The Abbeville Press And Banner

AN INTERESTING LECTURE.

The lecture last Friday night in the High school was one of the most interesting the people of Abbeville have listened to in many a day. Mr. John Rasmussen came to Abbeville at the invitation of the High school and what he had to say was entertaining and instructive to all. The young man was born in Vienna, he was educated in Germany and after the World war he lived in Poland. Last fall he came to America and is now a student of Theology at Emory University. He based his lecture on the situation in Europe and dwelt particularly on the invasion of the Ruhr, the reparation, the World Court and the League of Nations. After the manner of all European lecturers, the world would lay down its arms and dwell together in brotherly love if only America would come into the League of Nations. The World Court as now organized is just a place for old Judges and, says Mr. Rasmussen, they are expensive.

Mr. Rasmussen talked at length on the situation in the Ruhr. He says that the socialist and the capitalist will sympathise with the French and will join with them in trade relations, and that it is possible that an independent state will finally be formed out of what is now the Ruhr.

The young man thinks that Germany will never be able to pay the reparations required, exclaiming, "they have been assessed more gold than is in the world, two thirds of the world supply is in America, for God sake, how can they get it and how can they pay?"

Mr. Rasmussen volunteered to answer any question asked him and it was interesting to hear the questions asked by the young people of the High school. He told of the school system of Germany, of the army of occupation and the high regard in which our boys were held and the regret at their departure, of the utter poverty of the intellectual class, affirming that the working man is well off while the college professor is having to sell his dearly prized book to keep body and soul together.

He thinks that Germany will never be a successful democracy, though the people dislike the Kaiser, "especially since his second marriage."

Mr. Rasmussen appears to be about twenty-five years old, is of delicate physique and has the blond coloring of the Germans.