Polk County news. [volume] (Benton, Tenn.) 191?-1983, 1921-04-21

rlme has given concern 10 two ad-
: ainistrations. l believe that l can
IN lteday definitely the place that Is
10 be given 10 Pershing, one which
win be Ia keeping with his rank as
general OF the army, and which VIII
rive him a wide field for command
ing service.
With the present temper OF the peo-
Mo az they and their legislators view
a great standing army, 1t is necessary
that the United States shall have
reserve force which shall be able to
give men and officers promptly TO the
government In case of need.
Congress is to authorize a standing
army of not more than 17o,OOO men.
The reserve, which consists or the
National Guard of all states and the
reserve officers and enlisted men Ot
the regular army, must be brought IN
to state of effectiveness, ana must
he developed to the full in personnel.
The army thus represented IS greater
than the standing army, and 1t can
he said today without much fear OF
contradiction that General Pershlng Is
to be charged by the government with
the special duty of developing all the
reserve forces. 1t probably will not
be long before he will enter upon TINS
new and enlarged field of duty.
National Guard Needs Attention.
The National Guard of the states
of the onion is not recruited up to
auythng like its proper strength. 1t
is out of touch with the regular army,
ana 10 some extent out of sympathy
with il. The officers of the reserve
army number about $4,000 men. The
number of enlisted men in the reserve
is not known definitely. General
prrshing'si high duty vii! he 10 use
his influence and advice in securing
| the cooperation Of the state author
tiles in the work of bringing the Ma
| tiUnnl Guard up to full strength, ana
in the work of bringing the guard and
he reserves into sympathetic touch
| and action with the War department
and with the regular army.
This work for Pershing will remove
| him from the anomalous position In
| which he finds himself today. He Is
the commanding general of the United
states army and yet he Is under the
| direction Of the general stan. Inc
! rankigg officer, therefore, Is Outranked
| in influence and in actual authority,
and today he Is little more than
naareIiaau whose chief occnpation n
life is to represent the service at var
ious official and private functions
throughout the United States. II Sc
cretary Weeks does for General Perish
| ing WhaT your correspondent believes
! is to be done, the act will solve one
of the perpleaiE9 problems OF the wal
! department.
Memories of John Burrouehs
John burroughs, great naturalist
who American men, women aho
children loved for his wonderfully
truthful tales of natures children
began his studies wlthmln 200 yards
of the spot where lhiS article Is be
ing written. While working In The
United States treasury as clerk
Burroughs, as the result of his walk:
| in Washington fields, planned ant
wrote his first book, Wake ROblh.
The purple grackes still stalk across
the treasury lawn where Burroughs
saw them and was moved to write.
.!agrxAhaodore Roosevelt, Burroughs
always Vas Uncle john" Before
Roosevelto;lnade his attack on TN
nature takers he discussed the sub
iect with "Uncle John" Then l wal
honored with an invitation to join II
the late day conference, but some tim'
before this | had discussed the matte
with the President and had urged tina
he do something to put an end to th'
teaching in the public schools OF
false natural history.
The "Sage of Slabsides" had trie'
in his own way to put an end to tn
taking of writer's of outdoor life wh'
observed and wrote In closet. III
had failed because, although his book
widely were read, the readers largei,
were persons who were Interested II
natural history and who did not hav
the influence which 1t was necessar
TO bring to bear on certain authoritie
to put an end to an evil. So 1t wa
that "Uncle John" urged Theodor
Roosevelt to get into the tilt-yard. an
. I added my very much less influentia
/, |. voice. The result of the conferenc
Twas the article called, Roosevelt o
the Nature Fakers" which appeared i
/ EEverybody's Magazine and which. In
way Of speaking, certainly raised hot
/ 1t did its work.
Later Burroughs came to the dc
fense of the President when his pos
ton was attacked. and, later still
, aided me In getting together expires
! sions of opinion on the subject fror
the foremost naturalists of the Unite
| States, every one of whom took tn
Presidents position.
? His Skill as "Taxidermlst."
once Oh time John Burroughs a
: tackled the romancing tendency c
= some of the nature writers In an ri
: ~ la tho Atlantic Mnnthlv II