The daily Nome industrial worker., 1916-09-25
4 BOOK REVIEW.

There have been many books written about the Great War; books by authors whose names have been prominent for long while in litera- ry circles on two continents; books by wise men and men not wise, de- scribing, analyzing and sitting to the great bewilderment of the read CTS who perceived only the hay hold of another type of war book; it is written by Patrick MacGill of the London Irish Regiment who achieved the piping times of peace some fame as the realistic author of the realistic story of The Children of the Dead End: The Autobiography of a Navvy'. The nayvy is the lowest caste of worker inHthe nation where the workers are divided into caste, for he is the sudra who digs ditches, mends the sewers and labors long and for lit tie.
 MacGnl went through the cam paign at Loos and calls his book "The Great Push, and for sad real ism nothing that so far has been written reveals the fife of the sold iers ill these days of Red Terror and Black Misery. It is not a vain glorious work, triumphing over a fallen enemy and loudly magnifyine the deeds of prowess done by the fighting men that face one another today There is not even taint of hatred for the enemy; nothing but sympathy and pity and disgust that such things should be.
 "The justice of the cause which endeavors to achieve it's object by the murdering and maiming of man. kind is apt to be doubted by man who has come through a bayonev charge, says MacGill in his intro duction, "the dead lying on the field seem to ask why has this been done to us? Why have you done it, brothers? What purpose has it served?' The battlefield is a secret world, a world of curses. The guilty secrecy of war is shrouded in lies, and shielded by bloodstained swords, to know it you must be one oLa those who wage, it, party to dark and mysterious orgies of car mage War is the purge of repleted kingdoms, needing a close place for opeEations"". As
 And when wounded and the author is awaiting his being taken to the rear in an ambulance, he reveals his own shocked view of things:
 Suddenly I was overcome with a fit of laughter, and old Mac woke up. What the devil are you kick. ing up such a row for?' he grumb- Tod :.
 Do you remember B., the fel- low whose wound you dressed a week ago? Bald as trout, double chin and a shrapnel wound in his leg. He belonged to the - rcgi- ment".
 'I. remember him., said Mac.
 ''I knew him him in civil life, l said. "He kept a house of some repute in - The sons of the rich came there secretly at night; the poor couldn't afford to. Do you be- lieve that B. joined the army in order to redress the wrongs of viol- ated Belgium"
 There. is very little patriotic brag in the British army in France. There is very little left of the Rule Brit annia" spirit.
 Bill maintains that the Army is not an honorable institution. That no man should joint it. If he knew as much as he knows now. he would never have come into it. I was say ing that
 "Oh you were talking through yer at. That's wot you were, said Bill. "The harmy place of honour indeed! 'oo wants to join now? No body as far as can see. The mar ried men say to the single men. You go and fight, you slackers, Wen stay at home;. we have our old women to keep! Sayin' that the swine''. said Bill angrily. Them thinkin' that the single men have nothing to do but to go out and fight for other mems wives. Blimey.