Adventure Magazine Cover — page 185: what you’re looking at

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

THE ‘CAMP- FIRE A Free-to -all Meeting -Place for Readers, Wrifers and Adventurers Our Camp-Fire came into being May 5, 1912, with our June issue, and since then its fire has never died down. Many have gathered about it and they are of all classes and degrees, high and low, rich and poor, adventurers and stay-at-homes, and from all parts of the earth. Some whose voices we used to know have taken the Long Trail and are heard no more, but they are still memories among us, and new voices are heard, and welcomed. We are drawn together by a common liking for the strong, clean things of out-of- doors, for word from the earth’s far places, for man in action instead of caged by cir- cumstance. The spirit of adventure lives in all men; the rest is chance. But something besides a common interest holds us together. Somehow a real com- radeship has grown up among us. Men can not thus meet and talk together without growing into friendlier relations; many a time does one of us come to the rest for. facts and guidance; many a close personal friendship has our Camp-Fire built up between two men who had never met; often has it proved an open sesame between strangers in a far land. —_ Perhaps our Camp-Fire is even a little more. Perhaps it is a bit of leaven svericions gently among those of different station toward the fuller and more human understand ing and sympathy that will some day bring to man the real democracy and beothevhood he seeks. Few indeed are the agencies that bring together on a friendly footing so many and such great extremes as fere. And we are numbered by the hundred thousand now. If you are come to our Camp-Fire for the first time and find you like the things we like, join us and find yourself very welcome. There is no obligation except ordinary manliness, no forms or ceremonies, no dues, no officers, no anything except men and women gathered for interest and friendliness. (~~. THIS is a lucky coincidence con- 2 My nected with our Camp-Fire button: Keyport, N. J. The numeral “71” on your button signifies in the telegram game “‘Compliments” and is used on the wire at the end of a;‘confab” to express friendship. Joun B. Bozarrtu. A YOUNG Camp-Fire comrade speaks in defense of General Custer. I think I can say that the intent of those who have spoken to Camp-Fire on this subject has not been to attack Custer but merely to dig out the facts concerning the massacre of his command. Certainly a great many things in his praise have been spoken at our meetings. After reading letters published in Adventure, I felt it my duty to at least say a few words in defense of a man who was as much of a gentleman and officer and heroic to a degree that merged on reckless. As to his being in bad at Washington, Custer was Your desire to join makes you a member. at all times a man of plain and honest dealings, and the only reason that he ever got mixed up in that deplorable affair was that he believed the words of other men and that by assisting them in bringing the matter to light he would be helping to clear up something which to him looked crooked. Of course, we all know that when the trial came off it was found that these men had no grounds on which to base their statements and in this way a reflection and cloud was thrown on Custer. No right-minded man would blame him for doing what he thought was the right thing. OW as to his disobeying orders. I do not agree on this point with the writers of the articles in the other issues. In my opinion the order, which I have read time and again, is conflicting in itself. I never in any book of military science or tactics or any of our wars read an order which can compare with the one given Custer. In one place it states that. he should meet the author at a given place, and then it states that since reports are so scarce it is practically up to his own judgment. Now in the first place in Custer’s other ge- ments with the Indians you will find that he always applied the tactical method of splitting his command and in each instance met with complete success. 175 7 By = ee ee an ee (e(0) IOOKS ee es, he, a ee See (EO) UL) “ ee