Communications

...At one time, "nuance" held sway...

...In his first message to Congress on December 6, 1923, President Coolidge stated: "For several years we have been decreasing the personnel of the army and navy and reducing their power to the danger point...

...With him, so I think, love of the oppressed and unfortunate, and not hatred of the oppressor and the privileged, was the motive power...

...and Mrs...

...The author's statement is true according to official statistics...

...Each critic will claim her...

...These civilian components trained in the schools, colleges, and civilian camps, are the right arm of our defense system, as they are the source of supply of the reserve officers who, in case of war, will train our millions of drafted men, while our regular army and National Guard are protecting continental America and our foreign possessions...

...Purely in my capacity as a private citizen concerned in the welfare of my country, I have recently been making a study of the conditions of our national defense, and I have been profoundly shocked to find that our whole military establishment is greatly crippled as a result of the continuous cutting of appropriations ever since 1921, and that we are only slightly better off than we were in 1917 when we became involved in the world war...

...Gallic salt" seasoned criticism for many months...

...No nation in history ever became militaristic by training for self-defense...

...She will be coaxed, caressed, and finally kicked into the oblivion of the commonplace...

...it indicates nothing about "a higher moral standard and a better family life" in comparison with groups who recognize civil marriage only...

...Rev...

...The process amuses us, but is it criticism...

...Our bitter experience in all our major wars has taught us that it is folly to neglect the vital matter of national defense...

...By our present parsimony we are saving the paltry sum of $2.00 per capita per year, and thereby imperiling our national safety which means our lives, our liberties, and our wealth...

...Truly, we meet Mr...

...Webster or Papa Roget...

...During that time over a score of American citizens have been ruthlessly murdered, and hundreds who had invested their all in little homes in Mexico have seen them confiscated...

...It would seem, too, that the inevitable result of teaching military tactics without the use of arms would be to change military training into mere physical training, and thereby emasculate this very important branch of our service, and speedily cause its complete disintegration...

...William Franklin Sands...

...A CORRECTION Washington, D. C. TO the Editor:—Owing to an unfortunate error in my manuscript, The Doctrine of Fascism, which appeared in The Commonweal of November 17, the word "social" occurs in the last line of the first column, page 43...

...To the state their children are illegitimate, being sanctioned neither by priest nor by magistrate...

...In those many places where there is no priest, they often celebrate marriage by solemn espousals in the presence of both families, remaining certainly as faithful to the vows taken as many of their northern critics...

...It would seem that instead of further weakening the structure of national defense, we should be taking very active steps to strengthen it...

...BLASPHEMY AND BOLSHEVISM Garrison, N. Y. TO the Editor:—After reading two of the contributions to The Commonweal of October 20, 1926, namely, The Consequences of Chaos, by Theodore F. MacManus, and God and Mammon, by Reverend Raymond Vernimont, it would be quite just to say that, in spite of its Blasphemy and Bolshevism (same issue) Russia is not such an exclusively bad country...

...without ammunition reserves at home or in our foreign garrisons, and that in case of war it would take us practically a year to train and equip our army, and to provide it with arms, ammunition, and airplanes...

...For three years past we have been on the November 24, 1926 THE COMMONWEAL 77 verge of a rupture with Mexico...

...76 THE COMMONWEAL November 24, 1926 COMMUNICATIONS ON NATIONAL DEFENSE Buffalo, N. Y. TO the Editor:—All Americans worthy of the name must greatly regret the recent announcement of President Coolidge that he is opposed to the use of arms by our young men who are receiving military training in our schools, colleges, and civilian camps...

...In describing good qualities of the elements which composed the Liberal party in the struggle preceding the adoption of the Constitution of 1857, he says: "In recent times, and it is logical to conclude that the same was the case in the early nineteenth century, illegitimacy has been lower in mestizo communities than among their neighbors...

...FASHIONS IN WORDS Norwalk, Conn...

...National defense is cheap at any price...

...It proves nothing with regard to former days...

...that our National Guard and civilian components are unable to expand...

...At present, lusty life has been given to "awareness...

...I will merely observe that I know no exponent of "radical" thought in this country who in this respect may be classed with Debs...

...that our seacoast and great seacoast cities are protected by obsolete guns...

...Incredible" supplanted it, only to be in turn displaced by "amazing...

...Further reductions should not be made...

...D. T. Powell...

...In the early nineteenth century, marriage, to Mexicans—with the exception of portions of the "Liberal" element—was a sacrament, performed by a priest...

...It is not surprising, then, that we have fashions in words...

...and American investors who in good faith have put over a billion dollars into the development of the oil and mineral resources of Mexico face the threat of the Mexican government to take over these properties without compensation...

...This means that the time will speedily come when the American people will demand that an end be put to these intolerable conditions, and that force be substituted for diplomacy...

...For centuries Switzerland has trained all her men, and she of all the nations of Europe has always been practically free from war...

...that we are without modern airplanes...

...Frank H. Callan...

...Out of the chrysalis, to be popularized by fashion, will emerge some other daughter of either Mr...

...more specifically, in the words used by some of our contemporary literary critics...

...He always seemed to me to stand apart from the rest of the socialist-communist-revolutionary group in one most important respect—a respect indeed absolutely fundamental...

...With the vast majority of the "radicals" the world over, love of "humanity" invariably utters itself in hatred of some human beings, love of "liberty" issues in acts of tyranny, love of "truth" expresses itself in multitudinous falsehoods, love of "justice" takes the form of glaring inequities, and an all-absorbing "pity" invariably ends in acts of the most atrocious cruelty...

...If we may judge from our own sadness on the first of the month, when a plethoric check-book sheds its leaves, thereby making inroads on a none too overnourished bank balance, we have, alack, always with us fashions in hats, cloaks, furs, groceries, and all other products of those actively engaged in the conspiracy against gentlemen...

...The pacifists, who for five years past have been working ceaselessly to undermine our whole system of national defense, as established by our Defense Act of 1920, are now making a special drive against all military training in our schools and colleges...

...It would seem that to teach military tactics without the use of arms would be very much like teaching golf without golf-sticks, or baseball without baseball bats...

...I offer the suggestion that there is no logic in the conclusion...

...THE LATE EUGENE DEBS Washington, D. C. TO the Editor:—I liked your editorial reference to the late Eugene Debs...

...It appears from recent annual reports of the Secretary of War, that from lack of funds our regular army has been cut down nearly one hundred thousand since 1921, and is greatly disheartened and crippled in all its activities...

...Our protests are ignored...

...This latter butterfly is about ready to go to winter quarters...

...Today, marriage under the law is also a civil contract performed by a civil functionary...

...There was no illegitimacy except by aberration...

...Thomas F. Woodlock...

...Fashion or their innumerable progeny everywhere...

...Rev...

...That is why the death of Debs affects us in a manner essentially different from the deaths of ------ (readers can supply the names for themselves...

...P. Chubaroff...

...However, since 1923 the appropriations for the army have been reduced each year, and by a total of over fifty millions of dollars, and the appropriations for next year are the lowest in five years...

...In the current Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, we are diverted with fashions in women...

...John A. Ryan...

...Catholics such as those to whom the author obviously refers, the Indian population, still consider marriage to be a sacrament and refuse to recognize civil marriage as more than a registration after sacramental marriage...

...Adequate national defense will cost us only $4.00 per capita per year...

...TO the Editor:—A few seasons ago, we were amused with Fashions in Men...

...There, she will be locked within the arms of "So's your old man...

...Herein lies the distinction between true and false "liberalism," true and false "reform," and fruitful and sterile "agitation" for betterment of social conditions...

...CHURCH AND STATE IN MEXICO Washington, D. C. TO the Editor:—In an otherwise excellent book recently published (Calcutt's Church and State in Mexico: 1822-1857) a statement is made concerning Mexico which is often brought forward, especially by denominational missionaries, and commonly misunderstood...

...That sentence should read: "For this reason, not for reasons of individual welfare, Fascism recognizes the right of private property...

...This training in our schools, colleges, and civilian camps has proved of incalculable value in developing the health, manhood, and patriotism of our young men, and must always create a better quality of citizenship...