The Aurora Turnvergin laid the cornerstone yesterday for its new Turnhalle which is being erected at Second Street and Milwaukee Avenue. At ten o'clock, members of the Verein, together with representatives from the West Side Arbeiterverein, gathered at the Court House, where the Chicago Turngemeinde, the Union Turnverein, and delegates from the Schuetzenverein and the Concordia Maennerchor had already assembled. At half past ten, this large throng marched to the scene of the festivities, led by the marshals of the day. The speakers, Mr. E. Juessen and General H. Davis, and several members of the City Council and the press followed in carriages.

The program was opened by a prologue written by Mr. von Langen, and rendered by Miss Virginia von Horn. Turner von Langen then introduced 2the first speaker, Mr. E. Juessen. He addressed the assembly in German and said in part:

"I feel at home wherever turners erect a temple, for I know that they dedicate and devote their churches only to the cause of freedom and progress. Every new Turnhalle that we build, every new temple that we complete in which the portrait of vigorous old Jahn [founder of the turner movement] is the only revered image, is a barrier against narrow-minded ideas, and a fortress of progress. Turners are welcomed by all but bigots and fanatics. The German turners did their duty in the War of the Rebellion: They did not hesitate to rally around the flag of freedom. They bravely faced the enemy in hard battle and fought for the great ideal which they advocated so enthusiastically. They gladly risked their lives, and that is why every patriot respects the white jacket today. [Translator's note: The turners wore white jackets.]

"Why are Americans, why are the officials of this city participating in this 3celebration? Because every liberal-minded American is convinced that the spirit which your organizations have shown throughout the length and breadth of the land is in agreement with the fundamental principles of the Constitution of the United States; because they know that Jahn's students never ally themselves with slavery and darkness, but are devotees of freedom and light. Progressive men look forward to your energetic assistance in the future, for the battle is not yet ended. We are still fighting for liberty, equality, and justice. The scene of the contest has merely shifted from the battlefield to the political arena, and words have taken the place of cannon, sword, and musket as means of warfare. And in this new war our American friends are depending on us turners who were their best and ablest comrades-in-arms.

"You, my friends, have another task. I need only mention it to bring the gleam of battle to your eyes. It is the fight against the bigotry of 4some would-be Americans. An attempt is being made to legislate you into heaven, to prescribe to you not only what you are to drink in order to quench your thirst, but also the only way you are to be translated from this role of tears to heavenly bliss. As a rule, these morbid spells end in revivals and camp meetings, and have but one result--the price for church pews rises. But this time the agitation is more widespread, for even the superintendent of public instruction has proposed strict religious regulations for our public schools. We know from experience what a terrible condition results from combining church and state, and we shall never tolerate even the slightest attempt to abolish or restrict the complete separation of 'the things that are God's and the things that are Caesar's'.

"I would like to make a practical application of an oft-discussed principle to the temperance issue. Do not vote for any candidate, no matter what his political faith may be, unless he positively and unreservedly declares that he will oppose with every legal means at his disposal the enactment of all 5temperance and Sunday laws. It is desirable that we co-operate with the liberal American element in order to attain our objective. In this way, we can fight bigotry effectively and assert our German national view of life. We count on you turners to form the advance guard in this battle for unrestricted personal liberty, for you have made yourselves the champions of true progress...." [Translator's note: The concluding paragraph of this address is irrelevant. The same is true of the speech made by Mr. Davis, who was not a German.]