GEN. BELL STIRS KIN OF OUR SOLDIERS
Asks Great Audience to Aid Soldiers' Children Here as Our Men Did in France.
HEDGES CITES ENEMY ACTS
"Proved Barbarities," He Declares of Death Traps Set for Allies' Merciful Armies.
One of the biggest crowds the Hippodrome has ever held attended a combined Christmas and emergency fund benefit held yesterday afternoon under the joint auspices of the regimental "family units" of the 304th, 305th, and 306th Field Artillery Auxiliaries and the 302d Ammunition Train Auxiliary, together known as "New York's Own." Mrs. Robert Bacon presided and the speakers were Major Gen. J. Franklin Hall and Job E. Hedges. In addition to military drills by a provisional company from the 32d Infantry on Governors Island, a long musical program was furnished by Mme. Schumann-Heink, Leonora Sparkes, Riccardo Martin, David Bishham, Sascha Jacobsen, Percy Grainger, and Irving Berlin.
"In time or war it is the duty of the soldier to do, and not to talk," said General Bell in his speech, "but the occurrences of the last few days have causes a feeling of thankfulness to enter my heart, a thankfulness so great as to exclude any other feelings on earth. I do not care what happens now, for the war is practically over. This is a season for world-wide thanksgiving.
"I would like to make a few suggestions as to what we have to be thankful for. Suppose the Belgians, a relatively weak nation, cowed by the threats of the overwhelming force of savages, had consented to allow them to march through Belgium and had not completely stood to oppose them, where might we be now? And, great as they are, patient as they are, persevering as they are, what might have happened to the people of France, had not England arrived opportunely to help?"
General Bell Praises the Allies.
General Bell paid tribute to the steadfast bravery of the French and the Italians, and then declared that this nation owed an everlasting debt of gratitude to the British navy. He pointed out that, if it had not been for the British sea fighters and the allied transports, it would have taken months longer to get an American force of formidable size in France.
Referring to the fact that the proceeds from the entertainment were for Christmas cheer among children of the men now in France, General Bell added that all present might realize how much joy and happiness their contribution to the entertainment would give to these little ones at home.
"All you have to do is to notice in our papers how much of a figure French children cut with our American soldiers. Have you seen an American soldier in France with a child? Do you know what it means to soldiers who have left children behind? What it means to them to be without their children over there? It is just as natural for American boys and soldiers to love children as it is natural for mothers to love them.
"Has any one ever heard of an American child or woman being injured by an American soldier?" the General exclaimed, in conclusion. "This particular year, as never before, we should celebrate Christmas. We have so much to be thankful to God for. If there is any one in this audience today who ever doubted that destiny shapes our end, that there is Providence in the fall of the sparrow, when you come to consider what has taken place in the last four years and what it is bound to mean to the human race, you can doubt no longer."
Enemy Punished, Says Hedges.
"I am thankful that the Almighty got tired of waiting for us to enter the war and pushed us into it," declared Mr. Hedges in his turn, "and I am thankful that the Flanders line held out until we got there. I am glad we got there, although it was 'on the afternoon of the last day left.' I am glad there is sufficient poetic justice in the world to make it necessary for Germany to ask for an armistice from a French General.
"I am sorry, however," he continued, "that the world will never know what the Kaiser is thinking about now; not that we care, but as a matter of intellectual exercise. I would like to know how he regards his present relationship with the Almighty."
After outlining the reasons that made it vital for this country to take its stand with the Allies and "forever establish that right is superior to might," Mr. Hedges drove home the terrible manner in which the enemy had made his war and gave two "proved instances" of the frequently charged barbarity.
"When the St. Mihiel salient was attacked," said the speaker, "a soldier entered the village and found there, nailed on a door, a dying, defenceless kitten, with nails through its four feet. Its cries attracted the soldier and he went and drew the nails. Drawing these nails released the bullet that took this soldier's life. And this was Germany's declaration that 'there shall be no mercy on this earth.'
"A statue of Christ had fallen from a nearby building. Soldiers started to raise it, and the act of raising it released bullets that killed them. And this was Germany's declaration that there should be no God on this earth, concluded Mr. Hedges.
The great audience was deeply impressed by the serious tony of both speakers. It gave a rousing welcome to the musical stars. Combined bands from Forts Totten and Hamilton, playing under the leadership of Rocco Resta, set off the noisiest demonstration of the evening.
LOST AND FOUND.
Fifty cents an agate line.
LOST—On Sunday, the 10th, an automobile wire wheel with a 35x5 U.S. Nobby Tread shoe, somewhere between New Brunswick, N.J. and Brooklyn, N.Y.; liberal reward. Please notify 338 McDonough St., Brooklyn. Telephone 3556 Bedford.
LOST—A diamond and platinum necklace, fourteen inches long, at or between Hotels Claridge and Knickerbocker, Friday evening, about 7:30 o'clock. Liberal reward to finder. Charles H. Smith, 14 East 80th St., New York City. Plaza 3500.
LOST—On Sunday morning, police dog, wearing muzzle, chain and collar with name and address; liberal reward. Please return to Mrs. L. G. Scott, 19 East 66th St. Phone Plaza 5560.
LOST in taxicab, Saturday night, a gold meshbag with gold vanity case inside and money; liberal reward to finder. Please return to May A. Broesel, 131 West 74th St.
LOST—Saturday noon in Bloomingdale's, handbag with sum of money and other articles; liberal reward. M. H., 1,1107 Lexington Av.
LOST—Nov. 7, gentleman's scarf pin, solitaire diamond encircled sapphires; liberal reward; no questions. Krakeur, 41 West 82d.
LOST—Chased gold link bracelet, between Penn Station and 168 Waverly Place, Saturday night. Barratt, Circle 2330. Reward.
LOST—On Saturday, Nov. 9, silver fountain pen; initials V. H. H.; reward. Communicate M. S., 27 East 38th St.
LOST—Typewritten manuscript play. Ninth-Christopher neighborhood. Bigelow Drug Store cashier. Stuyvesant 4697. Reward.
LOST—Friday night, scarfpin, pearl, with square diamond. C. M. Fishel, 329 W. 87th. Reward.
LOST—Black Persian lamb collar at Broadway Theatre, Saturday night; reward. 771 Circle.
LOST—Lady's cameo pin Saturday, suitable reward. L. Benedicks, 29 East 31st.
$100 REWARD for information leading to recovery Hudson super six No. 61191; when lost. Oct. 15, had red wheels, blue body, orange marks on right side and top. P. O. Box 145, Brooklyn, N.Y.
REWARD for return of American flag brooch, lost Thursday, Nov. 7. somewhere between 62d and 60th St. and 5th and 30 Avs. (illegible text) 5th Av and 46th St.
MORE FOOD MUST BE SAVED.
Fifty Per Cent. Increase Has to be Sent to the Other Side.
The Federal Food Board issued a statement yesterday in behalf of the United States Food Administration, pointing out that there must be no relaxation in the general food conservation program because of changed war conditions. With every mile of territory gained, the board said, the food obligations of the United States increases.
"The sternest task yet set for the people of the United States, in the opinion of those who are in touch with the American-European food situation, is the shipment this crop year of virtually half as much food again as was shipped during the last crop year," the statement said. "During the last crop year the United States shipped to Europe close to 12,000,000 tons of food, and now from a stock not materially larger we are pledged to send 18,000,000 tons. This means saving hard, every meal, every day. It means scientific saving in every household, that it may be done without impairing the health or strength of our people.
"While changes in the war situation may result in slight alterations in the conservation program as outlined by Administrator Hoover, there must be no relaxation in the general program for food saving. Even in Belgium, where the supplies of the Relief Commission have been the only food resources, the death rate shows that the health of the population has been maintained. America has larger resources and a more varied died and it will not be necessary for us to depend on a daily dole of stinted rations, but it is necessary that we make every ounce of food count and every morsel contribute its last bit of nourishment."
RED CROSS PRISON WORK.
Bureau Taking Care of All Americans in German Hands.
An average of 30,000 queries a week are handled by the Bureau of Communication of the American Red Cross, according to an announcement by the organization yesterday. Of this number about 20,000 are from relatives of men in service overseas, the rest being from persons with relatives in cantonments on this side.
Because of the success of the bureau its work has been extended to camps in this country, at the request of the War Department. Queries concerning soldiers who have failed to write home, or who are reported as casualties, are cared for by the bureau. Red Cross searchers—there are 100 of them in France—obtain the desired information, and it is forwarded to the anxious families.
The Bureau of Prisoners' Relief is the only organization authorized to aid American prisoners of war. When a man is officially reported a prisoner, the bureau notifies his family that it will look out for his welfare. In addition to forwarding mail, money, and clothing to the prisoners the bureau sends to each man twenty pounds of food each week. Up to the present only a few of these food parcels have failed to reach their destinations.
TELL OF JEWS' PART IN CONDUCT OF WAR
American Committee Points Out That 200,000 Serve in United States Forces Alone.
ASK GUARANTEES IN POLAND
Treaty Providing for Equality of All Inhabitants Not Sufficient, Report Declares.
A report of the war activities of the Jews, with a summary of political conditions affecting Jews in European countries, was presented yesterday at the twelfth annual meeting of the American Jewish Committee in the Hotel Astor. Louis Marshall presided, and in presenting the report it was pointed out that the committee was established in 1906 "to prevent the infraction of the civil and religious rights of the Jews throughout the world."
The report said that from 150,000 to 200,000 Jews were serving in the American armed forces, or about 130,000 in the army and about 20,000 in the navy and Marine Corps. The records of about 65,000 have been classified, and of that number 4,910 are commissioned officers. Up to Nov. 1 there were 2,502 casualties among the Jews whose names had been classified, or about 3.9 per cent. It is pointed out also in the report that while the infantry comprises about 44 per cent. of the total strength of the army the percentage of Jews in that arm is about 69.
"The committee also prosecuted the correlative task of guarding the rights of the Jews by combatting all manifestations of racial or religious discrimination," said the statement of the committee. "In the course of this activity the committee had correspondence with almost every branch of the Government and all the authorities exhibited every disposition to have the matters complained of fairly and justly settled and recurrence of them made impossible."
In its report upon the political conditions in Europe the committee pointed out that it had covered the countries that were "the homes of 10,000,000 of the 15,000,000 Jews of the world.2 The report praises the approval of the British Government given to the plan to establish in Palestine "a national home for the Jewish people," and reviews conditions in Russia, Ukraine, Poland, Rumania, Courland, Lithuania, Serbia, Greece and Turkey.
Suffer Under Bolshevism.
In Russia the Bolshevists have substituted an economic persecution for the religious persecution of the Czars, the report says. In speaking of the machinations of the Bolshevists and the attitude of the Russian Jews toward them it says:
"Although a large number of the Jews of Russia are the victims of the Bolshevists, a great proportion being engaged in trade and the professions and thus coming under the ban of the Bolshevists, yet, because several of the leaders of this group are Jews, the impression has been created in many quarters that the Jews of Russia are overwhelmingly identified with the Bolshevists and their excesses. From information which your committee has been able to secure of the state of affairs in that distracted country it can say with confidence that this report is entirely unfounded and that the Jews of Russia to an overwhelming extent are ranged on the side of those who are struggling for the restoration of decency and order and who are patriotically striving to deliver Russia from its present unhappy condition."
It will not be sufficient for the security of the Jews in Poland, the report says, if the Allies, in establishing the sovereign state, "merely make stipulations for the equality of all inhabitants, in a treaty or protocol." The report adds that some effectual guarantee must be added to the stipulations of the Polish charter. It continues:
"Will the new Poland be controlled by enlightened and broadminded men who will administer it as a great civilized State upon the basis now recognized to be the foundation of all modern civilized nations, or will the new State be the victim of those extreme Chauvinists whose motto has been publicly proclaimed as 'Poland for the Poles,' and who propose to arrive at this ideal by sending half of the Jews of Poland to America and the half to Palestine?"
Problems in Rumania.
A parallel of the possible status of the Jew in Poland is found in Rumanaia, the report says in pointing out that the Rumanian "oligarchy found no difficulty in circumventing the provision of the treaty of Berlin guaranteeing civil and political equality to all inhabitants irrespective of creed." The recent treaty of Bucharest provided for the naturalization of Jews born in Rumania, but the report asserts that the difficulty in the claiming of citizenship was that birth registrars there were not kept before 1866 and were irregular until 1880, so that Jews more than 15 years old whose parents were born in the country could not claim privileges of citizenship.
The probably addition to Rumania of the territories of Bessarabia, Transylvania, and Bukowina will increase the difficulties, and the report adds: "The Rumanian Jewish question is likely to assume the magnitude of the Polish Jewish question, and its solution in both cases must be the same—treaty stipulations and guarantees of their observance."
Louis Marshall was re-elected President of the committee, with Dr. Cyrus Adler and Julius Rosenwald as Vice Presidents. Abram I. Elkus and Albert D. Lasker of Chicago were elected members of the Executive Committee, on which are Dr. Cyrus Adler, Judge Mayer Sulzberger, Louis Marshall, Jacob H. Schiff, Oscar S. Strays, Cyrus L. Suizberger, Samuel Dorf, Professor Jacob H. Hollander, Isidor Sobel, Colonel Harry Cutler, A. Leo Weil, and Julius Rosenwald.
PLAN SOLDIERS' MONUMENT
Proposal to Erect Memorial Near the Statue of Liberty.
A suggestion for the building of a war monument in New York Bay near the Statue of Liberty to New York City soldiers who lost their lives in the war, was offered yesterday at the meeting of the Directors of the Army and Navy Service Station of the Young Men's Democratic League. It was proposed to have the military memorial face the statue, and a committee was appointed to start a movement for its erection.
Frank D. Shelley, President of the league, has applied to the War and Navy Departments for complete lists of the names of men from this city who have perished in the war. As a further honor to soldiers and sailors the league will petition to have the name of Battery Park changed to "Heroes' Park."
BROADWAY & NINTH STREET AND
30 E. 42D ST., BET. FIFTH & MADISON AVES.
20 Year On This Corner
NEWARK, N.J.
Marbridge Bldg., 6th Ave., & 34th St.
Phone, Greeley 2828
for every Robert Burns Cigar
you smoke today!
