both sides, administered a well-deserved rebuke to the tactless mess sergeant. This restored good feeling in the Camp, and convinced all of the fairness and impartiality of the commanding officials. "A man's a man for aye o' that!" exclaimed General Kuhn afterward in speaking of the incident.

Not only are the men given a square deal, but the opportunity to win a commission is open to the alert.

There is always keen competition among the soldiers at the Camp to be recommended as candidates for shoulder straps. Hundreds of men are working tooth and nail to win commissions. It makes no difference whether a man is a cook, washes dishes, assists in cleaning up the camp, writes letters at headquarters for the officers, or is orderly to the commanding general, all are on the same basis as regards their availability for commissions.

Thus, in walking around the Camp, it is not surprising to stumble on men in out-of-the-way

corners of Y. M. C. A. buildings or barracks, poring over drill regulations, textbooks on infantry or artillery fire, field service regulations and other manuals. Their evening and recreation hours are being devoted to serious study, for it is realized that the fittest will win. The thought that influence or politics can have no bearing upon the result of the recommendations made by the camp officials is stimulating the men to unusual exertions, and a healthier rivalry would be impossible to imagine. It is out of such material that the future officers of the Army will be made, and theirs is a determination to win whatever the cost, a spirit that bodes success for the leadership of our troops.

Since the beginning of the present war, there has been an almost continuous policy of promoting non-commissioned officers of the Regular Army to commissions in the National Guard and the National Army. Any soldier who has acquitted himself creditably, and won

his chevrons, has had the possibility presented to him of accepting a lieutenancy or captaincy in the present conflict. Throughout the various Staff Corps of the Army, sergeants of all classes have been commissioned in various grades, some as Quartermasters, others as Sanitary Officers, Signal Officers, Engineers and in the Artillery. Those able to qualify physically for the Aviation Section have gone up the scale of promotion rapidly.

Indeed, not a few non-commissioned men in the Regular Army have declined commissions. This is an unusual spectacle, and perhaps could occur only in democratic America. However, some men to their credit honestly believe they can serve their country better by holding down the less exacting and responsible, although highly necessary, posts of corporal and sergeant. Their candor and, sometimes, pecuniary sacrifice is a remarkable tribute to themselves, and perhaps a signal service of the greatest moment to their country.

It is a stirring sight to see among the enlisted men millionaires and clerks marching side by side. I have had intimate contact with military organizations where this condi

tion prevails, and cannot refrain from expressing my profound admiration of the good will and fine spirit existing. But for the incident of war, it would be difficult, even impossible, to conceive of very rich men laboring side by side with their poorer associates. Yet I recall one case of a man commonly spoken of as belonging to the most exclusive of families in the land, of large wealth, a member of the exclusive clubs in the great cities, enlisting in one of the corps of the Army.

His education, attentiveness to duty, and keenness soon won him a sergeancy, and to-day he is working shoulder to shoulder with his comrades, some of whom are poor men. There is never a suggestion of wealth or position about the man, or anything to bespeak his riches. He is exceptionally hardworking, cheerful and dependable, but unless pointed out specifically would otherwise attract no particular notice among a group of soldiers. Yet he can sign his check for practically unlimited sums.

Every member of his organization entertains the highest respect and liking for him, as he is thoroughly companionable, entering into the sports and fun of his comrades with keen zest.

Underwood & Underwood

One would never know from any word or suggestion of his that his family life had differed materially from that of the poorest man in the command. It is a rare example of the complete abolishing of the spirit of caste in the service, and bodes well for the success of our military enterprises.

If this particular individual had not possessed the gift of leadership he would not have been promoted sergeant. There are not a few organizations where brokers, shoemakers, actors, bricklayers, artists and day laborers have been assigned to the same companies. They all live, eat and sleep together in tents or barracks, and are on an identical footing. When promotions came, it developed that the carpenter or bricklayer had the happy faculty of leading men, and they and not the brokers and actors were given commissions and put over the millionaire and his kind. The Army now is most democratic.

The newly arrived men at the training camps in many instances have become confused, tangled and apologetic in their early efforts to learn the art of soldiering. They are quickly consoled, however, by contact with their officers, both commissioned and non-commissioned. Almost instantly they learn that their superiors are kindly, tolerant, and understanding. The officers become the guides, mentors, and friends of their men, acquiring their confidence and inspiring them to new achievements. It is no wonder that the Americans are going to France in a "We-can'tbe-beaten" spirit, as one officer expressed it.

An English drill sergeant, loaned to the American Training Camp in France, declared that he was tremendously impressed by the modesty and keenness of our officers.

It is merit alone that will bring promotions to the officers of our Army. The War Department has publicly announced that every officer, including all in the Regular Forces, will be equally eligible for advancement. To get advanced rank, an officer must win on ability alone. It is safe to say that if a man is worthy of promotion, be he a professional worker, one with a skilled trade or a day laborer, advancement will come to him automatically, and he will soon be in a position to exercise command over his fellows.

Whether your boy is a private or officer, you can rest assured that he will come out of the war a manlier man. He will have more self-reliance, be more courageous, display a greater quality of fair play and justice and know better how to obey as well as to lead. The Army is a wonderful leveler. The socalled "highbrow," the "roughneck," the wise and the foolish are all on the same plane. Everyone fights for the same cause. The coal heaver's son, the banker's boy, the farmer lad, the millionaire all march side by side, sharing the same hardships, discomforts, and dangers at times, and enjoying the identical pleasures, athletics, and joys incident to a soldier's life. There is no better school in the world for teaching a young man the lessons of life than the Army, and we shall, before the war is over, owe it a never-to-be-forgotten debt.

T

Our

HERE are 52 stars in the Service Flag of Doubleday, Page & Company, where the RED CROSS MAGAZINE is published. To each of these boys we sent a Christmas box and one of them has sent us this response which may express what some hundreds of thousands of soldiers felt upon receiving Red Cross Christmas boxes:

It's not so hard to be a soldier now:
Your touching kindliness has taught me how.
I may be drafted for a mighty scrap
To wipe the German Empire off the map;
I may be serving country, home and friend
With no reward ahead except the end;
I may be aiding in a glorious fight

For all the things on earth that should be right;
But bunks grow hard, and drill becomes a sore,
And discipline a stultifying bore,

And leggings rub like harness, and the guns
Inflict more torture than a thousand Huns;
And spirits lag, and one forgets his call,
And wonders why the hell he's here at all!

Then comes your box of "Goodies"-Bless the brand

On every label; you will understand.

My rustic bunkie ""lowed as how he'd ate
A-many a one-but never better-date!"

And Jorgensen, the scoundrel, thought that "yelly

Was far too good for yust a solyer's belly!"

And Skinny Darden said those smokes and things

My only boy is now in France, musician in -Infantry Regiment, and if I can't send him the Magazine I can quote some of the beautiful things in it to him. I hope the war ends soon but I hope the Magazine will go on and be a great means of education that I feel it will. I trust the Magazine lasts and lives on after I do and I say these things about it sincerely. I wish everyone could feel as enthused about it as I do.

Here is another:

In answering our Honorable President's plea for the support of the Red Cross Society in August, 1914, I unconsciously subscribed to what has become The Humanitarian Text Book-and, truly a course in good citizenship. Your efforts have indeed been fruitful. May they never be otherwise. As I am desirous of making my children good citizens, I am subscribing for a life membership so that they will read and get the benefits that are bound to accrue from so bounteous a

source.

THE LATEST ADDITIONS TO THE MAGAZINE

FAMILY

are these fifty-three names of Chinese subscribers which have just arrived. We trust we are printing them right side up but cannot be sure.

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