Jasper County Democrat, Volume 17, Number 83, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 23 January 1915 — Free Illustrated Lecture at Ellis Theater. [ARTICLE]

Free Illustrated Lecture at Ellis Theater.

Lecture and stereoptican views of the growth and development of the United States navy from the time of the Wooden warships to the present super-dreadnaught will be given free of charge at the Ellis opera house Wednesday night at 8 p. m„ Jan. 27. Arrangements also are being made to deliver the same lecture and views at St. Joseph college for the benefit of the teachers and students in the afternoon of the same day. The officers of the Navy League are as follows: Gen. Horace Porter, Pres.; Henry IH. Ward,' Vice-Pres.; Charles C. Glover, Treas.; Evans, Jr., Asst. Treas.; Arthur 11. Dadmun, Sec.; Wrn. M. Lewis, Field Sec.; RoLt. M. Thompson,, Chairman of Executive Committee. Honorary members are: Josephus Daniels, Sec. of the Navy; Franklin D. Roosevelt, Asst. Sec. of. the Navy; Sec. of the. Treasury McAdoo; Henry Watterson; Elihu Root; Rev. Lyman Abbot; James Cardinal Gibbons; Theo. Roosevelt, » and scores of other influential men. The Navy League of the United States opened its middle western campaign in November and since that time has gained a great amount of enthusiastic support, the Office Men’s Association of Duluth, Minn , joined the league in a body. The students of Illinois University have formed a junior section and scores of other business organizations ana institutions are about to take similar action. W. 1 M. Lewis, the field secretary, is having more calls to address meetings than he can fill, such is the interest in his popularrillustratod lecture on the navy. Among his next five weeks visits are: St. Joe, Mich.; Detroit, Mich.; Gary, Ind.; St. Louis, Mo.; East St. Louis,. Ill,; Omaha, Neb., and esveral other places of importance.

It should be remembered that the Navy League is not a society for the encouragement of war but for the advancement of peace? A fire department does not entirely prevent fires in a city but it decreases the number of severe conflagations wonderfully, A nation with adequate defense may sometimes be attacked by an enemy, but it suffers far less than a nation which is unprotected. George Washington once said, “To be prepared for war is one of the most effectual means of preserving peace.” The United States is not a military nation; our army is small in proportion to our territory and population; and, being so situated geographically that any fear of invasion need be anticipated only from the sea, oui main strength must necessarily be concentrated in the navy. With the Panama Canal and a coast line of nearly twenty thousand miles to defend, and with colonial possessions separated from us by a great ocean, it is but natural that the navy should be our principal protection. Mr. W. M. Lewis will present over one hundred remarkable stereoptican slides during his lecture in Rensselaer. These pictures give a fascinating history of our navy from tlhe sailing vessels of the revolution down to the most modern deadnaughts. Come and see and hear him. The Rensselaer band will furnish music free. xx Lyceum Course Latest February 25.—The Boyds. March 17.—Weatherwax Bros. April 7.—Baflgelt & Co.