The Republican journal., 1918-05-02
The Business of War.

In the latter part of September, 1914,
LAUGHING. light hearted boy, just leav
mo his teens, enlisted in the Canadian
LIGHT Infantry-the "Princess Patrl-
cia's" He knew nothing whatever of
military science and even less of disci-
Mine and was one of the rawest recruits
at Val Cartier Training Camp
In the summer of 1915 this same hoy
commanded his regiment in the ilery hell
of the second battle of the Ypres salient
He received his cd. S. O." after this
was over. As a reward for the capture of
Passchendaele Ridge, eight months later,
he was given an honor bar to his d. s.
o. and promotion. At present he is an
acting brigadier general, and doubtless
will attain that rank shortly. His actual
rank is that of major, but by his brother
| officers and all of the rank and file he is
known affectionately as "Hughie" Niven
of the Princess Pats. The civilian mind
is naturally loath to look upon war as
ANYTHING but monstrous business, but
! the fact remains that WARRIOR the in
| dvidual-iS business in which promo
! ton pays both in honor and in money.
| Often at draft camp, qualities or &C
complishments will be discovered in
man which he did not even suspect were
valuable, and these lift him to COM
mission Immediately. One striking ex-
ample of this was Cleveland youth who
! went with the first draft. ) A week after
he arrived he happened to mention to the
first sergeant of his company the fact
that he was most familiar with all the
country in the region of Verdun, having
spent four years in this part of France.
The sergeant told his captain, and the
latter Immediately summoned the young
man.
A few days later summons came
from Washington, demanding the pres
| ence of the private Immediately in WASH
ington. Upon his arrival there he re-
ported, and was sent into an inner room
to wait. A half hour later he was called,
and in the assemblage into which he was
projected he recognized many faces OF
men often pictured in the papers.
"You have said that you have driven
your own automobile around the Paris
| to-Verdun region for four years; that
you know every foot of the roads; and
that you speak four languages fluently,
besides English. Are these things true?'
| The spokesman looked seriously but
kindly at the young man.
eyes, sir!"
| At this a huge blank sheet of paper
! and crayon were produced. The spokes-
| man indicated chair before the desk on
, which the paper was spread. "Now in
dictate roughly" he said, ''the position of
! Verdun and all towns within 25-mlle
radius, and show the main roads leading
from one to another"
| The young man sat down Immediately
and set to work AS the blank map be-
gan to assume recognizable shape, one OF
the officers in the background asked
question in French The map maker
answered without looking up. Then
came queries in German, scandinavian
and Dutch, which were all answered
quickly.
AS the drawing went steadily on the
officers crowded closer and closer to the
map. When at last the crayon stopped,
the spokesman led the young man INTO
the waiting room. Fifteen minutes later
he was called back.
"You are to be transferred immediate
w." he was told ''You will report to
General Pershing?' The young man did
so, and was given a commission on the
! private staff of the general.