Evening star., 1932-09-27
NEW BOOKS
AT RANDOM
I. G.. M.


chine Gun Battalion, A. E. F., New
York: Minton, Balch & Co.
~, IT s. Is easy to be patriotic when the the
in mi 1851" "1he band 1 AI played p'ir ir
1893" "The band played ir
1917"
Martial music and the passing of the
flag. Columns in step, the rhythm o1
tramping feet, CLINT Of slanting rifles
f6es Sens e ous to de fe
rihce for 1t, should call come. Goinl
out to protect their land and their peo.
in sight Of which the country itsel1
rings with acclamations OF gratitude
and homage. These marching hosts
the visible signs Of Nations essentia
power and honor.
Oh. it Is easy to be patriotic wher
the band plays Easy for soldier anc
citizen alike. But a single question
stirs them both. To bring the beloved
country through, at any hazard, to it.
own victory over the enemy. Reward
Who names reward in this glorious mo.
ment when Gods best gift to life Il
manhood. youth. full powers, An ardent
heart, all to be spent, gladly, for tht
women and children, for the old mer
and the sick, left behind on the dea,
soil Of the Land to be heroically safe.
guarded against danger? Reward? Ar
obstrusive, untimely word.
The band stops playing. The war Il
Patriotism takes on the dull garment,
OF peacetime.
In effect. this book is an examinatto
OF patriotism under the conditions Of
peace that in the United States. hav,
followed the wars OF 1861, 1893, 1917.
An outlook, to be sure, a shade dull
when set up beside that engendered b,
the conduct Of war itself. Gone thu
dark fears and lightning flashes of hope
gone the tension and suspense, the ad.
venture and excitement. the TRACED,
and horror Of war in action. Yet peace
is, by all odds, paramount in both ex.
tent OF time and Importance. It, too
must send In its accountings unde,
sober methods of business, as well a.
war must do in the more exciting rec.
ords OF battle returns and campaign
summaries.
A little book, less than 100 pages long
Everybody's direct concern. Citizer
and soldier. business man and man o.
leisure. For in essence 1t is a booI
directed upon times of peace. Its au.
thor. soldier, a writer. a universit,
fellow. Equipped, therefore, to handle
facts pertaining to his theme will
accuracy, intelligence, restraint.
AS matter of research this study
deals with the rewards of war as thes,
are exemplified in this country by tn,
wars Of 1861, 1898, 1917. 1t is basi
cally survey Of soldiers pensions a.
these came into being by action of tn,
Congress OF the United States. Thi
system Of pensions, founded in a sens,
OF justice, in an act of patriotism. IL
recognition Of fair dues still unmet
A system that in It's purpose and orig
lnal plan met With the complete sane.
ton and hearty appreciation Of the
people as whole.
II Is now more than a dozen year.
since this country has been disturbed
by war A peacetime in which the
complexion and fiber Of peacetims
patriotism has been able to make head.
way or not. in the less dramatic event.
OF ordinary life. Running a natior
along business lines, looking after tn,
thousand and one unenliyening pro.
cedures that keep a country washed
and fed and doctored and summed enc
aired. A prosy occupation. in the main
with few spots for the exercise of pa.
triotism; such patriotism as the public
Is used to. No bands play. No mer
march. No?
And yet, the country itself, alon,
with all the world besides, is passini
through crises such as no other time
within record. has produced A crisis
calling out the troops of good jude.
ment. OF sound stability, of fair dealing
OF genuine love Of country, patriotism
in its keen understandings and read,
Sympa thies. The troops are being called
And this study expands from its re
view OF soldier pensions and the atti
tude OF Congress toward its fightin,
benefactors. expands Ito test ali vet
Grams. the writer himself among them
IN regard to their peacetirne patriotism
And these veterans. under roll-call IL
this succinct summary, include citi
zens as well as soldiers. As matter
OF fact. the majority of us at thi.
1uncture belong. indubitably. with tn,
Peace Veterans" summoned by Rogel
Burlingame.
Yet We are not so included by tht
author. We push in by virtue of on,
own sense Of guilt. He, Mr.. Buriin.
game. holds himself to a study of thu
veterans OF his own craft. His bool
ends:
There Is no band in 1892. Our Ma.
ton Is in distress. We. the veterans
must help to relieve it. We are no
separate from the body of the public
We are still, all OF us, one people in &
community of suffering. The burden
must be evenly shared. We, the vet.
Grams. and we. the people. NJ
bands are playing now
basic trait in human nature ant
ignorance of certain facts account, M
doubt. for the errancy with which thi.
author accuses his tribe of veterans
war veterans and pensioners. It is Of
certainty that service rendered grows
With time. somewhat out Of proportion
with succeeding times Other big event.
crowd. Other momentous crises make
their way. But the old servitor remem-
pers: Remembers, too, with the vividnes!
OF his actual performance. Remember.
the public homage given to his deeds
And SO the old soldier of today is re.
tr0sn n pstxesn pes,aa ts s enemy H1a sn3
his land. Again, there seems to bt
somewhat general theory that tn,
united states Is magician In money
MIDAS turning all that he touches into
eAAS SAiAtOd OldICS 1IcdSulN
Is an inexhaustible crypt for the stor.
age OF golden treasure. When some un.
picturesque and pallid informer speak.
OF taxes upon the people as sole MAR
source of this Plutonian grab bag, why
away with the fellow! An ignOramu.
or a deceiver!
10 these two somewhat natura
sources OF error are added nowadays al
appalling array of what this author ane
the press call 'rackets." The racket o
the medical profession In its assault
upon the future advantages of the vet.
Gran. The pension racket, built ur
around the widows and orphans O
heroes OF one and another of our wars
THE officer racket" and that mos
alarming growth. the casualties O
peace" Individuals, professions. ever
political parties and industrial or.
ganizations. have not neglected to in.
struct the veteran in the dues" com.
ing to him by way of a full Treas.
ury, under assault of one or anothe,
OF these highly disinterested agencies.
The book is fitted with tables. dia.
grams, comparative graphs to show tn,
alarmin0 Urnwfh nf -