..
Bankhead told congregation Of
5000 assembled in the open-air am
phitheater on the south slope Of
Mount st. Alban, that an over
whelming majority of the American
people at this hour feel that our ma
tional policy in this tense situation
should be upon these broad bases:
Firstly, we should take every rea-
sonable precaution to place our
armed forces upon the highest plane
OF efficiency to meet any attack from
any quarter upon the Continental
United States or any part of the
Western Hemisphere; secondly, we
should continue to use every moral
persuasion at our command to pre-
serve the peace Of the world without
provocative implications of any kind
upon our part, and thirdly, we should
reassure the American people that
there Is no disposition or intention
upon the part of this Government to
engage in any act of aggression be-
yond our own territory or to use our
armed forces to fight upon Euro.
pean or Asiatic soil.'
Pressure Upon Stamina.
The Speaker at the start of his ad-
dress declared: I'VE are now con-
| fronted with domestic and interna-
tional problems that place severe
pressure upon our stamina and
course of action The entire world
seems to be shaken and disturbed
and uneasy because of the frenzy
caused by the fear of another world
war. There is grave apprehension
among many of our own people that
IN the event of such cataclysm we
may be drawn into it's vortex. 1 do
not share in that apprehension as
an inevitable result"
But Mr.. Bankhead urged consid-
GRAFTON of dangers at home. 1--WE
are supposed to be a homogeneous
people" he said, land we are sup
posed to give loyalty and reverence
to our democratic institutions. 80
Nevertheless, there is abundant evil
dence that we have sinister and
mischievous forces and influences
within our borders seeking with
covert and sinister cunning to inject
into the veins of our present political
system the malignant views of alien
and destructive doctrines and to
incite rabid racial and religious
hatreds. There is no place any
where upon our soil to harbor such
activities or to condone their malev-
olence.
Record Of Hospitality.
Il am happy to report that the
Congress is diligently diagnosing this
diseased tissue in our body polite,
and in due course will enact ade.
quate remedies for its extirpation.
- If there ever was a country that
has been generous in its hospitality
to the needy and prosecuted from
all nations. surely that has been
the record of the United States of
America
Mr.. Bankhead was introduced by
the Right Rev. James E. Freeman.
Bishop of Washington, who quoted
the final portion of Lincoln's Gettys-
burg address as the inspiration Of
the annual memorial to the fallen
defenders of the Nation.
>Brig. Gen. Albert L. Cox presided;
the Very Rev. Noble C. Powell, dean
of Washington Cathedral, gave the
greeting; Rev. DR.. James Shera
Montgomery, chaplain of the House
OF Representatives, read the lesson,
and Rev. DR.. Oliver j. Hart, rec
tor of st. Johns, lead the prayers.
At the moment of commemora-
ton, Principal Musician Winfred
Kemp, U. S. M. c., sounded taps.
The United States Marine Band,
Capt. Taylor Branson conducting,
played "The Star Spangled Ban
ner" while the congregation stood
at attention. Robert G. Barrow,
Cathedral organist and choirmaster,
directed the singing of the hymns.
339 Flags in Procession.
Count of flags borne to the golden
cross set up at the woodland altar
in the amphitheater showed 339 in
the procession. Among those in the
line of march were: Soldiers, sailors,
marines, National Guard troops, de-
tails OF the American Legion, the
Veterans of Foreign Wars and the
Military Order of the World War
and their auxiliaries, high school
cadets, Boy and Gfl Scouts, Sons,
Daughters and Children of the
American Revolution, Spanish
American War veterans, Red Cross
nurses, Gray Ladies, American War
Mothers, Women's Relief Corps,
Women's Overseas Service League,
Jobs Daughters, Federation of Wom-
ems Clubs, Order of Ahepa, Alrnas
Temple Legion of Honor, Builders
Masonic Club. Salvation Army and
many other patriotic and civic or
CARNATIONS.
Col. Walter w. Burns was grand
marshal of the procession, with 1t.
Col. Charles Demonet, It. Col. Rob-
ert P. Parrott and Maj. Russell p.
Freeman as division captains.
Mrs. Woodrow Wilson, Mrs. vii.
liam Howard Taft, Mrs. E. T. Mere
dth, Mrs. James Parmelee, Mrs.
Bankhead. Mrs. Freeman, Mrs. Cox,
Mrs. Powell, Mrs. Wolven, Rear Ad-
miral Thomas c. Hart, Mai. Gen,
Robert McC. Beck, Capt. Robert D.
Woman, chief of chapltains, U. S.
NJ, and Comdr. w. N. Thomas,
chaplain of the Naval Academy,
were in n'the congregation.
Clergy attending included: Canon
Edward Slater Dunlap, Canon Ray
mond L. Wolven, the Rev. Clyde
Brown, the Rev. william Lee Mayo,
the Rev. Edward Gabler, the Rev.
Guy H. Crook, the Rev. DR.. Thomas
F. Ople, the Rev. James Valiant, the
Rev. DR.. Frederick Brown Harris,
Rabbi Norman ,Gerstenfeld and the
Right Rev. Logan H. Roots, retired
Bishop of Hankow, China.
Maj. Arlington A. McCallum,