The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1922-07-24
TOPEKA STATE JOURNAL
Information Bureau
FREDERIC }. HAsKIN. Director.
Washington, ID. @.
YOUTH AND WAR.
Washington. ID. @.

about war when their time comes to
I, hold the reins of government. This
is a question to which some of the
peace societies are giving special at
tention.
It is discouraging to attempt to al
ter the traditions of a ruling genera
tion-the graybeards, and the firm
| jawed, safety-first, 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
pressions of the European war. and the
| confusing talk of peace and prepared
1 ness? Peace advocates hope for great
| things from the students of today.
| School books are being discussed as
a particularly strong influence for or
against war. There is some debate as
| to whether school history books have
not been largely responsible for max
| ing war seem romantic. General John
F. Organ, commander of the Twenty
seventh division, A. Z. F., believes that
\ our school histories should be rewrit-
| ten.
'I think" he says, that can trace
my own military career to Barnes his
| tory, with one particularly inspiring
picture of Phil Sheridan waving his
hat and yelling: Turn boys, turn!
We are going backr"
General Organ suggests that our
conception of patriotism should be
revised. America has peace heroes
aplenty," he says, land their careers
can be made just as inspiring as those
of the warriors"
There is no question that patriotism
and fighting have been almost synony-
nous in the minds of school children.
And the school history, with its anec-
dotes of thrilling hand-to-hand en-
counters, and its pictures of white
horses cavorting about battlefields,
has portrayed war as exciting sport.
The economic results of conquest and
the pestilence and death side of war
fare were hurried over by the school
historians as being beyond the chill
dren's grasp, or too depressing.
Modern War Not So Attractive.
Until lately the possible conse-
quences of presenting the colorful side
of war have not seemed so serious.
War had not been made efficient.
wholesale slaughter. But with the last
war the galloping hero was dis
mounted 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
Lewisite gas, invisible, odorless, but so
deadly that a single air raid would
consume a city. Gen. Tasker H. Bliss
is responsible for the statement that
an air raid with this gas would have
wiped out the whole first American
army of 100000 men.
be. 1t is small wonder that peace ad-
vocates are suggesting that the gram
mar school historians play up Ben
Franklin, Columbus, Henry Ford and
other famous folk whose claims to
fame do not rest on their fighting abil-
tiles.
Farther along in the school system
the student gets economies and he
may learn something of how and why
the people of nation pay for great
social disturbances He may learn
that wars of conquest are arranged by
men in power and fought and paid for
by the every day citizens. But the
little grammar school history book.
with it's dashing heroes in uniform
may have colored the whole life of
the boy by that time.
1t is in the colleges that youth be-
gins to form conscious opinions about
the ethics and necessity for warfare
In this country there has been no
striking outburst of youth since the
war comparable to that in Germany.
The sense Of repression there was SO
strong that when the chance came for
greater freedom the reaction was vio-
lent, and the much talked Of free
youth movement started
Great Britain, like Germany, has
free youth movement, in which all
those concerned call one another
comrade. But there the project is on
a smaller and less intense scale The
members the COulTdu6 C4TClcS anu
guilds meet weekly for lectures, de-
bates and sports.
In this country the reaction Of
youth to the war has been still less
obvious. A study of colleges here
shows that students seem to be taking
more serious interest in international
questions. And some groups of stu
dents are interested in the various
peace organizations.
What Colleges Are Doing.
The National Council for Reduction
of Amman tents wrote a letter to col
leges all over the country asking each
what it is doing to further the cause
of better international understanding
Out of 200 answers received only 81
colleges reported that they were not
the others described classes in inter-
national relations, student groups
where such questions were discussed,
or scholarships for foreign study. A
courses or scholarships but expressed
a hope that means would be found to
give their students some understand
ing of the economic, social and polit-
ical conditions of the modern world.
International exchange of students,
popular of late years, is being used to
further understanding between diff |
ferent countries. The National Stu
dent Forum, an organization of col |
leSe students, is now raising q loan of |
$4,000 among college boys and girls |
in order to bring eight student lead |
ers' from European universities to
this country for a year. These stu
dents will visit the colleges of this |
country to exchange ideas and attend |
classes.
Leaders of the young serious think
ers say that youth has come into it's |
own a vital factor in the progress |
OF the world" They quote Sir James |
Barrie's recent statement that col |
1ege students have more in common |
with the youth of other nations than
with the older generations at home. |
This is encouraging to the peace advo- |
Gates They hope that the greater |
fraternalism of youth which has |
arisen since the war, will not be for |