Evening star., 1916-08-06
On Seeing My Brother Ride
A,Uay to Mexico

five O'Clock in the morning went to the annory
to see troop of New York's cavalry march away.
= My brother is member of the troop.
They just boys, in their twenties Most of them
have been members of the troop less than year. They
have ridden twice week at the armory. hundred
times, perhaps, they have been on horseback.
Brave they We're; eager to be at the front; but
unhdrdened, unequlpped, and unprepdred.
The pity of it, thought-that we who pride
selves efficiency in business, who spend more
life insurance and fire insurance than any other peo-
pie in the world, should be woefuly inefficient in
providing that life insurance called national defense
Isaw the brave Seventh march away as had marched
in 1861 to meet the Confederates at Bull Run. 1.-TWO
armed mobs," Count Moltke called the forces at
that battle. "Armed mobs"-t is with armed mobs
that we have fought all our
saw the Seventh go away.
One third of the did not hare Khaki uniforms
We would not oresee the need of khaki: would not
prepare,
of antique PATTERN almost useless
II the in Europe has taught nothing else, it has
taught the need of machine guns. But it takes more
than world war to teach
Unbroken unframed horses, rushed on from the West
and eleven men in the hospital, kicked by horses
We have shipped thousands of horses to France, but
our own need of horses we would not oresee.
Only part Of the men had been noculated against
typhoid-the ant-toxin had given out
At any minute in the past four years might have
been called typhoid-in infested Mexico; yet had
foreseen the need of typhoid anti-toxin.
Not enough uniforms. Not enough guns. Not enough
ammunition Not enough blankets. Not enough med-
cine. Not enough food
Once before we went to Mexico We called for $4,000
volunteers. Our total force was 1884.
But took almost year to get the volunteers equipped
and trained By the time they prepared their
of enlistment had expired and the men went home
quote from Huidekoper's standard work
As result of this oss coupled with the detahments
to guard the line of and large number of SICK
Scots army reduced $500 efecve
hostile country and only three days march from the capital
with virtually oppose him, Scott found himself unable
to bndge for three months. The Mericdns, the
whde, had gained sufficient time TO raise army
So the strung out weary extra months,
and thousands of uselessy sacrificed and millions of
dollars thrown away-aH because would not foresee;
acOud not prepare
On the heads of the members of Congress of that day
rests the blame for the "toay unnecessary death and
rounding of nearly 1000 men,"
Fifty years later we fought another war, in Cuba.
We had had fifty years in which to learn; yet the
outbreak of that found "an almost absolute lack of
any medical supplies in store, and the making of
these articles kept up with the demand for them"
Only $50 killed died of wounds received
in battle in that On the heads of the Congress of
that day lies the blood of the 3S48 who died of disease
For two years Europe has been in flames; for four
years Mexico has threatened to embro us.
We have made little progress; but OH so little.
If really great were to come to pray God
it may not come-we should probably do again what
we have always done beforersh unframed unequpped,
unhardened boys, to be killed