Mr. Cram has very decided views on the nature and scope of the proposed League of Nations. There will be two Forum Meetings in January, viz., on the 13th and 27th. The Forum Committee has tried to adhere to a program of two meetings a month, to be held on alternate Mondays. The current Forum season started last November with meetings scheduled for November II and November 25. In December this arrangement was changed somewhat; first, by having the meetings scheduled on two successive Mondays (December 9 and December 16) because of the Christmas holiday; and second, by providing an extra Forum Meeting for December 23, to afford an opportunity to the members to hear Mr. Raymond Blathwayt, of the British Foreign Office, who was expected to be then in Boston, and was strongly recommended to the committee. He was, however, unable to appear, and Mr. S. K. Ratcliffe was secured at very short notice as the speaker for that evening, and his luminous talk on the political, social, and economic situation in England brought about by the war, was followed by an animated question period of over an hour, which was much enjoyed by the members. The attendance at the December meetings, however, was not as full as the committee would like, and which should greet the able speakers and the pertinent subjects of their addresses. It is earnestly hoped by the committee that the attendance at the coming meetings will be generous, and fill to overflowing the capacity of the hall. The Findlay meeting was postponed from November 25, 1918, because of the Testimonial Dinner given by the Boston City Club that evening to the Massachusetts Committee of Public Safety. There is no subject upon which the American people have received such conflicting and meager information as the true situation in Russia, and yet few subjects are more potent in their possibilities and influence upon the entire world welfare than the present situation and doings in Russia. The members will have in Mr. Findlay a man who speaks from firsthand knowledge and contact with the tremendous events that took place in, and are now sweeping through, that country. He left the United States early in the summer of 1917 with the first Y. M. C. A. party for Russia. He was present during the November Revolution, and was a witness of the chaos, anarchy, and riots which followed. He saw the multitudes of German agents at work in Russia and was present during the demobilization and collapse of the army. He brings valuable information to the American people. Note that the meeting is scheduled for 7.45 P.M., instead of the customary hour of 8 P.M. This is to allow for a 15-minute discussion and suggestions by the members upon subjects, speakers, and methods. which would help the Forum meetings to grip the interest of the Boston City Club, and make them truly effective and successful. It is hoped that an intimate talk of this kind will make more clearly known to the committee how it may serve the wishes and needs of the members. REVIEW OF RECENT EVENTS DINNER TO THE PUBLIC SAFETY COMMITTEE Boston City Club, November 25, 1918 MR. GEORGE S. SMITH, PRESIDENT "Gentlemen, the real guests of this evening, to whom the City Club is delighted to pay honor, are Mr. James J. Storrow [applause], Mr. Henry B. Endicott [applause], Mr. Abraham C. Ratshesky [applause], Mr. James J. Phelan [applause], Charles S. Baxter [applause], Edmund W. Longley [applause], Mr. John F. Stevens [applause], Mr. J. Frank O'Hare [applause], and Mr. B. Preston Clark [applause]. "These men have been the executive committee of the Public Safety Committee, and to them, and through them to all their associates and intimate coworkers, this Club pays tribute and homage tonight [applause]. "If one should ask me what the underlying motive was in the minds of our Entertainment Committee in inviting these men here, I would say that it was to refute the apparent fact that a prophet is not without honor save in his own country [applause]. Is it because human nature has changed so little, if any, in the far-reaching centuries that men are prone to criticize more than they are to commend? I do not think so. Is it because men are indifferent to the sacrifices and services of their friends and neighbors and intimate fellow-citizens simply because they are such? I do not think so. I think the great majority of men have a keen appreciation for the single-minded sacrificial service on the part of men in their own communities, and as individuals to individuals, are happy in expressing their appreciation. But I do think this, that from the standpoint of organizations and the voice of organizations, we have not shown our appreciation. "We to-day are in the days when problems of reconstruction are being talked, and many glittering generalties will serve speakers under the broad caption of reconstruction, and platitudes will be many. But if I were to suggest the underlying basis of reconstruction I would say that it was social reconstruction; and it can begin in an audience like ours. Why? Because there are men here from every station in life. There are poor men and there are rich men, who have come to pay as one man, and with one impulse, and with one worthy inspiration, their tribute to these men who have made, for twenty-one months, such tremendous sacrifices not alone in behalf of their state but in behalf of their nation. And when you can bring all classes of men on to a common basis of recognition of the inherent goodness of those men who are serving them, you are going a long ways toward healing the class chasms and prejudice of misunderstanding [applause]. And so I say that beginning to-night the Boston City Club as an organization, and it is going to have abundant opportunity in the years to come, is going to say that every prophet within our ken and scope is going to have honor paid to him, and that as an organization we are going to demand that appreciation also be organized, that the community as one and public may express, at all times, worthy tributes to the men, whoever they may be, who stand in the breach and meet worthy crises, and with sincerity of purpose and sincerity of heart, fill that breach, and serve their fellow-men. [Applause.] "We all painfully remember the terrible Halifax disaster and how promptly and nobly Massachusetts responded to her call. Halifax has done a most gracious thing in sending a worthy representative of her city to come here to-night wholly to the surprise of our good friends present, to express to them the appreciation of Halifax; and I have the honor to greet and to introduce Mr. G. Fred Pearson, the chairman of the Halifax branch of the Massachusetts Halifax Relief Committee." MR. G. FRED PEARSON "Mr. President, your Honor and Gentlemen, - The citizens of Halifax, whose representative I happen to be, esteem it a particular privilege to be enabled to join with you to-night in doing honor to the members of the Massachusetts Public Safety Committee, a branch of which organization we will have cause to remember as long as hearts beat in the city of Halifax as the Massachusetts Halifax Relief Committee. "Recently, in a formal way, through our official spokesman, his Honor the Lieutenant-Governor, and his Worship the Mayor of Halifax, we have tendered to his Excellancy the Governor of Massachusetts our heartfelt thanks for all that you have done for us. But it would not be proper for me to-night to omit to pay a tribute to Mr. Henry B. Endicott whom we knew as the chairman of the Massachusetts Halifax Relief Committee [applause], and who was your agent to dispense your benefactions to the people of the stricken city of Halifax. "It is my privilege to-night to be the medium of communicating to you in an official way an appreciation on behalf of our people, by our Lieutenant-Governor, Hon. McCallum Grant, by his Worship the Mayor of Halifax, and by Mr. Rogers, the chairman of the Halifax Committee. His Honor the Lieutenant-Governor bids me to say to you and to Mr. Endicott as follows: "I have just learned of your hurried departure for Boston to attend a banquet being tendered Mr. Henry B. Endicott and his fellow-workers on the Public Safety Committee by the Boston City Club. Please convey to Mr. Endicott and his friends the deepest appreciation of the people of Halifax and the City of Dartmouth, as well as myself personally, for all they have done for us in the way of relief following the terrible disaster of December 6th last. I extremely regret that I cannot be there tonight, but I am glad you have been able to attend.' "His Worship the Mayor of Halifax, bids me to say: "I have just learned that the citizens of Boston propose to honor Henry B. Endicott, the chairman of the Massachusetts Halifax Committee, by tendering him a dinner in Boston to-night. If the opportunity offers I should like you to inform Mr. Endicott that the Mayor of Halifax desires to participate in this signal event and wishes to convey on behalf of all our citizens an expression of our deep appreciation of all that Mr. Endicott and his associates and the people of Massachusetts have done for Halifax following the terrible disaster of December 6th last.' "On an occasion like this one's thoughts cannot be far removed from the war, the war in which we in Canada along with yourselves and the citizens of the allied nations, bore a humble part. This accident which caused the explosion in Halifax Harbor was just as truly an action of war as the explosion which wrecked the troop trains in Belgium the other day. I think it truthfully may be said that the gallant army of France and, as the Kaiser said, and I am proud to repeat it, the contemptible little army' of England saved civilization for the world at the Marne in 1914 [applause]. 4 "In the years to come, Mr. President, as a Canadian I look to these United States to make the world that was saved at the Marne safe for democracy. I trust that we in Canada can play a small part in being the interpreter of your hopes and your aspirations and your views of democracy to the British people over the world." PRESIDENT SMITH. Gentlemen, we are to hear successively from five of our distinguished friends and guests. They are modest men, and any attempt on the part of the presiding officer to give fulsome praise in his introduction to each would be resented by them, lest one's praise be more fulsome than that accorded or extended to the other. "Before I present Mr. Storrow let me read a very gratifying letter which was handed to me at six o'clock, from the United States Fuel Administration at Washington: MR. GEORGE S. SMITH: On this occasion when the fellow-citizens of Mr. J. J. Storrow have gathered to testify to their appreciation of his services to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, will you permit me to express to him and through you to the people of New England my grateful appreciation of the assistance Mr. Storrow has rendered. New England has seen and has undoubtedly given full credit for the zeal and efficiency shown by Mr. Storrow in your behalf. What you may not know is the extent of his contribution to the solution of the national problem confronting me as a result of war conditions. While Mr. Storrow has been always much alive to the fuel necessities of New England, this has never prevented his taking a statesmanlike attitude towards the general aspect of our problems. When radical readjustments of the fuel movements have been necessary, Mr. Storrow's ability to adapt these changes to the requirements of New England has enabled him to render very important service both to you and to me. I appreciate this opportunity to express publicly my great debt to Mr. Storrow for his work as fuel adminstrator. Very truly yours, H. A. GARFIELD, [Applause.] "Mr. Storrow. [Great applause.]" MR. JAMES J. STORROW "Mr. President and Fellow-Members of the City Club,- I have not any speech, but I want to express at the outset my most sincere appreciation for your kindness in asking us to be your guests to-night. As I have listened to what was said to-night and have thought over the situation, I think perhaps I am in a more impartial position than any of you gentlemen sitting here, and I know that I am in a more disinterested and impartial position than the members of the Public Safety Committee who are gathered at this board. It is true, as Governor McCall pointed out, that he had contributed to my education by putting me on a little preliminary committee that he formed a couple of years ago. So that thanks to him and that preliminary canter, the fuel question seemed to simply involve a weekly trip to Washington for a while; but between those trips I used to come back to the State House and look in on this committee to see what they were doing. What I saw each time I came and looked in there was that every single one of these men was giving every particle of his time and every ounce of his strength to the job. Sometimes I would come back and I would see that Mr. Endicott had got out a pair of blue goggles, and when those came out and he began wearing them I could tell he was pretty near the line; and that was a very good thermometer. And then he would take them off, and then some more load would be put upon his shoulders, and then the next trip I would see the blue goggles come out again; and I knew that that man was carrying absolutely all the load he could stagger under. I do not suppose that you have all realized that, due to the coming of the war, there became necessary a complete readjustment of the wage scale here in this state. It was of great social consequence that it should be done smoothly, without strikes, without bad feeling and without friction, and it was of great consequence, in enabling Massachusetts to make her contribution to the war, that our plants, hundreds of them, that were loaded with work that the Government needed, should go on uninterruptedly. Mr. Endicott took the lead in that readjustment. He had vision enough to see that the readjustment must be made smoothly and speedily; that it was readjustment to higher cost of living conditions, and that the readjustment must keep step with them. "Now, that was due to Henry B. Endicott, John Stevens, who is sitting around here somewhere, out there on the end, and Frank O'Hare, who is sitting here. They are the three men that did that, and it was a great big job [applause]. "Stevens and O'Hare are labor leaders. It is proper, it is honorable, and it is right, that they should put the labor side forward. But in this emergency they put the national side forward. The labor side came second, and without ever sacrificing in any way their obligation and their duty toward their fellow-workers, they at the same time never went into these complicated and complex cases, which were settled so smoothly and so quickly, without a fine sense of patriotism and a fine sense of their obligation toward this country and this state [applause]. One of these things that pleased me most was what we called the 'saw-mill' units that went to England. Well, that job was turned over to James J. Phelan [applause]; and inside of hardly more than fourteen days, Mr. James J. Phelan had gotten together 360 experienced men, right out from the woods; he had gotten together ten portable saw mills; he had gotten together the cooking dishes; he had gotten together the horses and the harnesses and the saws, and absolutely everything needed for ten camps, each with its own mill, so that when they got off the steamer they could cook their own grub and saw their timber; and when they landed there everything necessary and used in the Maine lumber camp was ready. Now, the pleasure of that was this, particularly: that those 360 men who came from New England, all of them contributed |