New-York tribune., 1919-06-07

turns out to be high h-minded idealst,
VINO saves him from the consequences
OF characterization. From this point
the story takes more optimistic turn.
Gandolphe, the sergeant, makes Jean
see something in the war which he can
support with his heart and soul. and
with this spiritual regeneration comes
bodily health as we'll, and eventually
a reconciliation with the injured wife
1t may not be said, however, that the
books ends altogether happily, since. in
the last chapter Gandolphe is sudden
ly reexamined and taken away from the
auxiliaries for active service on the
eve of his marriage. Perhaps the
moral is contained in Gandolphe's
words of farewell: Don't let US COM
plain even of that AS long as the
war lasts, it would be wrong to be
happy"
Berger is more effective in his pessi-
mlsm than his optimism The early
chapters on the trials and tribulations
of Jean are the best in the book. All
this is done vividly and with a wealth
of incident. The author was himself
non-commss officer in the French
Army Possibly, there is just a bit
too much of the hardships and the
monotony of the service behind the
lines, for it is difficult to shake off the
early pessimsm when the author de-
cides TO change the mood of the story
Of course, Dunkirk is not without it's
excitement and although the air raids
may hardly have served to relieve the
feelings of the soldiers, they are re-
marbably enlivening for the reader, as
described in Berger's vivid style The
book is also interesting in the evidence
it offers that victory in the war has
by no means turned the hearts of the
French to longings for more military
glory. Gandolphe himself, although he
wins Jean back from defeatism, is
frank to admit that little may be said
for any military machine, except as a
means to an end. The final paragraph
of Gandolphes most bitter arraign-
ment is as follows:
Zone has only TO think of it for q
second. What is the military regime,
if it is not the simplest and toughest
form of absolutirn1? It is mechanism
is everything to it. That is enough to
show that the mind is it's adversary
they are principles in eternal conflict.
What is the cornerstone of the armies?
Discipline. Now, when you speak of
discipline, you speak of the negation
of argument. The subordinate can
only bow to the decision of his chief,
were the latter tenfold wrong. You
see the risk. What a prize to offer to
the dangerous instincts of man! Think
of the unlimited power of the superior
over his subordinates, of the formid-
able penalties put at his disposition.
He is q superior who need not have
any sort of superiority. One tab more
and it is done-the law of iron and
himself subject to the same absolutism
What intoxication for mediocre brains,
What a superior type of man he would
need be to resist it, And hence these
usual results-arrogance, Incidence,
dread of superiority hatred of ability,
a cynical don't t-careism-do paint the
picture too black ?"
Jean is not disposed to find fault
with the shade of the picture, but he
objects that if this is militarism as
Gandolphe sees it, does he not fear
that France, too, will be poisoned by it ?
The Saving Grace
NO. the sergeant declares, "1 put
my trust in the instinct of the race.
Only think that just now, in the midst
of war, we are recruiting new converts
How many good people there used to
be who lived outside the military yoke
and were inclined to admit that it was
in a measure tolerable! What an
awakening for them, now that they
have experienced its rigors In the
hearts of all oppressed people, of all
to whom the sustenance of justice and
reason is refused, the alteration of
those gods takes root. And they who
have fought will return with conse-
Grated affections and holy hatreds
The oppressors will not hold fast;
their eyes will open likewise. When
the German might comes to staggers
when their militarism colapses, the
qualities which they threatened will
be nightly let loose throughout the
world. Our own militarism will be
cleaned away, too. And when the
monstrous beast is killed, then we shall
be able to hold out hopes that this
war was the last
"A Life at Stake seems to US a
we'll written book, not only for its
carefully observed incident, but fol
the spirit which underlics it. The
reader will find it often an eloquent
exponent of the ideals of France in the
war Sometimes we are on the verge
of forgetting just what the spirit wa.
which urged the French forward. Ber
ger may help US remember.