Evening star. [volume], October 28, 1917, Page 2, Image 40

About Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972

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Army Canteens Conducted by American Women;
HKKEVER American troope are
found abroad, wherever the
Stars and Stripes wave In the
winds as the columns of
khaki-clad soldiers march from transport
landing to concentration camps, and on to
tho front, there, too, will one find stanch
hearted American women waiting to ren
der aid and cheer.
Since the days when the meaning of the
little scarlet cross Implied nothing more
than medical succor to the wounded a
great change has taken place; today the
Red Cross Is a symbol of help in all the
far-reaching significance of the term.
So It has come to pass that a corps of
women have recently been sent to France
to do "canteen" work there?a corps
which, when it is recruited to full strength,
will number fifty. Theso women, who,
from behind long white counters, will dis
pense drinks and food to soldiers, are not
waitresses in the proper sense of the word.
They are. on the contrary, women one
would And in the large ballrooms of Amer
ica's exclusive homes?women of means
and accomplishments, women whose poise
and intellect fit them for social distinction.
*
* *
In charge is Mrs. William K. Vander
bilt' The corps numbers among its per
sonnel Miss Emma S. Lansing and Miss
Katherine Lanrir.g. sister of the Secretary
of State ; Mrs. L-ars Anderson, who was
In charge of the refreshment unit in
Washington. D. C. ; Miss Blanchard Scott,
daughter of MaJ Gen. Hugh L,. Scott, for
mer chief of staff, ar.d Mrs. Barbour
Walker, formerly principal of the National
Cathedral School for (?ir!s. in Washing
ton. and later head of a sdhool in Manila
tinder Bishop Brent.
When not on duty these women wiil
live In tiny bomb-proof huts, away from
the comforts and conveniences which
MAJ. GRAYSON M. P. MURPHY.
Bead of American Red Cross commis
sion In France.
FRENCH MOVABLE C ANTEEN,
form on#* of the commonplaces of their
normal life at home. Instead of fashion
able frowns, in the uniform of the Amer
ican Red Cross they will be found along
tho line of march of our troops in Prance,
taking charge of the work of the twelve
large canteens being built at important
railroad points alone the route to th^
trenches. Theirs will be more than the
mere task of serving food and dring. for
to them falls the duty of sending our boys
to the fighting front with a word of cheer
and encouragement.
In a foreign land which, for all that
the trees may be as green and the sky
as blue, will yet be so vastly different
from home; among women who. no
matter how cordial, are yet strangers
!n tongue; in this land so strange and
so far away from all they love, the sol
diers will find American women wait
ing to send them to their posts with
words of encouragement, a smile and a
"Good luck and clod bless you!"
It is this phase of the work which is
perhaps the most important part, for
while French women could be found
who would assist in the canteens, these
American women, who have braved the
danger of crossing to Europe, and who
will face not only danger th^re, but
untold hardships, will in reality be
carrying to the men abroad the mes
sage of loyalty and belief of every
true American woman at h<>mc.
Headed by Mrs. Vandcrbilt. who is in
charge of the canteen work in France,
the women who have already left for
work there are: Mrs. Larz Anderson.
Washington. D. C.; Miss Elizabeth An
derson. New Canaan. Conn.; Miss
Frances Anderson. New Canaan, Conn.;
Miss Mary Vail Andress. New York
city; Miss Alice C. Archibald. North
field. Minn.; Miss Emily M. Bennett.
New York city; Miss Sophia Berger,
N#?w York city: Miss I-ois Brundred,
Oil City. Pa.; Miss Amy E. Brewer.
Chicago; Miss Ruth Carroll. 1? ew York
city; Mrs. John Corbin. New York city;
Miss Margery Coryn. San Francisco.
Cal.; Miss Serena Coggswell. New York
city; Mrs. A. Vander Kieft <'hurch.
New York city: Miss Mildred Cowing.
Wyoming. Ohio: Mrs. Kathleen P.
Davis. New York city; Mrs. Randolph
Dickins. Washington. D. C.; Miss Hen
rietta Ely, Philadelphia: Miss Mary
Helen Fee. Oak Park. 111.; Mrs. Nathan
iel Francis, Chicago; Miss Irene M.
Given Wilson. New York city; Mrs.
TYPE TO HE ADOPTED FOR SIMILAR VSE BY AMERICAN FORCES.
Gertrude 1,. Heatwole, Northfleld,
Minn.; Miss Florence R. Herriek,
Roselle, N. J.; Miss Harriet 1*. Herriek,
Roselle. N. J.: Mrs. Jean Hull. Chi
cago; Miss Cornelia B. Knox. New York
city; Miss Emma S. Lansing, Water
town. X. Y.; Miss Katherine Lansing,
Watertown, N. Y.; Mrs. Mary Stickney
Lawrence, Rutland. Yt.; Miss Frances
Mrtchell. New York city; Miss Mary
Scott Montgomery, Philadelphia: Miss
Margery Nott. Chicago; Miss Ella U.
Osborne. New York city; Miss Catherine
R. Porter. Washington, 1>. C.; Mrs.
Eleanor C. Prime. Garden City, L. I.;
Miss Harriette Rogers, Garrison-on
Hudson, N. Y.; Miss Agnes E. Sheehan,
New York city; Miss Blanchard Scott.
Washington, P. C.; Miss Emily Sim
monds, New York city; Miss Ruth E.
Smith. Yonkers. N. Y.; Mrs. Emma
Swords, New York city; Miss Sophie
Stanton, Washington, I>. C.; Mrs. Eliza
beth H. Taylor, New York city; Miss
Wilhelmina Tenney. Honolulu. Hawaii;
Mrs. Carlotta C. Thrasher. New York
city; Mrs. Belmont Tiffany, New York
city; Mrs. Barbour Walker, New York
msmm
xC'OFEE POT. BREAD BASKET AND MAIL BAG MADE FAMOUS BY REFRESHMENT UlflTS OX THIS SIDE OF THE
WATER.
city: Mrs. Meredith Waterbury. New
York city, and Miss Elizabeth D.
Young, New -York city.
Modern war is conducted- along scien
tific lines, and it is due in part to this
fact that these women are undertaking
the work planned for them in France.
J'erhaps the discovery is not new, but it
is at le;ist safe to say that for the first
time cognizance Is being taken of the
MEMBERS OF CANTEEN CORPS IX UNIFORM ADOPTED JIT ST BEFORE SAILING.
mental attitude of the fighting forces of
every army. A down-spirited, morose sol
dier makes a bad fighting: man. and he
has unlimited Influence upon his fellow
soldiers. Recognizing this, it was decided
to put the work of these canteens in the
hands of American women, who, in addi
tion to the work entailed, could fill so im
portant a role in cheering the soldiers.
The brimming cup of coffee, held by a
smiling American woman; the meal ob
tained at the. end of a day of hardship,
with its bit of encouragement and talk
of home?lhat is what is going to make
every man in the fighting forces abroad
ready and anxious to go out and do not
only his bit, but his best.
*
? * *
The first call for such service was re
ceived in this country by the Red Cross
from MaJ. Grayson M. P. Murphy, head of
the Red Cross commission in France. Sev
eral weeks ago he cabled for fifty women
to take charge of the twelve canteens to
be established in France under the Red
Cross. It was upon this meaner infor
mation that the forces in this country re
cruited their women, for MaJ. Murphy
gave no details, save to emphasize the
necessity for women between thirty and
fifty, preferably with a knowledge of the
French language, who were capable and
willing to undertake the hardest kind of
work under Army orders, and who would
be willing to pro where sent.
Before seeking actual applicants for
this work the Red Cross here made out a
set of rules to govern the acceptance of
the women. These not only included the
points brought out in MaJ. Murphy's cable
gram. but included such additional Quali
fications as in their opinion would make
for the most efficient service. The work
of recruiting the corps was under Miss
Florence M. Marshall, director in charge
of the woman's bureau of the American
Red Cross.
Every woman who is a member of this
canteen corps is physically fit and able
to do hard work, can speak French, is able
to pay her own expenses, has neither a
husband serving in France nor one about
to go abroad, has no German connec
tions whatever and has been vaccinated
for smallpox, typhoid and para-typhoid.
In addition, each woman signed a pledge
to enlist for a period of six months, with
the proviso, however, that in event of
being found unfitted for the work after
arriving: in France ehe would return to
this country at her own expense.
*
? *
Applicants were numerous, but the
women finally chosen to make up the
personnel of the corps were accepted
because in addition to fulfilling: the re
quirements they had in most instances
either done Red Cross work of an im
portant character or work which espe
cially fitted them for the duties ahead
of them.
Already one of these canteens has
been opened, eleven more being in
course of construction. Of the one es
tablished, a graphic picture of what is
being accomplished is found in a re
cent cablegram sent to Red Cross head
quarters by Maj. Murphy. It reads:
"First of line of canteens for troops
traveling on leave, opened on Septem
ber 17, and from the start more than
justified our recommendations to un
dertake such work. An average of 2.000
men daily have been given opportunity
to obtain hot meals and comfortable
place for eating and recreation, while
awaiting change of trains. Ar
rangements for announcing depar
ture of trains has enabled be
tfeen 300 and 400 men to catch
a few hours of much-needed rest
in comfortable, clean quarters, with
out fear of oversleeping trains. Such
quarters are provided for COO men.
Showers and wash basins also provided.
Pleasure and appreciation of all men
who pass through is most gratifying'.
Strangely enough, the first visitors
were a troop of chasseurs, who had
been instructing our American troops,
and on the same evening a lnrge num
ber of American engineers, leaving by
a train at 1 o'clock in the morning,
were given a warm welcome and send
off by the workers.
"Personnel consists of eighteen wom
en, who serve dav and r.ight. Soup,
bread, meat, vegetables, salad, cheese,
eggs, coffee, chocolate and tea gives an
idea, of variety of menu served, anA?|
cddltlonal store offer* carmed foods* t;
chocolate, fruit, tobacoo for imb to
tr.ke for consumption on trains, as well J
us post cards and other small mate* ?
rials.
"To see men sitting comfortably, ?#
swapping stories over a cup of coffee,
struggling over a game or a pussla or'm;
chatting over the counter with Our
workers, convinces us thst our ftrot ef ? ?
fort to divert the thoughts of the men?'
from the excitement and horrors or tbe I
trenches Into quiet relaxing channels
has been successful."
+ ~ * ? 1
These canteens are being established *
at the important railroad stops along *
the line of communication from the
concentration camps to the trenches. '
Whenever possible, buildings already
erected will be put to this use. but if
necessary special buildings will ba
built.
Canteens such as these have a broader
meaning than the canteen usually Im
plies. At the canteen slready opsnad in ?
France 400 men can be seated In the .
dining room every hour, while In an en- ?
tire day of twenty-foui hours 6,000 men '
can be accommodated. The dormitories ^
which adjoin the dining room can com- *
fortably take care of 1,000 men. m
these have been installed shower baths, .
clothes sterilizers, barber ehope and alt .
necessary facilities to change the mud -
caked man of the trenches Into a clean .
American again. A bomb-proof movie
theater is also Included.
In conducting these canteene no at- ?
tempt Is made to defray the "overheard** .
expenses by mesns of the meals served,
while in addition to the nominal fee
charged for food much is distributed
free. An entire dinner consistlngof
roup, meat, salad, dessert and something
to drink can be had for less than 1?
cents. Use of the dormitories with their -
facilities as well as other featurss of ^
the canteen are free. \
Another feature of the canteens Is
their connection with the field canteens. *
which carry hot and cold drinks to *
within reaching distance of the men In
the first line trenches. The French hav? ?
already a well organized movable can
teen system, which will be adopted by ?
this country. The French movable can- i
teens are manned by French troops and"
In the event of American movable can-I
teens will be in charge of Americana. In \
the matter of actually carrying these
beverages to the men. the women of
the Canteen Corps will have no part, i
but the supply of coffee, soup or what
ever is served, will be obtained from '
the base canteens.
The Red Cross refreshment units. _
which have brought undying fame to the
huce coffee-pot. sandwich basket and
mail pouch, will play a less important ,
role abroad than in the United States.
Refreshment units here have carried\
their tempting burdens directly to the '
trains, a plan which will be carried out l'B
abroad only when necessity demands It.
The canteens beina established are st ;
such points where the changing of
trains or other necessity demands a .
wait of a few hours or a whole night.
Under such circumstances the long V
white counters inside the dining room
will rise to imperishable fame In the
memories of the men. while the provis
ions made for their rest and recreation
will obviate the necessity of their re
maining in inhospitable waiting rooms.
The first canteen opened was estab
lished as quickly after the need for It -
became apparent as was possible, and
from the moment the first drink was ,
served, canteens for American trOops. -
although no allied uniform is excluded. ?
will remain open until the last soldier
has left the trenches and is homeward
bound. As long as there remains a man
fighting abroad for the ideals of democ- .,
racy there will be American women ,,
waiting to cheer him up. look after his
well being and give visible proof that
the women of the United States are
standing shoulder to shoulder with him
to win the war.
W?infiiOT ?{F Armj Nots? Corps ft? ?<s@ Smwrnc? inn
Tread the want ad columns of a
metropolitan newspaper one
might wonder what had become
of all the young women who
had been in the habit of making their
living in business offices. There is *a
shortage of trained women, particular
ly for clerical work. The inpour of
girls into Washington from Montana
and Texas, California and Maine, sug
gest that other dailies are crying out
for young ladies to come to the aid of
the banker, broker :.nd general busi
ness man. Uncle Sam and his gener
osity in an emergency has magnetized,
them, one and all. trained and amateur.
But if these girls and women, after
two or three years of hard training,
get ofily $50 a month salary upon com
ing to Washington, would they come?
Yet, one of the most important branches
of Uncle Sam's war service for women
offers no more than this, and, after
Bine years, pays $65 monthly.
This work is almost like having a
mission, however. No woman enters
the Array Nurse Corps without serious
thought and a great deal else besides.
All applicants must be at least twenty
five years of age and not beyond thirty
live. ^ Dignity is indispensable, and
counts much when the surgeon general
of the Army makes the final accept
ance. Kxecutive capacity is a quality
much desired and one of those basing
appointment, later, to the place of chief
nurse. No applicant is appointed who
does not state in writing that she
agrees to serve three years. Being
physically fit is just as necessary in the
requirement of a member of the Army
Nurse Corps as it is in a wearer of the
khaki at the front.
m
* *
For is it not this white-garbed, effi
cient. comprehensive young person who
Is to hold herself in readiness and
strength to care for the khaki-wearers?
Unlike members of the Navy Nurse
Corps.who. paradoxically perhaps, re
main* on shore, the nurse attached to
the Army often goes on the transports.
During the period of military occupa
tion of the Philippines, when insurrec
tion was rife, the hospital at Manila
received many transports of soldiers
from the various points of battle. Never
did a nurse at'pm so welcome to an
American la'I who was ill or wounded
and 10,000 miles from home.
The United States Hospital in Manila
has usually twenty-four nurses detail
ed for duty there from amonir th?; per
sonnel of the Army Nuree Corps. This
?eem? like a mere handful now. when,
on this side of the world suddenly and
?without more preparation thaji the?
demand in a national emergency, 2,000
nurses are registered as members of
this patriotic organization of women.
With the mobilization of troops i rx
midsummer, 1916. there was seen the
need of Increase in the membership
when a number of nurses were sent to
various base and camp hospitals and
hospital trains ? for war duty on the
border.
These trains Kath^red up soldiers
from the smaller hospitals in that
region and took them to larger hospitals.
Nurses were scattered aloriK the Mexican
border all the way from Brownsville, Tex.,
as far west as Nogales. Ariz. Most of
these were selected for this careful work
from among the most experienced of the
corps, and a few had seen service in the
War of '98.
The Army Nurse Corps originated soon
after*the close of this war, with its nu
cleus formed from among the nurses who
had made a contract with the government
to care for ill and wounded men. An act
of Congress instituted and gave organiza
tion to this body of women, on February
2. 1901. One hundred had the distinction
Of being charter members. Until recently
there had been added to that number only
fifty members. a matter of concern to the
surgeon general of the Army. After ths
well remembered day of April 6 last the
fyt had |to ba expanded in leaps and
bounds, the reserve force being drawn from
the enrolled nurses of the American Red
Cross service.
*
# *
The surgeon general of the Army, fol
lowing the rules covering such an exigen
cy. has, at various times this summer,
made requests of the Red Cross to nom
inate an additional number of nui^ses
from the lists to which they have access,
and these, as well as the regular mem
bers of the corps, await assignment for
active duty. A few nurses, now at Wal
ter Reed Hospital. Washington, came up
from border duty, expecting to be sent
to Frsnce without delay, but as yet the
call has not come. There are few bu
reaus of the War Department more rush
ed with work and problems in this emer
gency, and a date as to when Army nurses
might be sent over to our forces on
French soil is not determined.
It is quite possible that the service
so filled with imaginative possibilities
by the romantic, nursing soldiers on a
transport may come to pass, if the
Huns do not give up in despair. For, it
is understood, that as many as practicable
of our soldiers on the way to recovery
after battle will be brought back to
American shores for convalescence.
Even a person with a limited imagina
tion can sit and see many a motion
picture in the suggestion of a group of
Army transports heavily laden with
weary, wounded boys in khaki coming
back with the glory of war envelop
ing them and a gentle, dignifieii wom
an ministering to every need, while the
city of Havre grows dimmer and the
statue of Liberty in the harbor at home
gets closer and closer.
Th*-re is a shortage of nurses in
civilian hospitals. Many nurses have
joined the colors and promised Fncle
Sam In his hour of need their skilled
hands and sympathetic, hearts. There
will lie no need for mothers to worry
al out the care of the young patriot
who offers his life to the newer and
fuller meaning of the word democracy;
w hat the medical department of the
1'nited States Army hasn't learned
since the sinking of the Maine isn't
worth learning. if appearances are
correct and officers* fcnsistances a
proof. There was a great deal of
typhoid and typhus then, and far more
?i en are said to have died from illness
than bullets.
One of the nurses on duty now at
Walter Reed Hospital, which is a gen
eral and not a base hospital for sol
diers, had been out of training, but
a few weeWks when, a girl not more
than twenty-one. she contracted with
the War Department to go wherever
sent and nurse among the troops sent
to Cuba. She accompanied the first
trainload of ill and wounded which
came up from Cuba to Swinburne Island,
N. V. These were mostly typhoid
cases. This member of the Army
Nurse Corps w as also in Porto Rico and
th*? Philippines, and. with all this ex
perience behind her, was one of the
twelve nurses on duty at Laredo. Tex.,
lasi year.
She told some entertaining tales of the
work on the border, none of which she
showed more delight in than the Christ
mas the dozen representatives ??f the
corps made for the homesick soldier pa
rt ents under their care. Laredo, she
said, was a typical Mexican town. There
was no American air about it. There
was a Mexican cook and maid at the hos
pital, there were Mexican customs and
even some Mexican cooking. These
Mexicans Joined in the Christmas spirit
and worked more diligently than usual
in helping the American women fix up
all sorts of things for the Christmas tree,
where an active, young nurse did her best
to imitate Santa Claus early Christmas
morning.
There was a gift for every patient in
the hospital, either out of the slender
purses <?r a product from the skillful
fingers of the handful of women who
tried to forget thevf might be a Villista
raid most any night, and a.* patriotic
servants of the War Department duty
must come before anxiety. So keen was
Uiis constant possibility of bandit treach
ery that, one night, hearing the fire call,
they all thought it a call to arms and
started in to act accordingly. Like sol
diers trained for any emergency, they tied
to their appointed tasks and started get
ting their c harges settled according to the
order which the commanding officer had
outlined. They expected fighting to he
gin at once in the streets. Th^r^ was
shouting here and there, silence, and then
another shout or two, while a flatter ofc
horses' hoofs sounded, and then a grim
faced young person in khaki Hashed into
the hospital to announce that there was a
bad fire, bat no fight. There was not a
chance to fight, lor the man who had
tried to set the town on tire had got
away in an automobile and was on Mexi
can ground before the guards saw the
flame or realized that a bold attempt t:>
destroy the camp had been attempted.
One emergency case whic h this same
nurse dwelt on, when asked to relate
UlNS DORA K. THOMPSON
Superintendent of Army .\ur*e < orj?*.
the story of an average ease on the
border, wan notable. She said that it
was a miracle that the 1.03 got well
and went home, that he had suffered
five perforations in target practice, and
had to have a special nurse every hour
of th- twenty-four for s->me time. !f
was thought that he ?ould not get well
without rnueh surgery, if at all. The
twelve meinliers of the Army Nurse
Corps determined, as a body, that this
lad who had worn the khaki such a lit
tle time was not going to die before he
got a ??hatice to ?!!<? in battle.
He was an enlisted man. and his
wildest dreai.i would neve.* have cm
braced the idea ??f shoulder rations,
but he got more car.', said the nurse,
than if he had been an otfic? r.
-fnder my observat ion." she added,
"enlisted men fare as well in l as- or
general hospitals as their'of'ii-ers. '.pin
ion to the contrary t/ot withstanding."
There were a numb*:* ?.? pneumonia
eases <?!! th ? bord r and the?;.'- always
require ver\ ?!??:-;?? attention. .*I???;t of
the i;7" pu'ients now registered at Wal
ter Heed Hospital are convalescents and
the numerous new temporary annexes
with their surrounding verandas re
veal, even from the w indows of a street
car, various groups of patients taking ad
vantage of the .sun baths obtainable
these afternoons in October. '
Members of the Army Nurse Corps
living in the east, upon being accepted
and given the opportunity to wear the
badge of the corps?a caduceus of gold
or gilt with a monogram of the letters
"A. N. C." in white enamel?are usual
ly sent for their initial work to Wal
ter Heed Hospital. The nurses' quar
ters here are attractively furnished,
and the building, set apart upon the
: paeious lav. us, undt r the shadow of
historic trees, is both beautiful and
fitting for the purpose. New nurses are
ordinarily kepi here from, three to nine
i
months, to determine their adaptibility
for the .service.
*
* *
The Letterman General Hospital, in
the Presidio of San Francisco, is a very
large Army hospital, where the nurses'
Quarters are comfortable, and more
room is being added. Forty-five nurses
serve there even in peace times, and
each has her own bedchamber, besides
enjoying: the privilege of pleasant liv
ing rooms, parlors, etc. Members of
the corps, after a period spent there,
nr.- sent to Fort Bayard. Col. There
twenty-two nurses are stationed for
servir-* lasting a \ ear. Ii is an isolated
point, nine miles from Silver City, the
nearest town. liut there is a mountain
wagon which takes the little group of
women into town every few days. Some
of them have their own horses and
scorn the wagon, as there are always a
few nurses who seek permission to re
main indefinitely at Fort Bayard, and
these acquire their own mounts. A
thirty-mile ride through the mountains
is nothing to these women, who become
expert horsewomen and great advo
cates of outdoor lif?' for both invalids
and well people.
it is said that much excitement pre
vails at the hospital in San Francisco
when orders to the tropics are received.
A long sea voyage is usually a new ex
perience, and a foreign !:;nd, where the
flag flies above a building filled with
United States troops, makes demands
on the imagination. it takes eight
days to make the trip to Honolulu, and
there also is a hospital where members
of the corps are serving. This is the
department hospital, with eleven Amer
ican nurses.
Out of Manila, for the nurses station
ed there, are wonderful trips into the
farther tropics and up to Japan. A fa
vorite place for res! and recreation is
located about a day's Journey no. Th of
Manila, in Boguio, near which is Camp
John Hay. where many people from the
Army posts in various parts of the
Philippines spend the hot season. There
is a tea', hers' eatr.p close by, and there
are entertainments arid lectures.
At 1 venwort h, Kan., is a post
which requires the services of several
of these nurst \ and at the Army and
Navy General Hospital :it Hot Springs.
Ark., another group is always station
ed. A nurse m ver knows win re she is
to be sent by the surgeon general. She
gets to be. after years of membership
and active duty, something of a globe
trotter. Young women ;? }?<? have strong
home ti'-s Me not encouraged to enter
the Army JS-urse Corps. At the present
time, perhans. is seen the greatest rea
son as \et for this attitude of the War
Department, .-ite ?? everr member of the
corns is looking f<rw:?rd ?o France and
caring for American heroes, regardless
of danger to hospitals and their occu
pants.
A Little Learning.
ipKKSIDBNT GKORGI-: KISTER of
Campion College said the other day
in Prairie du Chien:
"I.earning, profound learning, is the
light of the world, but we continually
get new proof v!L the harm a l.ttle
learrtThg do -s. ^
"A ladv employed a school airl of
twelve to scrub her front steps. The
school jrirl worked we'l, but suddenly
she stopped coming. The lady met her
on the street and said:
" 'What's the matter, Minnie? ^^y
have you stopped working for me'."
"The urchin tossed her head.
" 'I'm takin' Latin now,' she sniffed,
'and I don't scrub steps no more.' "
A Desirable Change.
A l.KOTVRKR said in a temperance ad
dress in Kankakee:
"If I were Providence I'd introduce a
change that would. I am convinced, con
vert the whole world to on?" cause.
"Tiiis simple but far-reaching change
would consist in transferring the sick
headache from the day after to the day
before,"'
y
Reviews of
THE FOES OF YOl'R OWN HOTSE
HOLD. By Theodore Roosevelt,
Author of "Fear God and Take Your
Own Part." New York: George H.
Doran Company.
THIS book is a solid square
block of pure Americanism.
In it Theodore Roosevelt goes
into a specific accountiftg
with his fellow countrymen
on the dangers that menace them
through the foes of their own house
hold. As the lesser evil, he sets aside
the foreign foe?open and avowed.
Instead, he takes up, class by class,
tiio.se who are today essentially faith -
less to the government that protects
i hem and lo the boundless country
whose resources and opportunities they
are so urgent to employ to their per
sonal advantage. Naturally, the first
of these household foes to engage his
attention is the alien by birth or origin
who, choosing the benefits of this re
publican government, remains an alien
still in design and action. Beyond this
class, Mr. Roosevelt takes up the
pacifist, the slacker, the rich man
profiteering, the poor man lending
himself to obstructive strikes, the so
cialist so adept at overturning, but
more clumsy than an apprentice hand
at upbuilding, and all the forces that
court delay at- the expense of action.
Ana again beyond this immediate circle
Air. Roosevelt gathers up every con
siderable element whose effect tends to
obstruct the onward movement of this
country hi its self-realization as a
beneficently democratic power. The
vigor of .Mr. Roosevelt's thought, the
strength of his convictions, the purity
of his patriotism are known and re
spected the world over. These are the
qualities that give this book its sub
M.i.ict, and distinction and bespeak for
ii. not only a widely general reading,
but a thoughtful and thorough study
as well. c
Til KOI <.ll THE I ltd \ HA IIS. By Emile
Cammaerts. Cartoons by Louis
Raemaekers. New York: John
Lane Company.
This is a plain description,,made a^
lirst hand, of the sufferings of the
Belgian people during two years of
Gorman occupation of Belgium. The
altitude of this investigator before the
terrible situation of the Belgians is
one 10 carry conviction by virtue of
its freedom from any attempt to do
more than state the bare tacts. There
is no emotionalism in the manner of
this disclosure, no bitterness merely
as su< 1>. The feelings of pity and hor
ror that tly straight across into the
heart of the reader come from the facts
themsel\?s and not from any con
scious effort on the part ?>f the writer,
in this poignant record M. Canimaerts
deals Jirst, and more lightly, with the
condition of the Belgians before the
fi?il of Antwerp, when hope was high
and deliverance seemed near. The bur
den of his consideration falls, however,
upon the subsequent period, when the
full weight of German brutality was
brought to hear upon this outraged
people. It is a great story, for through
the unspeakable bitterness 0/ the or
deal. there is a. persistent note of tri
umphant rejoicing in a spirit that is
invincible. Here is a great people,
great in courage, unconquerable at
heart. It is this that M. Cammaerts
has brought across to us. It is for
this message that the book should be
read by every American for the forti
fying of his own soul.
Raemaekers has. in the cartoons that
accompany this text, none of the reser
vations that restrain the author. He
is as out-and-out as ingenuity can
make him. The cartoons, inimitably
? lever, appeal straight to the fighting
blood?and so they, too, should be taken
into close and serious consideration.
THE HIGH HEART. By Basil King,
author of "The Inner Shrine," etc.
Illustrated. New York: Harper &
Bros.
It-Is* an optimi&tic .writer wh<v&t .th%
Ne Books
present literary juncture, hopes to build
a generally acceptable novel around a
heroine whose single prepossession in
life appears to be the humdrum one of
being right, of doing right. Mr. Basil
King not only makes this venture, but
he carries it across. For "The High
Heart" is as vigorous in action, as dra
matic in incident, as ready in appeal,
as if its heroine were of the latest
wrinkle of feminine outlawry. More
over. the general effect here of a su
perior system of spiritual hygiene and
sanitation gives the book a refreshing
advantage over the majority of novels
of the social problem class. The hero
ine is a Canadian girl whose only
dower is a sturdy working belief that
the fair and square mode of action is,
after all, th?? only dependable solvent
of life's perplexities. The setting for
this embodied idea of fair-dealing is
one that reeks of sudden and unsea
soned success?money, place, influence,
raw pride?the social life of a rich
group, with Newport and New York as
their stopping places. The conflict of
ideals, for this social drama sums to
that. Is carried on between the girl
from Canada and J. Howard Broken
shire, a remarkable embodying of those
ideas that imply the self-made man of
the United tates. Indeed, J. Howard
reaches the top notch of Mr. King's
creations and it is only by sheer man
agement on the part of the writer that
he does not put the heroine herself
into an eclipse that somewhat obscures
her thesis of righteousness. He. how
ever, by good foresight, brings her out
triumphant, though J. Howard Broken
shire remains the overtopping person
of the story .To say that Mr. King has
not done anything better than "The
High Heart" is a fair estimate of the
book ami one that is calculated to turn
a great number of readers toward it.
DAY AND MGHT STORIES. By Al
gernon Blackwood, author of "The
Wave," etc. New York: E. P. Dut
ton & Co.
Mr. Blackwood is likely to go to
fresh sources, often to strange sources,
for the matter of his stories. This
likelihood gives him a distinction of
his own in the art of literature and
makes an appeal to those readers who
are on the lookout for the unusual in
their excursions into fiction. The di
viding line between life and death,
between the present and the past, be
tween new worlds and old. is a faint
and easily disregarded line by this writ
er. His short stories, therefore, par
take of that quality which, for want
of a more definite name, we call mystic.
Around common happenings there are
immanencies, vague and unseizable?
suggestions of far places, and remote
things?that hover at the door of one's
mind in a tantalizing importunity.
Curious stories, and alluring ones.
Sometimes, reading, one catches the
vagrant picture as something bark in
his own childhood, but more often it
eludes him, because, no doubt. it
touirfies upon things of the world from
which he eame?too far away for more
than a subtle haunting of the mind, a
fugitive touch upon his heart. There
is one clear and definite aspect of
these irresistible stories, and that is a
line and skillful workmanship. The
book in hand contains a dozen or more
examples of this writer's best work,
tales that repay their reading over and
over again.
Tin-: i.rriv or the hush* a
Ilomuitee. By Harold MacCrath.
New York: Harper & Bros.
Adventure, racing around the world
at the heels of William Grogan, Irish
man, is the call to the MacGrath read
ers of MacGrath's latest novel. It is a
large order. Around the world is a
big place for choice of action, and an
Irishman, of all the kinds of man, is
the hardest of management. It is just
the neatness of Mr. MacGrath's choice,
just the insight with which he fits the
kaleidoscopic adventure to the powers
and potentialities of William Grogan
that makes this a novel of keen enjoy
ment from the moment when William,
the plumber's apprentice, saw a pair
of twinkling feet pasa the cellar win
dow where he was learning to plumb,
to-that last moment.- when, th* - world
rounded in a whirlwind of adventure,
William settles into a home with the
twinkling: feet as a very fetching part
of William's most priceless joy. It is
a good story that races along its
course, gathering up stirring events and
scattering innumerable sketches of
places and persons in lavish liberality.'
-A fair-sized piece of villainy whose
object is the girl of William's heart
keeps the young Irishman keyed up to
his Irish best. Wit and humor and
slang and poetry, real poetry of feel
ing and word, hold one to a tip-toe of
enjoyment through the rapid transi
tions of this colorful adventure.
KIXG COALt A Novel. By Upton Sin
clair. New York: The Macmillan
Company.
Upton Sinclair is never so concerned
about telling a story as he is about
correcting an evil. In other words, he
is not an artist, but rather a reformer.
The two offices may combine in a single
person, but the chances are against it.
The zeal of the reformer, the intoler
ance of his spirit, the impatience of his
temper do not make for the balances
and harmonies of art. To be sure, now
adays, there is a full-fledged protest
against art as It is generally recog
nized and accepted, and Sinclair be
longs to this brood of protestants,
whose prophet is the truly great Whit
man. And some time, no doubt, this
active protest will rise to an art. As
yet, Sinclair, along with the others. Is
merely blazing a trail to which the un
accustomed feet of the great majority
do not turn in a ready following.
"King Coal," like all of the Sinclair
novels, is a vehement social protest?
industrial and economic in its main
features here. It is a series of pamph
lets-, protests, proclamations, Records,
all gathered up in a propaganda of
social overturning. These various doc
uments are loosely tied together in
interest through the medium of one
chief character who stands as the vic
tim of capital and the ultimate prophet
of labor. Now it may be that the novel
is the most efficient medium of propa
ganda. One wonders and can only
cease to wonder when it is proved
that the novel, or a novel, is the un
mistakable spark that fires a consum
ing action. "Uncle Tom's Cabin"? Oh,
yes, one does not forget that?but one
example cannot establish the certainty
of a theory, and the effect of that par
ticular novel is still a matter of dis
pute. However, "King Coal" is a book
of ardent conviction and one of search
ing investigation. The latter, fired by
the writer's socialistic interpretations
and by the depth and fervor of his zeal
toward what looks to him like the
common welfare, contributes to an im
passioned summary of social unright
eousness.
THK Rl l.r.RS Of THE I.AKKS. By
Joseph A. Altsheler. author of "The
Shadow of the North," etc. Illus
trations by Charles L. Wrenn. New
York: D. Apple ton & Co.
This is a romance of the French and
Indian war. The time is that immedi
ately following the defeat of Brad
dock. The action is an expedition to
Lake George and Lake Champlain.
where fierce battles took place for the
control of this historic region. The
characters who engage the interest of
the reader are a young white man,
Robert Lennox, and his friend, the
Onondaga Tndian. Tayoga. The many
sided adventure in the wild aaid un
settled country works up to the battle
of Lake George for its climax and
close. Along the way leading to this
event are developed in picturesque and
robust fashion the life of the Indian
and the white settler. It Is a good
story, true, in its essentials, to what
actually took place at that time, in that
locality. Mr. Altsheler is practiced in
the art of the story of history. This is
but one of many such tales to which
he has turned a skillful hand. His
stories bring up again to one's mind
the tales of Cooper, reminding him
afresh of the substantial value of this
historic field. These are books, pri
marily for boys and girls, for youth,
that properly seeks for history in pic
tures and dramatic moments, in con
crete events rather than in philosoph
ical views or statistical records. The
book in hand, like its companion books
by* this author, is invaluable for young
readers. Grown folk?, too. find in It
the stirring appeal of daring action
and genuine portraiture. ..
THK AMERICAN AMBASSADOR. By ?
Lawrence Byrne. New York:
Charles Scribner's Sons.
Mr. Byrne's romance is based upon
the experiences of an American ambas
sador to a "not unimportant European
country." The only definite point that
one gathers about this country is that
it is one with a king to it. Beside the
ambassador himself, there is his wife,
the handsome and shallow woman that
is required for the particular cast of
intrigue that this experience takes on.
The daughter furnishes the wholesome ??
and sane element that I* needed to
supplement the substantial qualities
of the father. A private secretary -
helps out in the final romance. An ad- .?
venturer and an adventuress, natives. .
of the "not unimportant country," both ,
of the necessary degree of polished ras
cality, supply the spark of trickeiV ' 1
which is calculated to lead to interna
tional disaster. Everything, at the .
end, turns out as it should. The god
Americans escape the doom that at one
moment is hanging over them and the
wrongdoers find themselves balked in
their nefarious designs. The impres
sion of the whole is that of a farce of
fair quality. The ambassador la a
caricature of the American senator "A
turned diplomat in a night. The diplo
matic and ambassadorial functions are
good horseplay of the real office. The
ceremonials of diplomatic life appear
to have been skimmed off the top of
some publication of the town topics
variety. Certainly it is a farce?and
a very good farce, too, as well as a
fair love story besides.
Tl'R.Y TO THK RIGHT. By Bcun?t r
Musson. From the play by Winchell
Smith and John E. llazzard. New
York: Duffield &. Co.
Till; BKETLG. By Richard ilarsh.
New York: G. P. Putnam's Sons.
THIS IS THK KXD. By Stella Benson,
author of "I Poae." New York: The
Macmiilan Company.
-SPEAKING OF PRUSSIA % S " By ?
irvin S. Cobb, author of "Back
Home." etc. New York: George H.
Doran Company.
THK MAX IX KVK\ !.%<? CLOTHES.
By John Reed Scott, author of "The
?'olonei of the Red Huzzars," etc.
Xew York: G. P. Putnam's Sons.
THK SAPPHIRK STORY BOOK; Storle*
of the Sea. Collected, retold and
written by Penrhyn W. Coussens. -
author of "The Ruby Story Book."
etc. Frontispiece by Maxfield Pax
rish. New York: Duffield &. Co.
THK SPORT OF KINGS. By Arthur
Somers Roche, author of "Plunder,"
etc. Illustrated by Arthur I. Keller.
Indianapolis: Bobbs-Merrill Com
pany.
STARR. OF THK DKSKRT. By B. M.
Bower. With frontispiece by Monte
Crews. Boston: Little, Brown &:
Co.
THK ROAD OF AMBITION. By Elaine
Sterne. Illustrated by Ray N. Jack- .
son. New York: Britton Publish- *
ing Company.
TRKASl'RE AND TROL'BLK THKRE
WITH; A Tale of California. By
Geraldine Bonner, author of "The ??
Immigrant Trail," etc. Illustrated
by Stockton Mulford. New York* ;
D. Appleton & Co.
HOW TO FLY. By A. Frederick Col-*
lins, author of "Keeping Up WitH H
Your Motor Car." etc. Fully 114 -
lustrated. New York: D. Appleton
& Co.
WARTIME SPEECHESi A Compilation
o# Public Utteraaeoo la Great Brit-*
a la. By Lieut. Gen. the Rt. Hon. J?
<\ Smuta. P. C.. K. C.. M. L. A. New
York : George H. Doran Company.
rUR MAM WHO TRIED TO BE IT. ?
Cameron Mackenzie. Frontispiece 1
by Aloneo Kimball Ne*| JmK '!
George H Dorift
x