Business Assistants—
Theoiloric Neal
rtoy A. Evans.
Dudley M. Sarfaty.
Peace brings but a new mission to
The Caduceus. From the effort to
furnish a stimulant tor redubled war
wo.k to a mission of calling for re
newed zeal in the reconstruction
labors of peace must be the duty of
the soldier press.
The calling of The Caduceus to
serve was never more important than
now. To the public as well as to the
soldiers must come suggestions and
open messages from Washington as to
the woik to 03 maintained for the
quickest and most effective reorgani
zation of labor and society. It is a
time when the military■ press will be
called upon as never before in the
history of the war and The Caduceus
does not expect to be found wanting.
It was a year ago today that Lieu
tenant-Colonel William A. Sheep, then
commanding officer of the Camp
Greene Base Hospital, held his first
inspection of seventy-eight men who
had arrived at the base hospital the
night before from Fort Benjamin
Harrison, Indiana.
The new comers were heavy eyed
from two days aboard a troop train
and from the sleepless night of their
reaching Charlotte and being brought
to the camp. But they squared their
shoulders and looked straight ahead
and the commander reported them a
fit lot.
TILL THE BOYS COME HOME
“Hello, Broadway; Good-bye, France.”
This is the song which is shaking (the shell-cratered earth, along the
former battle front, as our boys throw up their “tin hats” and sing for joy.
Their hearts have abandoned the purpose of war. Their thoughts have
left the motives of strategy. They are loosed from the strain of the death
game. Gone are the, star shells and the flaring cones of the searchlights
from the darkened heavens; gone are the gas attack alarms and the trench
rushes; gone are the nerve testing cries of the shrapnel and the crash of
bursting shells.
The boys are free from the trying life of the trench but a long, long
way from home. Their duties now are mostly to “hang around” until the
routine police service is ended and a chance afforded to return to America.
The French soldiers have some measure of recompense for their bear
ing the shock of the conflict through four years. Now that the strife is
finished they are at home. For the British it is only a step across the
channel to Blighty. But thousands of miles of ocean roll between the
American lads and their “ole home town” and there is the promise that the
United States will bear a full share of the reconstruction work on Europe’s
soil.
Those fellows were in on the men
ingitis fight and the freezing days of
ward trials which the winter brought.
They have been a part of every effort
of th,e base hospital since that day.
Many of their number have been sent
to France with departing units and
have been in on the big drivesfi “over
there.” Others continue their work
at the hospital and can be counted on
for their share of the burden until the
last minute.
The men who came from Fort Ben
jamin Harrison are proud of their
record in no clanish sense. They
have never been an organization but
as loyal individuals have followed the
path of duty in a way that makes the
mention of this anniversary highly ap
propriate.
OUR SONG OF PEACE.
“Till the boys come home’” Is the biggest problem of the hour
America’s duty to care for every man until he is released from service
Is just as real as her mission to support “our boys” during the days of
battle. Our pride in showing our brave lads every attention now should
be as fine as that in which we gloried when they marched away at Free
dom’s call for fighting men.
The battle tumult dies away,
Stilled are the deep voiced cannons
roar.
The promise of that better day
Carries its ioy to every shore.
Peace at last, the message rings;
Peace of mind and heart and soul;
Peace which breaks the yoke of kings,
And lifts the torch of hope for all.
We sing in Freedom’s name again.
We sing of .lustioe world enthroned.
We sing the might of righteous men;
And over all our trumpets blowing
We’ll keep the swing of that glad song
going—
Going—till the boys come home.
The actual work of furnishing entertainment, good books, amusement, re
ligious services, refreshments and bits of home comfort and cheer has been
taken up by the seven organizations of the Salvation Army, War Camp
Community Service, K. of C., Jewish Welfare, Y. M. C. A., American Library
Association, and Y. W. C. A. They are now bending every effort to raise
$170,500,000 before the end of the week in order to give that final demon
stration of “somebody cares” to our sons and brothers and dear ones in the
uniform of honor. They are asking that we make our dollars stand between
the soldiers and the camp temptations of peace as another show of gratitude
for their standing between us and the desolating Hun.
The honor roll is being carried before us again. We cannot afford to
leave any name from that scroll. We cannot afford to greet the boys, when
they come home, with the blush ot shame.
Now is the time to dig deep in anticipation of that glad tomorrow when
you can clasp each returning hero by the hand and looking him straight
in the eye, exclaim—
In all our joy, we’ll not forget
The day they marched away.
With heads erect—we see them yet
In that line with its even sway.
The heathen lust and the hate we
feared
They crushed in their heroes advance.
God knows we worship each cross
they’ve reared
On the shell swept hills ot France.
We’ll not forget the pledge we’ve
made
To our Youth across the foam.
We’ll pay them tor every rush they’ve
stayed—
Of the cheeq that’s in our hearts, we’ll
“I did my best.”
give—
From our wealth of love for each lad
we’ll give—
We’ll give—till the boys come home.
SGT. V. J. HARROLD,
The Bard of Barracks Six.
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