22 APRIL 1916, Page 11

AMERICA AND THE WAR.

[To THE EDITOR 07 TEE SPECTATOR:1 Em,—In your issue of March 18th, under "News of the Week," you state "The first meeting held in the United States since the beginning of the war to advocate co-operation with the Allies was held in New York on Monday, &a" May I point out that this meeting followed a series of meetings which were held in Boston under the auspices of the "Citizens' League for America and the Allies " ? It was the great success of these Boston meetings, that ensouraged the American Rights Committee of New York, which had been, and still is, doing yeoman

service in carrying on a publicity campaign on behalf of the cause of the Allies, to undertake the New York meeting. The Boston meetings were held on Sunday afternoons in Tremont Temple, a hall which seats three thousand. The hall was always crowded. I enclose a copy of Professor Royce's speech, delivered at one of these meetings on January 30th. It aroused the greatest enthusiasm. At a later meeting (February 27th) the principal address was made by Mr. George Haven Putnam, of New York, a veteran of our Civil War. When he said "We ought, now, to be fighting on the side of the Allies," the whole audience rose to its feet and cheered and waved handkerchiefs. It was Major Putnam who later presided at the New York meeting to which you refer. I enclose newspaper clippings giving some amount of the Boston meetings. Twenty-five thousand copies of Professor Royce's speech have been distributed throughout the United States.—