The globe-independent. (Hagerstown, Md.) 1943-19??, 1951-09-27
Former Governor Is
Kiwanis Speaker
William Preston Lane Address
es Members And Their Wives
At Ladies' Day Luncheon.

At Ladies' Day Luncheon.
The annual Ladies' Day luncheon
meeting of the Hagerstown Kiwanis
Club was held at the Hotel Alexan-
der on Thursday, with a large at
tendance of both members and their
wives. The meeting was presided
over by Walter M. Daniels, president,
and there were a number of visit
ing Kiwanians present.
The guest speaker, former Gov
ernor William Preston Lane, was
introduced by Roy c. F. Weagley,
chairman of the Agricultural Com
mittee, which arranged the program.
Mr.. Lane opened his talk with
brief comment on his administra-
ton as Governor, in which he point
ed out that: whereas a few years ago
there were $4,000 school children
who had no place to go, today there
are $50 class rooms which the young
sters can attend daily in an effort
to get an education He also gave
two other interesting facts; first, that
in 1916 there were only SIG students
registered in the teachers colleges of
the state, while today, $500 are en-
rolled; and second, that the public
education system in the state of
Maryland had jumped from a place
in the low forties in 1916, to second
place in 1850.
Mr.. Lane then told his audience
of some of the information he had
acquired during his recent trip
abroad, during which he travelled in
10 countries, and was able, on four
occasions, to get behind the Iron
Curtain.
He stated frankly that before he
went abroad he was somewhat fear
full of what was going to happen to
the world, but that he came home
with a genuine feeling of hopeful
ness that the tragedy of another all
out war, that could very we'll spell
the end of real civilization, could and
would be averted. The speaker
based his hopefulness on these two
important factors-the very definite
split in the Polituro (the governing
body in the Soviet Union, and the
determination of the nations of the
Atlantic Pact to build up an armed
force that has already reached sur
prising strength.
Touching on the first Of these two
factors, Mr.. Lane said that it was
his opinion that Stain had effectively
blocked the plans Of one segment of
the Politburo to openly declare war
and his reason for doing it was: That
while he thought his armies could
win on the field of battle, Stain was
MORALLY afraid that his own coun-
try would be devastated obviously
the speaker was referring to the atom
bomb power of the United States).
He then pointed out while the So
Wet Union had taken over the
satellite countries by stealing in like
a burglar, the attack on South Korea
was the first attempt made to cap
ture country by armed might and
that attempt, of course, has been
anything but successful.
Turning to the members of the
Atlantic Pact, the former governor
said that, largely through the help
of the Marshall Plan, the nations
abroad were not only rebuilding
their own countries, but were also
building up an armed strength that
is rapidly reaching formidable pro-
portions.
In conclusion, Mr. Lane stated
that if we at home would continue
our fight for preparedness and make
whatever sacrifices are necessary
to make that preparedness 100 per
cent reality, Russia would prob
ably think more than twice before
attacking. But he warned that be-
cause Russia does not think in terms
of today, but rather in terms of SO
years ahead, we must ever be on the
alert.