Hanover Browsing
"School of the Citizen Soldier" Is Timely And Instructive; New Book By Survivor Of Spanish War Is Recommended
CAPTAIN H. M. BRIGGS, head of the Naval Indoctrination School here, recommended a book to me which I, in turn, recommend to you. It is the Schoolof the Citizen Soldier: Adapted from the Educational Program of the Second Army Lt. Gen. Ben Lear, Commanding. The editors are two army officers; the publisher is Appleton-Century, 1942. This is a text book, with good maps, etc., and should be in the hands of every prospective soldier.
Cromwell defined the citizen soldier as "one who knows what he fights for and loves what he knows." This no doubt applies equally well to the German and Jap soldier, but the book is directed toward the United States soldier and is an attempt to fill the gaps in the education of the youth of the country in world geography and trade, and in the fundamentals of American history and constitutional government. It tries to show clearly what the soldier is fighting for.
Part I is an exposition by Professor W. G. Fletcher of Yale of geography and world trade. He discusses the geographical foundations of world trade, the mineral problem of the United States, the raw material problem, and the geographical strategy of "life lines," etc. Part 11, The World Crisis, is written by the Second Army Board, and traces world history from the Treaty of Versailles, 1919, to the invasion of Poland, 1939, and from this invasion to Pearl Harbor. The rise of Hitler is not neglected. Part 111, written by Ralph H. Gabriel of Yale, deals with American history and our constitutional government. Part IV, written by the Second Army Board, deals with The Armed Forces. Organization, staff work, military aviation, propaganda in total war, is handled cogently, as is also an admirable survey of the Japanese and German armies which does not make the mistake of underestimating them. This book may be read with profit by anyone but is essential, almost, to any man already in, or soon to be in, our rapidly increasing armed forces.
A book I shall long remember is Arthur Koestler's Dialogue with Death, Macmillan, 1942. It is dedicated to a simple Loyalist soldier about whom he writes as follows: "Requiescat in pace, Nicholas. Let us hope it was all over swiftly and that they did not make you suffer too much Little you were, a little Andalusian peasant, with soft, slightly prominent eyes, one of the poor and humble; this book is dedicated to you. What good does it do you? You could not read it even if you were still alive. That is why they shot you: because you had the impudence to wish to learn to read. You and a few million like you, who seized your old firearms to defend the new order which might perhaps some day have taught you to read. They call it armed rebellion, Nicolas. They call It the hand of Moscow, Nicolas. They call it the instinct of the rabble, Nicolas. That a man should want to learn to read. My God, they should really have sent you to Geneva in a cage, with the inscription: Ecce Homo, Anno Domini 1937."
Koestler, a journalist, spent 102 days facing death in a Franco prison. This is his story and that of his companions, 80% of whom are now dead, shot by a ChristianFascist government aided by Germany, and Italy. We were silent then and it is to our eternal shame that we were. It was our war then, as it is our war now, but the "illustrious dunderheads" and many others didn't believe it. Many don't believe it even now.
As an appendix to the above book buy and distribute Rex Stout's The IllustriousDunderheads (Knopf, 1942.) It speaks for itself, or rather they (Senators and Congressmen) speak for themselves. I doubt if they are ashamed.
Mrs. James McCallum spotted a fine novel The Golden Horde, by Laselle Gilman published by Smith and Durrell, Inc., 1942. She says: "A grand book! It concerns the flight of a White Russian officer across the Gobi Desert, his rescue by a hermit Lama, his life with a nomad tribe, as a Chinese mercenary, and his absorption into the 'Golden Horde,' a sort of savage Shangri-la where chieftains planned a conquest to reshape the world in the manner and in the name of Ghenghiz Khan." I read it and found it excellent. Highly recommended.
Sea lovers will enjoy the latest book on one of the great and lasting mysteries of the sea: Mary Celeste: The Odyssey of anabandoned Ship, written by C. E. Fay, and published by the Peabody Museum, Salem, Massachusetts. Fay gives all the known facts. The Mary (not Marie) Celeste sailed from New York on November 3, 1872, and on November 15th was discovered by the ship Dei Gratia with nobody aboard, and with the ship sound. This is the last word, and the mystery remains.
THE CENTRAL COMMITTEE of American Defense Dartmouth Group has submitted to the College community a summary of its summer activities and fall plans. It will be recalled from earlier stories in the ALUMNI MAGAZINE that the Defense Group refrains from duplicating OCD functions and restricts itself generally to creating an enlightened public opinion and to strengthening public morale. The central committee believes it the duty of the faculty to foster this effort whether through public discussions, radio broadcasts, articles and letters in the press, or communications to members of Congress or the Administration.
Typical of the activities of the central committee are such items as the following: In the middle of August, when an effort was being supported by educational institutions to hasten some solution of the chaos in the allocation of manpower, the committee sent to Washington through the proper channels a memorandum outlining its conception of certain aspects of this problem and urging early and comprehensive consideration. More recently, during the Congressional debate on price control the central committee directed its written protest against inflationary legislation to quarters where it would be most effective.
The Chairman of the central committee last month wrote to New Hampshire representatives and senators in Washington and to Representative May of the Military Affairs Committee expressing entire agreement with the proposal to draft 18and 19-year-old men. The committee protested against the Senate proposal which would withhold inductees under the age of 20 from combat duty abroad until they had received a full year's training in the United States. Voicing its protest, the Committee wrote, "After serious consideration of the arguments which have been offered for or against the Senate proposal, the committee feels that for the good of the Nation and for the good of the young men involved, no such restrictions should be written into the final bill."
REPORTS OF SUBCOMMITTEES
The subcommittee on press and publicity has released letters and articles written by faculty members to a list of approximately 75 newspapers. The response of the editors has been gratifying. Many clippings have come in as a result of this work.
The subcommittee on public speaking continued to supply speakers to interested groups throughout the state in spite of increasing transportation difficulties. For each successive unit of the Naval Training School now located on the campus the speakers' bureau arranges a series of a dozen lectures by faculty specialists on such topics as Lessons of the Gallipoli Campaign, Logistics in Modern Warfare, Chemical Warfare, etc.
The subcommittee on military service has kept up its file of information as to service openings in the ADDG office, where students resort for general consultation. It registered the Dartmouth students aged 18 and 19 for Selective Service in June and prepared for the August number of the ALUMNI MAGAZINE an article on military service opportunities for alumni.
The subcommittee on radio cooperated with the radio council in bringing lecturers to Hanover to discuss the importance of radio in wartime. For this fall it will employ members of the community to listen to and criticize various propaganda programs. It plans also further round table discussions over the Dartmouth Broadcasting System and for statewide broadcast.
The present war has been happily free in America from any excessive witch-hunting. The subcommittee on civil liberties has noted no clearly marked instances of the denial or the abuse of our liberties and has found its function one of watchful waiting.
The subcommittee on plans for a permanent peace, after frequent meetings this summer, is hoping to reach some conclusions during the present semester to which it may be willing to give wider publicity. Its members have spoken before the student organization on post-war problems. A state committee for post-war problems is a probability: if it materializes, the local committee hopes to be of service to it.
The ADDG has granted student representation on such subcommittees as re- quested it; results have not been noteworthy. The headquarters of the Group is in 213 Baker Library. Here students are counseled and here ADDG is contributing its effort for the winning of the war with the most effective weapon the conflict has so far uncovered—ideas.
WM. STUART MESSERChairman, Central CommitteeAmerican Defense Dartmouth Group
RUSSELL LARMON '19 Director of the Office of Price Administration for the state of New Hampshire, Mr.Larmon is on leave from his teaching dutiesas professor of Administration.
AMERICAN DEFENSEDARTMOUTH GROUP
