The sun., 1918-12-31
One DeIuslon Ended.

One Deluslon Ended.
No one, not even an efficiency engi-
neer, can make q perfect chart OF the
peaks and valleys Of human aspira-
lions. The wise men have been pre-
dieting the wonderful changes that
would prove to have been wrought by
war upon the returning soldier. He
would never 80 back to the farm az
ter seeing Puria He would never re-
turn to the desk after seeing the great
outdoors He would never again take
orders for carpet cleaning after hav-
Ing hunted his fellow, so to speak,
man. He would never slump back to
ordinary indlvldualism after having
been cog in n great machine.
Most fanclful CT oil were the men,
tai pictures drawn of the future OF
the young men who have been cavort-
Ing among the French clouds, putting
bullets through lockers, looping the
| loop, falling ten thousand feet in tail
spins and looming n few yards above
the pickelhaubs of the astounded foe.
Surely these lads, having tasted the
Joys OF the eagle, would never return
to earth again except for gasolene and
sleep. They would go in for aerial
transoceanic tours or maybe person
| ally conducted trips to the moon, A
reporter in France went among them
taking notes:
mot ore OF a score OF aviators IN
terviewed intends to pursue aviation
| after the war as a business"
Among other branches of the Amer
lean army about one-fourth Of the
men declared an intention to make a
change. Many Of them no doubt have
| discovered In themselves adaptabllity
for jobs a little better than the ones
they left. But tho task of the pro-
fessional reconstructionist will be
light. A good soldier will reconstruct
himself. or let his wife do 1t.
One interesting fact disclosed IN
the answers made by officers with the
army IN France and Germany, to
whom missionaries have been dis
tributed TO elicit Information concern.
ing their plans for the future, Is that
the number who desire to stay in the
military establishment is relatively
small. This is in accordance with
experience. Military life as n pro-
fession does not generally attract
American men. young or old. They
enter the army when an emergency
requires their services; they leave II
when the crisis is past, and return to
civil employment.
Naturally, there are some who find
In the army their true opportunity
and field of greatest usefulness. and
| these will stay with the colors. From
such men as these many useful and
distinguished officers have been lie.
veloped in the past. and that record
will undoubtedly be repeated in the
| future.
1t is to be assumed that the sol
| dlers who expressed an intention TO
make a change in vocation are men
whose previous engagements were en-
| tered into without due consideration.
or under force of circumstances prac.
tically without freedom of choice, or
In ignorance Of their real qualities
and aptitudes.
For men who got of in life on the
wrong foot and who under ordinary
conditions would have struggled along
In uncongenial pursuits the opportu.
nifty TO make change offered by the
war is n great blessing. They have
cur the ties that bound them 10 the
past and will be able TO form new as
sociations, getting n fresh start with
everything in their favor. They will
enter their new businesses without
deserved or undeservcd implication of
failure In those they left when they
put on khaki. They will have the ad-
vantage of characters strengthened by
discipline and visions enlarged by ex-
perience. Their choices of occupa-
ton, guided by the information they
have acquired in civil and military
life, will be more reasonable and deli
cate than their original selections
could possibly have been, and by so
much will give promise of success.
Rehabilitation will have it's lessons
not less valuable than mobilization
for the nation as well as for the men
1t affects,
II General CrOwder Pays the Soldiers.