Evening star., 1940-12-01
World War
Agency Is
Revived
Ancient Struggles
Are Viewed With
Later Warfare
By A. A. HoehHng.

It took the goth century to trans
late into something approaching a
mathematical formula an essential
element of warfare which has been
recognized since man started to kill
on an organized basis and which is
called-morale.
Napoleon said that in an army
the morale is to the physical as
three is to one, but long before his
time generals or their historic coun-
terparts were asserting that it was
the splendid morale of their men
which carried them to victory or else
it was their broken morale which
caused them to flee in defeat. Yet
none of these forerunners of the
precision-trained military chiefs of
today probably would have said that
morale is other than something
that just happens"
1t happens, there is no doubt of
that, but the United States War De-
parment knows there are definite
contributing factors to the happen
ing and that's why it has recently
revived the Morale Division, which
came into being in the World War.
Some publicity has been given the
unit, which is part of the Adjutant
Generals Office, and which is head
ed by tall and PROFESSIONAL looking
officer named Col. Henry A. Pfeil,
but nevertheless the general i'm
preston of the unit persists to date
that it is merely sort of booking
Office for fun in the Army camps.
1t is in reality not that at all.
Among it's shock weapons are mo-
ton pictures, songs, athletic con-
tests and other forms of amusement
not the least of which is the radio,
but none of these weapons" are
to be used, as they are familiar to
civilians in peacetime.
Study Diversions.
With a calculation which is as
cold-blooded as fighting itself, they
are to be directed solely toward
making Pvt John Glotz hard,
efficient and thoroughly disciplined
soldier. Col. Pfeil and his staff of
five officers and some 20 clerks are
making study at great length of
all the various forms of diversions
which homo sapiens finds essential
to his proper and happy function
ing and discarding every one which
in their estimation would not en-
hance Pvt. Glotz as a fighter.
The business of morale is young
1t was probably started by the Ger
mans just prior to the World
War-and its specialists hesitate to
state publicly the measure by which
good and bad morale producers are
determined. Only that, Were not
raising an army for fun-and fun,
unless it has some real meaning to
1t, has no place in an Army camp"
In general, however, one may
assume that any movie, any type
of literature, any songs which di-
rectly or by implication seem to
stress futility, easy complacence, or
weakness of any sort, is not to be
approved by the Morale Division.
The division wants the soldiers
to enjoy the entertainment, but,
although they may be quite un-
aware of it themselves, subtle
building and fortifying of their
emotions and determination must
result at the same time.
AS necessary part of the study.
the Morale Division has dipped into
history to see the inklings there on
what made the soldiers behave as
they did, to see the factors working
toward a good or bad morale. And
they found some interesting roots
from which the great science is
growing today.
Persian War Incident.
One of the earliest bits of informa-
ton on the subject was recorded
during the Persian War in 480 BIC.
1t concerns conference.-the work.
Themistocles, the Greek leader, as
the report goes, knew the enemy, the
Ionians, were about to pass Ger.
tain well and so during the night
before he engraved on the stone
just above it a plea for the Ionians
to stop fighting against your IA
thers." Further, he urged the sol.
diers either to revolt, desert, or moi
fight with any spirit.
Whether or not the enemy tool