REVIEW OF BOOKS ON SUBJECTS OF PROFESSIONAL INTEREST
"Field Artillery Officer's Notes." By Caldwell and Danford. $1.50 net. (New York: E. P. Button and Company.)
This notebook contains a considerable amount of important information relating to the administration, organization, transport, training and employment of field artillery.
The text is arranged to facilitate ready and convenient reference, and tables and formulae have been included to facilitate the computation of firing data.
The methods employed to lay the guns by means of the map and compass are considered in much greater detail than is given to the subject in the Provisional Field Artillery Regulations, 1916, and it appears that the text follows to a considerable extent the methods employed by artillery in Europe in the present war.
With reference to the tables it is noted that in some cases the print is too fine, and in others, notably the table on page 67, the figures are too indistinct for convenience. Effort has apparently been made to crowd the tables, to accommodate one to the page, which is unfortunate; the type should be bold and distinct and easily readable even in a poor light. For this reason the tables should be given as much room as they require.
The form and size of the Note Book is also inconvenient to carry in the blouse pocket, and should be modified to make it handy for this purpose.
This book does not replace the Field Artillery Regulations; in fact there is no claim that it does. A thorough knowledge of the artillery regulations is necessary in any event, and the note book will be most useful to those officers who are familiar with the regulations. Young officers, particularly those who are inexperienced, are too prone to take for granted that a condensed book, such as the Field Note Book, contains all needful information on the subject. W. P. U.
"Manual for the Use of Troops in Aid of the Civil Authority." By Babcock. Price $1.00 net. (New York: George H. Doran Company.)
This manual has been prepared specifically for use by the National Guard of New York State. Apparently all laws and statutes relating to the subject have been included, and several extracts from the Army Regulations also appear.
A considerable part of the manual relates to the provisions of the Penal Law and Code of Criminal Procedure, the laws of New York relating to the employment of the National Guard in aid of the Civil Authorities, and compensation and pensions; and consequently these provisions are for the most part without authority as far as their employment by Federal troops, or the National Guards of other states is concerned.
Probably little relating to the tactical employment of troops on riot duty, not already known to well-informed officers, is contained in the manual.
The psychology of mobs, or mob spirit, which is a matter of considerable importance and should receive some consideration in any work relating to riot duty, has not been covered.
The book, like a number of others on the subject, prescribes that the bayonet should be used as a weapon in handling mobs, particularly during the early stages of a revolt. As a matter of fact it is a bad policy for infantry to come to close quarters with a mob. Unless in force they immediately lose the advantage that their discipline, arms and training give them, and could in many cases be overcome and disarmed by the mob. Cavalry is the arm for close contact with mobs, when it is necessary to come to grips with them.
The danger from the employment of explosives by rioters has been well emphasized in the text, but with regard to automobiles it would not appear that they are of special menace. Rioters as a rule do not own or control automobiles, and are seldom well organized enough to seize them in quantities. Motor cars, however, would be of considerable advantage to the troops and greatly extend their field of usefulness.
In general, while this book may appear to contain a number of unnecessary details and other irrelevant matter, a careful reading of the text will give a broadened grasp of the subject that is of value, particularly in the relations of the military with the civil authorities. W. P. U.
"Secrets of the Submarine." By Marley Frothingham Hay. Price $1.25 net. (New York: Dodd, Mead and Company.)
The author's purpose to write a book "for the benefit of the general public and in language which all could understand," has been very well carried out. He has described submarines, their operation, safety devices, etc., in non-technical terms entirely, and they can be easily understood even by a person whose only idea of a submarine is that it is a cigar-shaped object that goes under water and blows up ships. While written primarily for the layman, it will be of great interest to the naval service, especially the chapter "Sphere of the Submarine," which deals with the effect of the submarine on naval policies. The chapter "Submarine Antidotes" is also very interesting and will enlighten those who do not understand why naval operations against submarines, both at their bases and on the high seas, are not entirely successful. R. C. N.
"Health for the Soldier and Sailor." By Fisher and Fisk. (New York: Funk and Wagnalls Company.)
Thinking men of the country, realizing how human life was wasted by being unnecessarily cut short in peace times by ignorance and vicious modes of living, got together and evolved the Life Extension Institute, the principles of which, evolved and put into effect by medical and scientific men for peace times, are now found to be far more important in war times. Never before in the history of the world has the maintenance of health been of so much importance, for now it means the conservation of energy expressed in man-power to be expended for the preservation of liberty and civilization, as the Allies understand it and are banded together to maintain it. In this book, "Health for Soldiers and Sailors," the authors, Fisher and Fisk, who are both representatives of the Life Extension Institute, have given a short and concise study of hygiene and its application to war conditions. In this they have been aided by members of the Hygiene Reference Board, which is composed of men at the top of their professions—it is the last word on the subject of health for our fighting men. The book is a veritable multum in parvo. From its size one would think that the subjects are only touched upon, but after reading it one is impressed with the amount of knowledge he has gained, and if he has the wisdom to make use of it, the days of the soldier and sailor will be happier and longer and far more useful to his country. Each subject treated should be emphasized, whether the habits of the man, the air he breathes, the food he eats, the water he drinks, or the poisons he should avoid. Special emphasis should be laid on the avoidance of the venereal peril. The damage from this peril is so real and so far-reaching, and has always been such a menace to the health of soldiers and sailors that they ought to know about it and fight it with all that is good and strong and self-respecting in them. Too much cannot be said to enlighten them on the subject of venereal diseases, for the subject is of vast importance in its bearings, whether social, economic or the conservation of man-power at this critical time. The book is an epitome, but is still further boiled down into fifteen Rules of Hygiene—it is worth knowing these for use in our daily lives. A. M. D. McC.