Evening star., 1918-11-26
"M|L|TAR|SM" CUT
FROM VOCABULARY
Precipitate Demobifization
Puts End to PacifiStS' Pre-
War Bugaboo. |
RUSH BACK TO CIVIL LIFE

'Mi1itarism," as that term was used
as a bugaboo by pacifsts before the
war to frighten folk, is turning out to
be the veriest straw creature, military
officials declare, as they contemplate
the preeipitate rehabilitation of forces
in this country. Verify, "there amt
no such ANIMAL
Precipitate is the word most applica-
BILE to the Rehabilitation. it is said. In
every camp the men in the ranks are
eager to get back to civil life. Where
men have the choice Of remaining in
the ranks in the service or for train
ing as officers to receive commissions,
the percentage of those so electing is
infinitesimal. 1t is SO in the Navy and
Marine Corps also. it is said. About
two men in a hundred, it is reported.
would be a fair average for the men
in the ranks. 4>t
Indeed, it may become a problem be-
fore long for the Army to retain an
adequate oficeFs'@corps for future
building up of the actual needs Of the
Army. Shoulder straps, gold braid and
spurs, with the glamour Of war re-
apparently do not look nearly
so attractive to the general run Of
men as the caparisons Of peace-with
money making trimmings attached.
Explanation Is Simple.
Military men here in analyzing this
state of affairs say that the explana-
tion is quite simple-there never has
existed and never will exist a spirit
of "militarism' in this country as has
been fostered in Germany, for exam
pie, through decades of. military
regime. Militarism is to be quite diff
ferentiated from the military spirit.
which famed as brightly in 1918 as In
1898, or 1861, or 1S49, or 1912, or in the
revolution. or. in fact whenever need
ed to preserve the institutions of free
America.
But, the officials say, the job at
hand has been finished and the men
engaged ir it are ready to turn to the
next thing. 1t is quite the Yankee
spirit, it is declared. They were en-
thusiastic about the handling of the
job while it 1asted-as the Germans
tlefieId since July Is last can testify.
They were just as enthusiastic in the
training camps over here to get
across and into the doings on the
other side.
But now it's over. land the next
thing is something else" Yankee like
It is in this way that military men
account for the amazing celerity with
which men are returning to the ways
of peace and hustling back to their
ordinary avocations in life. It is de-
clared to be characteristic of the ma
tional mental process. and complete
tangible and practical refutation of
the suggestion before the war that
going into war would put this country
on a military basis for evermore and
that the dreaded spector of militar-
ism would stalk the land Mary a
they see the working out of demob-
ilization and the spirit which ami
mates it.
The next question which will en-
gage the attention Of officials and the
lawmakers in Congress is what will
turning soldiers, those from overseas
duty and those who have seen only
camp life in this country, on the
proposition Of universal military
training: This question is coming
up in Congress right away
Three Million Voters.
There will be some three million
actual voters returning to the cleo
torate body who can speak from per-
sonal experience upon this subject.
They will have their minds made up.
it is said, whether they want their
young brothers coming up. and their
neighbors' sons. to receive. military
training while in civil life
Those who went overseas can ap-
preciate better. perhaps. what an ad-
vantage a military training obtained
beforehand is when the emerpencv
for it's application arises. what ad-
vice will they give their congressman
as to voting on universal training?
And the men in the camps, who come
home set up" physically. feeling fne
and At for their experience, vet with
fresh memories of all the hardshfps
and inconveniences to which unpre-
paredness subjected them-how will
they advise?
One thing is predicted by the mill
tary men-when these young fellows
get back into civil life it win not be
healthy for paciists to start some
thing" in their neiehborhood by
bleating about the "terrors of milftar-
ISM" because they will be present as