Evening star., 1926-11-11
BACKGROUND OF EVENTS
BY PAUL =. COLLINS.

Eight years ago today, silencei The
roar of guns, the bursting of bombs,
the clamor Of battle over the longest
front Of war the world had ever
known. ceased, and the most awing
silence that had ever deafened the
ears of the soul rolled over the battle.
fields Of civilization.
This morning that major event
which had marked the saving of the
world from universal destruction
was Observation-Disclosures by two
minutes Of quiet-except where it was
forgot.
Armistice day is not national
holiday. Congress is the only power
capable of making it q holiday even
in the District of Columbia and Con.
gress has refused to do so. There
are many hundred veterans of the
World War now employed in Govern
ment offices. and such as celebrated
Arnist!ce day cost their pay, or had
the day charged against their annual
leave allowance.
1t is claimed that Congress has nc
power to institute any national holi
day. In about half of the States
the legislatures have made Armistice
day a State holiday, but the nearest
that Congress has come to it, even
as affecting the District Of Columbia
or the Government employees, is a con-
current resolution passed last Winter
authorizing the President, at his dis.
cretiOn, to proclaim it's observance in
Government offices. and the President
ordered the two-minute silence.
\ X X 4
At Keith's Theater this noon there
was meeting in commemoration
nyn u
pirate music rendered.; at the grave
of the Unknown Soldier in Arlington
this afternoon the American Legior
and other military organization:
rendered homage to the cause. Blu
nowhere has there been observance
such as is given annually on Memo
rial day to the graves of the Ciyi
War veterans, under the initiative o.
the veterans organizations, NORTH
and South.
THE war is Overt" Monuments
adorn many public square com
memorating 1t, but "The war is oyer.'
and it is hoped there will never be
another war. Soldiers who have
seen wars horrors all lead in thai
hope.
THE war is overt" In the hospitals
Of the Veterans Bureau-includine
contract hospitals-there lie today
not eight years ago-today-25, ,563
broken soldiers, suffering. dying OF
struggling back toward partial re-
covery-after eight years!
Approximately half Of those vet.
Grams are suffering from mental
shock. Modern doctors give 1t a
long scientific name neuropsy-
chiatry-but it means. in plain Eng
llsh, insanity. The number Of men.
tai cases Is increasing at a net rate
of 1000 a year. There are 5000 more
today than there were on Armistice
day. Who will tell the friends of
those 12.300 victims that 1.-THE war is
over?" Next year they will number
13,500 net, aside from all who re-
cover or die.
4 Il X X
There are so-called experts" who
declare that there Is no such thing
as shell shock-that victims of shell
shock" were already weak mentally.
or else they were simply yellow"
and became scared in battle.
A modern medical dictionary de-
fines deferred shock" as follows:
THAT curious condition in which
the manifestations Of shock, due. not
to severe bodily injury. but to purely
mental causes. develop after the
lapse Of some time from the occur
renee. This variety Of shock may
be even more profound than that
produced by bodily injury"
It is that phase of the wars
aftermath which is keeping up the
totals Of patients in the hospitals in
spite of gradual betterment in other
diseases. tuberculosis shows i'm
provement, as do general diseases.
but not fast enough to overcome the
1 900 year increase Of deferred