Evening star., 1927-04-03

BY Henry r, Allen. major general,
U. s. A. illustrated. indianapolis:
The Bobbs- Merrill Co
IN this case the externals of
authorship and title indicate
that THE Rhineland Occupation"
i is of an official character the
report of an officer on duty TO
the proper military authorities. IL
is this. But it is much more than
this. For, while Gen. Allen was In
command of the American military
forces in Germany, between 1918 and
1923. he was also, during that time,
the representative of this country on
the Rhineland High Commission.
This second fact serves both to ex-
pand and to diversity the substance
of this volume in measure apd
direction calculated to stimulate
general interest in this vivid ac-
count. SO, while this Is unique
and significant chapter in the mill :
tary history of thA United states. 1t
becomes, besides. story that is fun
of incident. action. change. adven-
tute-all of it true.
Here are many comparative views
drawn from the technic and the
methods of the French, British ana
that cannot fail to be of value to the
American Army itself. working beside
these others. Here are many accounts
of the civil administration of TINS
occupied area. bringing out the ele
n1ent of adaptability in direction ana
control that, just possibly, mliltary
command may not in its routine train
ing always succeed in securing.
AS q background for that which
follows here Cen Allen describes tne
RhineIand and its people, showing
what the term means geograpnlcaiy,
for what the people stand IN tneir
earliest prepossessions and In tnelr
present state of mind. He tells OF the
march of the Sd United States Army
into Germany, then setting out the
form and something of the particulars
of this military occupation--what IL
means to the armies, what it means to
the citizenry Then In good detail
and excellent summary Gen. Allen
sets out the work of the Rh1neland
High Commission, showing the difr-
culties of the natural disagreements
that arose, the general course OF dis
cussions and debates, the earnest
efforts toward composition and agree
ment The final days of the occupa-
ton sum here in an estimate OF the
achievements of the commission. A
valuable appendix provides certain
documents that throw light upon one
and another of the points embodied in
the study itself. The whole is direct,
clear and convincing, whether it is
taken as pure military history, or as,
in addition. the vivid account of a
highly important point Of international
intercourse.
- Il
THE CAUSES OF WAR AND THE
NEW REVOLUTION. BY Tell A.
Turner. Boston: Marshall Jones
co.
MORE than so wars, covering the
Ava past $50 years, are capsuled
within this little book that takes no
more than an hour or two for Its read.
ing. Here is a first-class example of
such condensation as every author
must reckon with nowadays when, In
the general rush, any reading at all
is a doubtful matter. The purpose
of this study is to set out these so
wars by way of their causes, to mark
emphaticaliy the similarity of cause
existing among them, to point upon
the common triviality of cause, and
to stress the actual, futility of the
wars themselves. To meet such pur
pose the author gives brief record
of these conflicts. From each he
draws off an outline of the causes OF
the war under consideration. Gather.
ing up these outlines, one finds that
they provide in sum an exhibit of
human folly-selfishness, jealousy
cruelty. ambition. notions about the
divine right of kings and other such
claptrap OF temporary power. Grad
ually in this record there comes to the
surface the growing self-consciousness
of the people themselves. And in time
they too take on the arrogance of the
old "divinely anointed" SO war by
war the author moves out of the past
up into the present, bringing with him
concrete evidence that war is unneces.
sary, inconclusive, absurd, destructive
and unhuman, There are, however
certain justifiable reasons for the use
OF national force. For instance, self.
defense. For instance. again, inter.
vention in behalf of an oppressed
people like the Intervention of this
country in behalf of Cuba. And, again,
for the exercise of the police powers
OF protection, such as at this moment
President Coolidge is exempHfying by
the troops sent to China to protect
endangered Americans in that war
zone. The book, so excellent In pur-
pose and plan and delivery, is ad-
dressed to those who are directing the
thoughts OF the young. to those work
ing along the lines set down here, to
everybody who believes war to be
the brutal and senseless and unneces-
sary thing that this author so de.
voutly believes it to be.