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THE CADUCEUS.
The Caduceus
“Dedicated to the Cause of
World Wide Justice.”
Published every Saturday by the En
listed Personnel of the Base Hospital,
Camp Greene, Charlotte, N. C.
Business Office
1530
Editorial Office—Barracks Five,
Base
Hospital.
Five Cents the
Coiiy.
Sponsor Lieut. Walter Mytinger
Editor & Mgr Pvt. Verlln J. Harrold
Associate Editors—
Avery Toohey
Harold Mills
Associate Business Managers—
Sergeant Arthur Rankin
Private Theodoric Neal
Ivan H. Law.
WE KNOW
The Caduceus is a military maga
zine, published by an enlisted person
nel which has been enrolled in the
United States army for nearly a year.
It is edited by men who have known
the rigors of winter in the army
camp; men who have already adapt
ed thcmsGlves to a change of climate
and a change in their methods of liv
ing. The Caduceus is put out by a
staff that knows what soldiers want.
When we solicit advertising we vis
it the places of business that are of
Interest to us. We call upon the mer
chants who carry goods that soldiers
need. We go to the theaters which
have put on show's that amuse us most.
We solicit announcements from hotel
managers whose establishments should
invite our relatives and friends.
In our advertisements we are tell
ing you about the advantages of busi
ness firms which have interested and
benefitted us.
VOLUNTEER OR DRAFTEE.
ANOTHER BASTJLE TOPPLES
Another Bastile of oppression toppled when the patriots of three con
tinents gathered about the Column of July, on last Sunday, to pay tribute
to the spirit of that French populace which wrecked the prison hold of
tyranny on July 14, 1789.
The stirring music to which the' allied soldiers from twenty lands
marked time in their march through the streets of Paris, on Bastile Day,
had scarcely died away when Germany launched her greatest offensive.
That rush is held by military experts to he the last fitful push of the
Teutons. Already the force of the death sowing drive is dying Cut and ihe
strength of the allied armies are gathering in as prisoners the remnants
of depleted regiments. America is filled with pride at the work of her sons,
who are bearing a full share of the battle.
It is the tell-tale July, as both Germany and the foes of her despotism
had said, and the message in the battle clouds is that out and beyond' the
hell of it all is to be bom that better day of peace with justice.
* J)* Jk ♦ :f: *
The spirit which is carrying on the allied troops is the same uncon
querable force as that which rushed the hold of tyranny in 1789.
It was not because a mob of frenzeid people murdered Lelaunay and
his handful of guards and then pulled down the Bastile, stone by stone,
that the civilized world has bowed its head with Prance in honor of Bastile
Day. It is because that back of those daring folk, who charged the prison
keep of kings, there was a France which had decided that despotism held
no holy right to enslave a people. It is because tha^ thousand and thou--
sands of laborers and clerks and farmers of Prance had determined that
they would rather die than remain serfs.
Tyranny was not dead in France when the Bastile fell. But that act was
the beginning of the end. There was more blood shed and more suffering
because plutocracy had entrenched itself by centuries of cant. Fi'ance
proved anew, however, that no power can crush the might of Freedom,
when that virtue is enthroned in the hearts of a people.
The wrecking of the Bastile was the act which corresponds in a way
to the Magna Carta of Great Britain and to the Declaration of Independence
of the American colonies. It was the key-note of rebellion. It called the
people and the resources of the nation to the service of liberty. It meant
that eventually the ruines of the Bastile would be marked by the stately
Column of July, capped by the genius of Liberty, keeping vigilance over the
memories of the place, bearing in one hand the torch of civilization and in
the other broken chains of 'slavery.
* # :Je *
Many have been-the outrages of German militarism until the peoples of
twenl-y-one nations have taken up arms against that scheme' of world do
minion. The natives of every section of the globe are i-easserting that
might is not necessarily right. ^
The Bastile of Germany’s feudal piilitary .ambition is doomed because
'the common people of tlie earth have determined there is no superman
divinely appointed to guide the destinies of nations. It is tumbling be
cause every man in every rree country' ia working against tlie system of
“blood and iron.” The drives of the Teuton war machine must die out in
black defeat because of millions of freemen who have decided to,hold tlie
line to the last soldier; because" every man of the lgreat battle machine of
democracy, eve-y wireless, operator, eve' y ward man, every cook, every clerk,
every guard, is at his post giving a full measure of effort eveiy day to aid
the cause of justice.. Germany must lose because of the millions of fathers
and mothers who are willing to give their sons and becaues of the other
billions who are saving food and resources to feed the troops and cannons.
While the big drive dies out another Bastile of tyranny topples.
We have talked a great deal about
the volunteer and the drafted man.
We have all had our opinions. But
we have reached the jioint in this
war business where we should forget
all petty quarrels, stop arguing and
get to work.
We have always cheered the man
who gives himself to the service of
his conntr.y, the volunteer who risks
all and forgets himself in the inter
est of the great cause. And we dis
like to think that any man must be
forced to bear his part of the com
mon burden, to contribute his share
for the common cause. Having read
history we associate with such a
character the word, conscript, hence
the odium attached to that term. The
difference between these two types oi
men anyone may recognize.
We will not here attempt to dis
cuss the principle of selective con
scription and the reason for the en
actment of the law. N'or will we sit
in judgment on the comparative wis
dom and patriotism of the two groups
popularly termed volunteers and draf
tees.
But we offer this suggestion:
Realizing-"that there are the two
above mentioned types in the army
today, iet us not too readily as
sume that the types correspond to
the two groups. The way a man en
tered tlie army is not, alone, sufficient
evidence for placing him in eitner
class.
The determining factor in classify
ing these men is, whether they are
volunteers in daily service or wheth
er they are drafted and driven every
day to perform the tasks required ot
them.
Most men who caught the spirit
early in the game and enlisted are
stilly animated by .that same willing
spirit of service. Others were soon
sick of the job of army life and have
been “slackers-in-uniform” ever since,
loafing on the job, grumbling,' holding
up progress. The same two classes
are found among the selective service
men.
All are now working for a common
cause and all should he daily volun
teers. Henceforth, if judgment is
made, let each classify himself and
the other by this true standard rather
than by the false. “Has-beens” have
no place in this army.
The question is, in which class is
the man today?
BY SERGEANT ORRIN L. KEENER.
PLAY THE GAME OUT.
np.
No man is defeated until he giyes
The world so moves that it is al
ways morning some where.
When yon suffer a commercial loss,
some personal disappointment, you
have lost little or nothing so long a.s
you reserve the right to respect your
self.
When a man lives right, he plays
fair with himself. When he does
right, he is square with himself.
—By Corporal Marcel A. Franck.