Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1919-07-06

ing the same week. or is
ordered out Cor drill the
day after he comes off guard. or suf-
fers some other inG.gnity at the
hands of the top sergeant. he gets
even with that autocrat by calling
him a "handshaker" or 'mitt wab-
bier"
The inference is that the sergeant
was elevated to his high station as a
result of cultivating the captain
good will in a manner not altogether
military. Nor is the accusation OF
handsha king reserved for top soaks'
alone. Frequently when a private is
made corporal his less favored EEL
lows accuse him of having been
handshaking with the first sergeant,
and so the merry sport goes on.
\ man who served in France as
colonel remarked TO me a few days
ago that the soldier was the most
suspicious man in the world, ana
this suspicion does not drop away
from him like a cloak when he doHs
his uniform for civilian clothes.
Whether it is a politician looking for
a vote. a publication looking for cir
culation and support. or some organi-
cation looking for advertising, the
ex-service man has his weather eye
out for the handshaker. and he will
hold off from any one that he Sus-
poets has Interior motive.
Wary of Being "Cultivated."
The American Legion at it's recent
meeting in st. Louis went on record
against asking Congress for larger
bonus for discharged men. and l know
that many soldiers are wary of being
'cultivated' by politicians or factions
with axes to grind. Questioning more
than hundred soldiers coming back
TO the United States to be discharged.
i failed to find one who was enthu-
Siastic over the possible nomination
of a war hero for President.
Some of the men were not given to
ana1yzing their attitude. but others
expressed the idea that such noml-
nee might be put up as a bid for the
soldier vote-a wholesale attempt at
handshaking. The same thing may be
true of other attempts to reach the
soldier. and often the eX-servlc" man
may hold an unjustified suspicion that
his favor is being cultivated. but all
100 frequently there are grounds Tor
his feeling.
More than 1000, 900 men, the pick of
the nations manhood. were mobilized
during the war. OF this number some
thing in excess Of 100000 saw serv-
ice in France, and nearly 100000
were in the Navy. Inscriptions men.
rot been slow to see that the favor of
such a host is worth gold mine
and are planning accordingly. Their
favor is valuable and it can he won,
but it will be won only by sincere en-
deavor and a broad, clean program.
Again. there is the unconscious.
handshaker. who would feel a right
eous indignation il accused of CAPT.
talizing his or her connection with
the soldier. but the soldier sees
through this camoufiage.
In December, 1917. was
buck private" in New York city with
my final twentyfour- leave.
With the price of a dinner or a show
in my new uniform pocket I decided
on a dinner. In a Broadway restau-
ana" who asked me to be his guest
at the best show in town, and under
the circumstances / accepted. But
if he had had the bad grace to go
about boasting of what he had done
for a soldier I would have reim-
bursed him for my ticket and con-
demned him as handshaker.
Compare this with an experience a
few months later. when I was one of
a detail that attracted some atten-
Neufchateau. Our cots were fur
nished US by a certain American in
stitution. and We were at liberty to
read what books were there. We also
bought some food and chocolate, but
paid cash for it. Nevertheless. when
we left there was motion picture at
the door, filming" us as we came
out of the building, and at the thresh-
old stood the man in charge of the
institution ostentatiously shaking
hands with us and bidding US god
speed.
Leaves Bad Taste in Mouth.
hold no brief for my own feel
ings or those Of the men with me,
but I know it left a bad taste in the
mouth of every one of us. On two
subsequent visits to that town
never went back to that particular
place. "Handshaking" with a motion
picture machine to record the glad
event was going even the much
abused top sergeant one better.
Unfortunately there are handshak-
ers a-plenty both inside the Army
and out of it. There are soldiers
who will take almost anything from
almost any source. just as there are
civilians who will follow crooked
path as readily as a straight one
but neither is representative of his
kind
If your advances to the returned
soldier are not met as you expected,
II he seems Indifferent or suspicious
make sure that you are prompted
only by genuine interest and unself-
ish fellow ship, and the reserve will