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12
THE CADUCEUS
WHY SILVER STRIPES? WEALTH FROM WASTE
DISCUSSION ON “A CHEVRON
THAT IS A GRIEVANCE”
TDER the above interest
ing and suggestive title,
the “N. Y. TIMES” of a
late date prints the fol
lowing editorial which
finds responsive echo in the breasts of
many a brave officer and soldier of
the American forces in the Great War
who in not going across, has merely
done what is the first duty of a soldier,
performed the duties assigned, as per
orders; in the making of which, he
had neither option or choice—a pure
case of “Theirs not to question, why?”
“Theirs but to do.”
The editorial, which has been pre
sented before The Caduceus by a.
major in the medical corps follows:
“There are constantly coming to this
office evidences of a deep and wide
spread dislike, in many Instances ris
ing to bitter resentment, that has
been created by the determination
of the War Department to put, or to
allow to be put, a silver chevron on the
sleeves of men whose army service
in the great war has been on this
side of the water. The men who
are thus to be marked feel that thus
an unjust discrimination has been
made visible and cruelly hard to bear.
They claim, with entire truth, that
the reason why they did not go abroad
had nothing to- do with either merit
or preference. Prom the glory of
their more fortunate fellows they
would not detract, but they protest
that it is wrong to emphasize and
advertise their own ill-luck, and they
insist that the silver chevron, instead
of being, as is, for instance, the wound
stripe, the record of an honorable fact,
is too often interpreted—always, by
the unthinking, who are many—as
marking its wearer as a man who
stayed at home when better men risk
ed their lives at the front.
There is something, unquestionably,
of super-sensitiveness in this feeling.
Sometime ago, I was shown through
one of the largest woolen mills in
New England. The superintendent, a
personal friend of mine, took partic
ular pains to impress on me that
the revenue derived from the sale and
utilization of absolute “waste” was
the one factor that kept his company
intact during the period of financial
depression of 1914.
It occurred 'to me at the time what
a wonderful asset it would be. if the
realization of the importance of sav
ing and conserving the refuse and
remnants that follow in the wake of
legitimate enterprise, could be instill
ed in every man, woman, and child
throughout the United States, it
would mean a very attractive source
of revenue for the individual and it
would also keep our own resources of
raw materials of every product _ far
above the average of any civ;ilized
country.
The progressiveness of a nation, as
well as of an individual, can be judged
by the importance it attaches to so-
called “waste.” Many of the greater
inventions that civilization enjoys are
the direct outcome of careful and
keen observation of what the less
thoughtful minds are prone to term
'waste”.
but it exists, it is sincere, and it is
worthy of consideration by the depart
mental chiefs whose will is law on
such subjects.
As between a silver chevron and
none, the soldiers whose opinion has
come to the knowledge of “The Times”
are unanimous in declaring for none.
What they would like best, however,
is that between home and foreign
service there should be no distinguish
ing insignia Only by letting the uni
form speak' for itself in all matters
except rank and length of service, they
insist, can an invidious and undeserv
ed contrast be avoided. And they are
particularly insistent on the fact that
foreign service does not necessarily
mean service under fire, though most
civilians take it so.”
For instance, the harnessing of
steam which before merely drifted
away in space is now absolutely con
trolled by man. The Invention of the
steam engine was the result of a
genius giving his careful attention to
“waste” which in reality was a power
that was and always will be priceless.
The war and its demands have made
cruel and tremendous inroads on our
supply and resources of all raw ma
terials, and we as a nation must
“bring back to life” each and every
bit of metal, pound of fabric, and
foot of lumber in order that we may
speedily return to a normal basis and
replentlsh our supply of all products.
The United States government has
attached importance to saving to such
an extent that it has established “Sal
vage Divisions” throughout the United
States and on the battle-fields of Eu
rope. The wonderful results obtained
in oiir own Salvage Division in Camp
Greene has been more than satisfac
tory, and Captain Darnell, -who is head
of the division, feels that, in addition
to the hundreds of thousands of dol
lars saved for Camp Greene by him
and his able assistants, if he can but
impress on the minds of the thousands
of soldiers that come and go the im
portance of saving here, and 'when
they return to civil life, his work will
not have been in vain.
Robert Sharp,
Salvage Division, U. S. Army.
FRAZZLES LOST
Frazzles, the white, French poodle
that everybody knew at the Base Hos
pital and which belonged to Miss
Susan Parish, chief nurse, is gone.
The active little dog has not made
his rounds of the wards since last
Sunday. He was last seen on the
front steps of the Nurse’s home at 5
o’clock, Sunday evening. Nothing is
known as to his whereabouts. _ There
will be the warmest expressions of
appreciation awaiting the person who
might be able to find and return Fraz
zles to the Nurse’s home.
The Charlotte
Supply Company
Hbmiral Cate
509 W. Trade Street
General Mill Furnishers
and Manufacturers of
Leather Belting
and Dealers in
Machinery
Machinists’ Tools, etc.
PHONES 2417-2418
yj SPLENDID DINNER 40c
Everybody Welcome, ^specially Men in Uniform
CLEAN—Morally and Sanitarily