The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1918-08-14

on the heads of departments, and the
heads of departments on subordinates
to carry out details: It's big bust
ness backed by military discipline.
It's a thousand times more efficient
than the business system Of "hire and
fire" which leaves the service at the
option of both employer and employe.
It's service that can be avoided only
by ineficiency or immortality, and to
avoid it by either of these methods
means disgrace. The compensation
for such service is not based on sor.
did dollars and cents. It's like unto
a labor of love, the labor the poet
dreamed of when no one shall work
for money, and no one shall work for
pay" .....
It's an inspiration to visit the
headquarters of the American Expedi-
tionary Forces in France and as the
folk at home learn of the zeal and
efficiency of the management they
will be comforted. When our troops
and men land on French soil, respon-
sibility shifts from the government at
home to the shoulders of our officers
and men over here. The headlines
quoted at the beginning of this article
tell the story as to how we'll our boys
are doing their part of the work. The
officers at headquarters here are in
intelligent touch with every detail OF
our big business in France. They
have surveyed and charted the hills
and rivers and fields of France from
the frontiers to the firing line: in all
ways they have profited by the four
years experience of France and Eng
land; they are conserving supplies
and men that have come across the
ocean; they have analyzed the busi-
ness they are about in. all it's details,
In all it's ramifications. And they
patiently await the coming of suffi-
cient troops to- speedily finish the job.
"Thinss Coming Our Way"
That sufficient men, horses, guns,
food and supplies will come as rapid
ly as ships can be found to bring
them, is known by every. officer at
headquarters. Things are sure COM
ing our. way" said a high command
ing officer. He referred to the thous-
ands of soldiers and the immense tom
mage arriving in France each week. !.
They understand that the pressure
toward France has every resource OF
our government behind it, and the
work is prosecuted here with the GER
tainty that there will be no lack of
men, money or supplies.
When we have won the war and its
history is written the accomplish
ments of American engineers will
stand out as prominent as the accom-
plishments of American fighting men.
They have performed miraculous en-
gineering feats in a remarkably short
time such as building docks and
bridges, reclaiming swamps, building
roads, laying railway tracks, laying
out great storage bases, constructing
dams for water supply, Installing sew
er systems. etc. Often the French
transport system has been supplement
ed and paralleled by an American
system. In large measure construc-
tion work has been done by the en-
gineers. They have built warehouses
and cantonments, hospitals, bakeries
and cold storage plants. They have
erected assembly plants for motor
trucks and steel cars. Complete
trains of trucks and cars are daily as
sembled. Our engineers have become
axe men and are telling the forests Of
France for railroad ties and fuel for
bakeries and mess Kitchens.
The spirit of the engineers is mar
velous Nearly all the officers and
forty per cent of the men are college
graduates. Many of them left school
to enlist. Others had. finished school
and had commenced the technical
work for which they were educated
engineering, architecture, chemistry,
ETC. As an example l give
the case OF young Norman Scott, of
Des Moines, Iowa, my neighbor. He
completed his four years college
course at Drake university in 1915,
won Rhodes scholarship and spent
a year at Oxford studying chemistry.
I found him the other day with the
.th engineers in a forestry camp
chopping timber. When l asked him
how much better he could do this
particular job because OF his educa-
tion he replied: .
"a whole lot better. My schooling
taught me why this work is necessary,
and why the war is necessary"
And our lines of communication
reach from these forest camps
through headquarters here in France
back to the home folk. These fine,
scholarly chaps have surrendered
their careers back home for the hard
labors of the forester and the road
builders. They are welding the axe,
the pick and the shovel Their hands
are hard, their faces Drowned. And
the boys who are fighting so gloriously
on the front line? They are giving
themselves
What are you folk at home giving?
H. G. EVANS,
..,.. 81, Y. M. C. A.
NO WlNDSTORMS