Adventure, February 1917 — page 213: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

_ -war in order to have traitors. ' The Camp-Fire have temporarily abandoned their own country’s service for that of another. I'll venture my very life that there is no single one of these complainers who has not aban- - doned his country’s service for another ser- vice, not once but hundreds of times. . The service for which he abandoned his country was his own service, his own interests or pleasures: I’m not talking now of adven- tures on foreign soil but of daily life at home—of failure to vote or. to vote sin- cerely, of voting under the influence of per- sonal interests; of public offices and trusts not administered solely for public benefit; of all things we allow or participate in and even find mildly humorous under the name “oraft;” of “unimportant” laws and ordi- nances violated; of sins of omission in citi- zenship—neglect of chances to do public good, failure to protest where protests were needed, failure to be an active force for right in your community and nation. YE: you have a wonderful sense of patriotism! The trouble with you— and with most of the rest of us—is that you can’t see disloyalty or treason unless it’s announced loudly with a drum-beat and plainly labeled with an American flag being trampled under foot. We spit upon Bene- dict Arnold because he was a traitor a hun- dred and forty years ago. It doesn’t even occur to us that we don’t have to have a We never dream that we ourselves are being traitors to our country on hundreds of occasions. No, we consider ourselves very loyal citi- zens indeed and we wait till a louddrum- - beat sounds on some other fellow and then rise and emit a shrill cry of righteous horror. Perhaps, before any of us complains about another man’s loyalty and patriotism, we’d better take a careful look at our own. NYHOW, in this case of letters from * the trenches, I'll be rather slow to “cast the first stone” by barring our com- rades from being heard at our Camp-Fire because of- their lack of patriotism. At least till I’m a bit surer of my own practical patriotism and of that of the complainers. Here are some letters from the trenches, the only ones on hand at this writing. I’m glad to say I’ve had word comparatively re- cently either from or of Major Foran, W. Townend, Theodore Goodrich Roberts. It was particularly welcome in Mr. Town- f 2IiI -end’s case, for another comrade had pre- viously written the disquieting news that he had found lying on a hospital floor an identification-disk bearing the name ‘“‘W. Townend.” Frank A. Landrian, writing from Eng- land in the Autumn, gives us this report on himself: I became fed up with my work in the Signal com- pany. It seemed tame, although I was on outside work—a linesman—laying lines up to the trenches and keeping them repaired. It doesn’t take much shelling to knock the finest system out of gear. After looking around a bit, I transferred to’the 1st Cana- dian Machine Gun Co. and I took to it like a duck to water. Inside of three and’a half months I was promoted to sergeant and did tolerably well. We had Colt guns. By the way, I should think that a lot of the members of the Adventurers’ Club know the Colt gun. Later, for several reasons, they were called in and we got an altogether different type of gun. Had a hot time of it in that last dust- up. The Canadians were in at Zillebeke—about 2/4 miles southeast of Ypres. ABOUT three weeks ago I was called back here to qualify for a commission in one of the bat- talions in Canada. If things don’t take too long I ought to be Home by Xmas. On the day I left, my service in France totaled 18)4 months, with 7 days leave last November and about 6 weeks in hospital (sick), Never wounded, although I did get a darned close look several times at my ferry- ticket for the River Styx. M. Logie also reports to the Camp-Fire: ~ Just a line from one of your old Adventure bunkies. Well, in my last letter I stated I was lying in a hospital in Belfast, Ireland, recovering from wounds and shock etc. Well, as I’m O, K. again I’m going out to see “the sport” once more, But this time it’s the near East, amongst “the life.” So will likely let you know how things are this time two months, Can’t very well state what the address will be, but will know by the time we pass the ‘‘Rock,”’ Gibraltar, at any rate. I would like to join the Adventurers’ Club, and have one of your identi- fication-cards which I should have secured long ago. But anyway, Ill inform you of my whereabouts soon enough. | Am going to a country where the fighting is like the game in the “Islands” and Mexico. So am all “Take.” (Canuck slang for O. K.) Will say so- long but not good-by. Am leaving in the morning for England and the troop-ship. fee following letter from Lambert Har- wood Hillyer, identified with one of the biggest film companies, came to me last Summer, adding another sea mystery and another chapter in the history of one of the _ famous old whalers whose photographs we printed: . | I notice in one of your recent issues a picture of the bark Morning Star and, knowing her history COLPNICOOOKS (©)