Rome, Nov. 16.
/REMIER Benito Mussolini told the Italian people to be prepared 4 for war as a precaution against the conflagration now sweeping Europe in a brief, unexpected speech on the balcony of the Venice Palace headquarters yesterday. Il Duce spoke to a crowd of more than 100,000 massed in the Venice Square, including thou: sands of students, who converged on the square shouting "Duce! Duce!"
"Keep your rifles bright beside your books," he warned the students.
"The Fascist peace is an armed peace."
He said Italy must be in a state of "rugged preparedness, in accordance with Fascist customs and for reasons of precaution, The Duce appeared on the balcony Six times to receive the ovations of the crowds of people cheering and shouting "Duce!" in the square below. Some women in the crowd fainted and were carried out by being lifted high over the heads of the people in order to prevent their being trampled upon.—United Press.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.