Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1922-07-21
YOUTH AND WAR
BY FREDERIC ]. HAsKIN.

/ 'H.. .....Fa- ... ~ .f a,ar - .-
Washington, D. c., July 1s.-what
about war when their time comes to
hold the reins of government? This
is a question to which some of the
peace societies are giving special at
tention.
1t is d~iscouraging to attempt to
alter the traditions of a ruling gener-
latton-the graybeards, and the firm
Jawed, safety-hrst, middle-aged men,
But the younger generation-what
ideas Of warfare will it form from its
school books and what will be its i'm
p~ressions of the European war, and
the confusing talk Of peace and pre-
paredness? Peace advocates hope TO.
great things from the students OF
today.
School books are being discussed az
a particularly strong influence for OF
against war. There is some debate
as to whether school history books
have not been largely responsible for
making war seem romantic. General
John F. Organ. commander. of the
Twenty-seventh division, A. E. F..
believes hat our school histories
should be rewritten.
Il think" he says. that I can
trace my own military career to
Barnes history. with one particularly
inspiring picture of Phil Sheridan
waving his hat and yelling: Turn
boys, turn! We Are going back'!"
General Organ suggests that our
revised. America has peace heroes
%aplenty." he says, land their careers
can be made just as inspiring a.
those of our warriors"
There is no question that patriotism
and fighting have been almost syn
onymous in the minds Of school chill
dren. And the school history, with
its anecdotes of thrilling hand-to-
hand encounters, and its pictures of
white horses cavorting about battle
fields, has portrayed war as exciting
sport. The economic results Of con
quest and the pesdlence n death
side Of warfare were hurried over by
the school historians as being beyond
the children's grasp, or too >depress-
ing.
Until lately the possible conse-
[quences of presenting the colorful
side of war have not seemed so seri-
Gus. War had not been made ef-
hcient, Wholesale slaughter. But with
the asst war the galloping hero was
dismounted by efficiency experts and
made a cog in an enormous machine.
Science produced more ways of kill
ing and manning men than Caesar or
Napoleon ever dreamed Of. And for
future wars we have the prospect Of
iewistte eas. invisible. colorlees. but
so deadly that a sinKle air raid would
| consume a city. General Tasker n.
Bnm is responsible for the statement
that an air raid With this gas would
have wiped out the whole first Am
Decidedly. war isn't what It used
to be. II In SINAI wonder that peace
advocates are a-nxxesftne that he
-mmar school hi.torians NAV IN
Pan FrankIin ColuYnhas. Henrv Ford
ana Other famous 8 whose claims
ia fame do not rast On their Anhtfns
ahiiitieS ,~--''
Farther along IN the school svstem
The student xefs economies and he
NAV Iearn .sonnethtnr Of nov and why
The nsonja ~ = nation nav Tor rreat
soc,.i dist,rha 49, IA mav Iesrn
thsf vsrs ~ c@on1nAst are arr.need
By men in power and fought and paid
I ntt, ~ ,ne .choa, aI Sistory eI So tne
with its dashins heroes in uniform
may have colored the whole I OF
the boy by that time.
1t IL In the colleges that youth be-
Gins to form conscious opinions
about h ethics and necessity for
warfare. In this country there has
s been no striking Tiki 1Itsns 3. g Ct ,S y9ut e
x ~. 10y. 1Aae Ic0ssSa