The spectator., 1919-09-05

the enemy, are going back into civil
 life, but there is goodly number of them left yet, for whom the knot still
 is to be severed.
 There was a large number of book, magazine and newspaper writers in the United States army. They did all kinds of work for which their training fitted them. Some of them were in the intelligence service. some of them in the war history division, and many more of them, who took camp training, were in combatant units.
 In one little group in the army in- telligence service. working side by side day after day, until orders sent them elsewhere, were several men whose names are known to the public as writers. Rupert Hughes, the novel; ist and playwright. was one of this 1 group. With him was Kenneth l.. Roberts, story writer. playwright and voluminous contributor to Life" Others in the group were Richard | Aldrich. who has written standard books on grand opera and is the music critic of the New York Times; Arthur l Somers Roche, the novelist, son of James Jeffrey Roche, the poet. and several other writers of less tremi- ncuce and less merit. among Whe.=i l l put my name.
 1 Novel Writers and Good Fellows.
 Now it happened that the least of ! these was the ranking officer, so in a way while he did not attempt to ex- , ercise authority. for it WIS not neces- l Sary, he learned much of those with whom he was associated. People 1 know Rupert Hughes through his l stories. They ought to know him l through personal acquaintance for he ! is q man of the rarCst charm
 ] It was Hughes great disappo.nt- ment in life that he could not go to 1 France to serve in q combat unit. lie 1 put in years of hard driving service in ! the national guard and q year or more i of grilling work as line officer on the i border The fateS decreed that he ! should not go abroad. He took the 1 disappointment like q soldier and did ! commanding service in that place in i which it was appointed him to work. l Kenneth l.. Roberts is rare, rol- | licking chap, with a steady quality l somewhere within him which kept him | true to his serious task through all the hours of grinding labor Roberts was ordered to Siberia and there he saw 1 hard service He has just left the army to go back to the work of light ] ening mems lives by giving them to read of the treasures of his exuber- ance.
 ] Richard Aldrich at the age of fifty i three volunteered in the service of his country, was accepted and stayed i put through the whole thing, and then 1 some. for he did not leave the service until nine months after the German i had concluded he had enough. It is 1 accounted q bromide to say that a man 1 is prince of good fellows, but this ! Is what can be said of Capt. Richard ! Aldrich. and to the saying may he l added that the captain himself is no i bromide.
 1 Honors for Our Generals. 1 The generals are coming to town i What congress intends to do for some of these generals already has been dis { cusscd in full The only additional 1 proposition Is that q sword shall he 1 presented in the name of the people to Gen. John J. PershirS z.
 It seems likely today that Pershing will be made n full general in the regular establishment. and March lieutenant general. This, perhaps some l IpE h, h. way out of the controversy over what honors should be shown the chief of staff. It Is likely that so far as the other general officers are concerned. they will take their former rank in the regular army. but will be given as quick promotion as the law allows. It should be remembered that the president of the United States. when ever there is vacancy in the ranks of the brigadier or major generals Of regulars, can promote thereto any sol. dier that he sees fit. This probably will secure something commensurate with their deeds for Liggett Bullard. Dickman and some others.
 Maj. Gen. Joseph T. Dickman has just been in Washington receiving his final orders in connection with his assignment to command the Southern division with headquarters at San An tonio. It is the intention. so it is un- derstood. to make Dickman major general in the regular army shortly.
 Peculiar Case of Diekmsn.
 For short time at the very end of the war I was attached to General
 Dickman's command, personally at tached to the general, in fact, when he was in command of the First corps. There have been some curious things in the promotion way and. so to speak. in the command way in this war. When Liggett and Bullard were made corps commanders they were given corre- spending ranks of lieutenant general. and properly so. Later they were pro-