The Contributors' Column--September Atlantic

Vernon Kellogg, a distinguished American biologist, played an important part in the vital work of the American Relief Commission in Belgium and Northern France before we entered the war. He has since been actively engaged in the service of the United States Food Administration, still in close association with Herbert Hoover, his cordial and discriminating appreciation of whom, ‘as Individual and Type,’in a recent issue of the Atlantic, our readers will recall. To all our newer readers we heartily recommend his Headquarters Nights, which we think the best interpretation yet published of the German military spirit. Arthur Henderson, the outstanding figure in the present Labor movement in Great Britain, and one of its authorized spokesmen, was himself the subject of an interesting paper by Mr. Gardiner of the Daily News, printed in our August number. Professor Le Baron Russell Briggs, now and for many years past Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences at Harvard, is also President of Radcliffe College. The wise and beloved counselor of a generation of Harvard students, he is universally recognized as the truest and most judicious friend of Intercollegiate Athletics as they should be. Miss V. H. Friedlander is an English writer of stories of distinction. ‘The Discoverer’ and ‘Three’s Company’ appeared in the Atlantic in 1916.

William Beebe is Curator of Ornithology at the New York Zoological Park. ‘The Convict Trail’ will form part of a volume called Jungle Peace, to be published by Henry Holt and Co. in the early autumn. Olive Cecilia Jacks is the wife of Principal L. P. Jacks of Manchester College, Oxford, and a daughter of the late Reverend Stopford Brooke. Professor Thomas Burr Osborne is now connected with the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station. He is, to quote a famous living chemist, ‘one of the first authorities in the world on the subject of proteins and their different effects upon the animal organism.’ Setsuko Koizumi is the Japanese widow of that strange American genius who sought, in the Far East, refuge from the restrictions, and, as he thought, the brutality of Western civilization

A. Edward Newton, of Philadelphia, at various times in the past two or three years, has allowed our readers to share vicariously in the pure joys of the enthusiastic and well-informed collector of rare and interesting books. We are glad to announce the early publication of a volume containing these and other, hitherto unpublished, essays. We have heretofore recorded the regretted death of the Reverend Arthur Russell Taylor, of York, Pennsylvania. the creator of Mr. Squem. Maurice Francis Egan has recently resigned, because of ill health, the difficult post of United States Minister to the neutral government of Denmark, which he had filled to America’s complete satisfaction ever since his appointment by President Roosevelt in 1907. Amory Hare is a poet of Philadelphia, who has contributed several poems to the Atlantic. The author of ‘Thoughts of a Teacher of German’ desires, not unnaturally. to remain anonymous.

William Ernest Hocking, Professor of Philosophy at Harvard, has recently returned from a singularly instructive and valuable European trip. Lewis R. Freeman has had quite exceptional opportunities for gathering material relating to the work of the British Navy, as a correspondent with the Grand Flect. ‘As a Signalman Saw It’ makes au interesting complement to his fascinating paper of two years ago. ‘Mücke of the Emden.’ Lieutenant Paton MacGilvary is a graduate of the electrical engineering course at the University of Wisconsin. After a course of ground-school training in this country, he was sent as one of the honor men for training abroad. He was shortly transferred to Italy, and received his flying-training at the Royal Italian School of Military Aviation near Foggia. He received a license as pilot a. militare and a commission in the Aviation Section of the U. S. Signal Officers’ Reserve Corps, being commissioned later as a first lieutenant in the Regular Army. Since these letters were written, his ambition for more active service has been gratified. For obvious reasons it is impossible to disclose the identity of the author of ‘Off the Dogger Bank,’ a distinguished officer of the British Navy, now on active service. Charles Bernard Nordhoff, the young Californian aviator, continues to send us thrilling and vivid descriptions of his experiences on the front. He has recently been transferred to the American service. Joseph Husband is now the holder of a commission as ensign in the Navy, ‘rating a salute from the enlisted men, and still feeling rather ill at ease in my high collar and creased trousers.’

The recent Atlantic tribute to Illustrious Illiterates still stirs chords of affection. A California friend writes: —

We adored the great Illiterates, for Wang, our celestial jewel, and Bailey, the outside man, give us keenest joy. They were lamenting over the anaemic appearance of our vegetables and laid it to the earth. ‘There ain’t no nature in it,’said the Briton. ‘Need more maunla,' appended Wang. [How that word does fertilize the language!] And Wang admonished me last winter: ‘ I nebber see no lady lun aloun5 in lubber boots like you!’

Charles Louis Townsend, Ph.D., Department of Modern Languages, Southwestern Presbyterian University, Clarksville, Tennessee, writes on July 26: —

It may interest you, ami possibly may interest M. Cheradame also, to know that, under the inspiration of Pan-Germany, the Disease and Cure, and of his other articles on the war, I was stimulated this summer to offer a course of fifteen lectures on the History of the War, a course given for the benefit of the local Army and Naval Comforts League.

This suggests a new element for an influence already very great.

This postscript seems to stir memories. A Japanese, a resident of this countrv who has, in times past, contributed to the Atlantic, sends it to its from Bar Harbor: —

A Mr. Hart while here took a $10.00 bill from me. and never returned it yet. I always trusted English people, but this Captain gave me an exceptional idea. Too bad he had to do such low things.

\es; it is too bad. [See the Contributors’ Column for June and Julv.j

The illuminating paper, ‘German Corruption ot the Foreign Press,’contributed to the June Atlantic by ‘Lysis,’ one of M. Georges Clemenceau’s collaborators on L’homme Libre, has aroused great interest in the advertising profession. A New York advertising agency which was the American representative of the Société Europeeime de Publieite, and which is now represented in Europe by Mr. Jean H. Fulgeras, prominently mentioned in that article, writes us in his defense that the circular letter sent to this country by the Societe announcing the visit of Mr. Fulgeras, and giving a list of some of the well-known American clients we are serving,’was actually written by the Vice-President of the said New York agency, and was sent by him to Mr. Fulgeras, ’to be used as promotion matter in advance of his going to the United States.’ As it does not appear that the real authorship of this letter was ever previously divulged, ‘Lysis’ cannot be blamed for attributing it to the source from winch it purported to come. As we have no desire or purpose to do Mr. Fulgeras an injustice, we make public here our New York correspondent’s further statements that Mr. Fulgeras was in the employ of Mr. John F. Jones when his business was taken over by the Societe Européenne, that he severed his connection with the latter as soon as it was declared under sequestration, and that ‘he served France and Belgium for the first year of the war . . . and so aggressively that he was given the Croix de Guerre by France and the Order of Leopold the Second by Belgium.’

To avoid the possibility of any false or unjust impression being created by the publication of the list of ‘some of the wellknown American clients we are serving’ in the circular sent from New York to Mr. Fulgeras as set forth above, we are very glad to give our modest publicity to the following communications from two of the concerns included in that list: —

NEW YORK, July 11, 1918.
THE ATLANTIC MONTHLY,
Boston, Mass.

DEAH SIRS: -

An article appeared in your June issue, entitled ’A Study in Advertising.’ Within that article, there was reprinted a letter which had been sent out by an advertising agency which The livelier contemporaries of the Atlantic prune themselves on their successful advice to readers in matters of peculiar delicacy. But as the wary counselor in affairs of the heart, the Atlantic prefers to recommend itself. To the hesitating, we quote a letter just received from a satisfied client: —

You may draw some flattering deduction from the fact that last winter I had the Atlantic Monthly sent for a year to a beautiful young woman — and nest month she is going to marry me.

The contrasted letters from the wives of soldiers which we have been printing in this column have brought a voluminous correspondence in their train. One or two of these comments our readers ought to see. A minister writes from a town in Michigan : —

The letters from wives of soldiers appearing in the June and August numbers interested me greatly, furnishing, as you point out, such striking contrasts. I was reminded of a recent incident I witnessed at a railway depot in Michigan.

The boys from there collected at the county seat. On the way to join the special train for Camp Custer they pass through our little town and have to make a stay of about an hour. We established a custom at the beginning of the war of entertaining the boys and giving them some little tokens of our good-will before the train leaves, the High School, business men. Red Cross, Home Guard and ministers cooperating. . . .

The other day, when a large party were in the depot, I noticed a couple of young people well known to me, who had drawn aside from the crowd for a few minutes of tense and tender leave-taking. They have not been married long. They are poor enough, but were very happy and content with each other. She, a thin slip of a girl, hardly out of her teens; pretty and graceful us a gazelle, quiet and restrained; would adorn any drawing-room if she had fallen upon such a station in life.

When the train started, he gave her one quick embrace and leaped on the rear outlook. Hanging over the rail, he waved and waved. She, all unconsciously, stood in the middle of the track, waving and smiling, smiling and waving, until the end of the car was lost round the curve and he could see her no longer. Then, without a sound, she turned aside, and the pent-up feelings burst forth in a deluge of tears.

The sublimity of her conduct stirred me to deepest admiration and reverence. When she had gathered herself a little, I could not resist going to her —she knows me well — and taking her by the hand. I expressed my own feelings a little by the unconventional remark, ‘You brave kid! God bless you!’ She gave me a grateful glance and went on to join her women friends.

The following letter, from a lady in Oak Park, Illinois, speaks for itself:—

Two letters from wives of soldiers, in your June and August numbers, have touched me greatly. I am a mother of a young soldier, and there must necessarily be some difference in the quality of emotion wives and mothers are experiencing. It Is, however, neither necessary nor possible to analyze the difference. This war is the greatest tragedy and the greatest honor that has touched this generation, men and women.

Admiring the spirit of the wife in the August letter, I find, nevertheless, much harm in it, perhaps more than in the frankly heartbroken tones of the June letter. Our morale must be kept up but it. must be kept up, with a courage ready to accept any loss. . . .

Faith in God should not mean his miraculous intervention in this war, but a faith that out of all this agony of soul and body; out of this supreme sacrifice rendered by the youth of this age, will come a world beautiful to live in — this generation’s fight to the next.

Also, experience teaches us that the psychology of the human mind is mysterious. Many a man, hesitant at the gate of sacrifice, plays a cool part when the battle is reached; while many a brave heart, only exultant before reaching the field, has found experience beyond the powers of endurance. Perhaps we wives and mothers will help morale more by a deep sympathy for all phases of emotion. Certainly we who find our spirit firm but our flesh weak find comfort in the companionship of the young wife who is not afraid to weep and give; a pride in the young soldier who dares acknowledge to his wife his sacrifice, but who goes to France with head up. We also find comfort in the wife who is strong enough to keep back that ‘queer mist’ which later ‘veiled the world,’ until her soldier was gone. Let us win the war with deep sympathy in our hearts for all personalities, for it is all personalities which form and make wonderful that army ‘Over There.’

We have had many letters from hasty inquirers, asking why we printed a foot-note to Dr. Jacks’s article in the August Atlantic, stating that he is an Englishman. These correspondents seem to think that we do not concur in Dr. Jack’s sentiments. Of course we do; but we printed the note because, late in the article, the author refers to himself as an ' Americanized Englishman,’ and it seemed to us interesting to have this information at the outset. We had no ulterior motive. In fact, as we should like readers to remember, we are not apt to have such motives.

proved to he under German influence, soliciting business houses to become clients of that agency. A list was given of those business houses for which this enemy advertising agency claimed to be acting. In that list appeared the name of Colgate & Co. as a Client.'

The agency’s statement was untrue. In fact we received, us a solicitation to become a client, the very letter in which our name was already listed as one of the agency’s clients. Our own prompt protest, and the investigation which resulted, proved of aid in discovering and exposing the enemy-character of the German-controlled advertising agency. We are not — nor have we ever been — a client of that agency. Our advertising in France for a number of years previous to 1914, and ever since, has been contracted for solely by T. B. Browne, Ltd., an English advertising.’ agency having offices in London, Paris and New York.

A correction of the impression given in the reprinting of the agency’s soliciting letter as a part of the article in the June Atlantic Monthly. is to be desired, not only because Colgate & Company’s name was wrongly used by that agency, but because, from the standpoint of public welfare, publicity should be given to such attempts on the part of a German-controlled agency ‘to fasten its tentacles on American advertising.’ Yours very truly,
COLGATE & Co.
NEW YORK CITY, July 5th, 1918.
THE ATLANTIC MONTHLY CO.,
Boston, Mass.
GENTLEMEN: -
With reference to series of articles running in your publication under caption, ‘German Corruption of the Foreign Press,’and the mention of our firm among others, who had placed advertising through an agency abroad, which was, mbsequent thereto, decided by the French Government to be unworthy of support. We feel it might serve to dear any possible misunderstanding if we show the exact facts indicating the prompt action of The Societe Française B. F. Goodrich, along lines of distinct loyalty and proper procedure.
The advertising agency was the French one, ‘Ste Europeenne de Publicity.’ The French Goodrich Company, named above, placed a small contract with it early in 1917 for space in ONE publication named L’Illustration, expiring in December, 1917. In the same month of December, 1917, not before, rumor began to circulate in Paris that the ‘Ste. Europeenne de Publicité’ was a branch of the Berlin Advertising Agency, Haasenstein & Vogler, and the case was brought before the French jurisdiction on January 14th, 1918, and the ’Ste Europeenne de Puhlieit.e was placed ‘Under sequestration’ as partially connected with the Berlin Agency. Later on, the ‘Ste Europeenne de Publieité’ lodged a demand ‘to remove sequestration,’but the judgment was sustained and maintained.
The December rumors were quite sufficient for our French Management, and it declined to renew eontracl and ceased to do business with the Advertising Agency. We appreciate that if is clearly intended and stated in your article, that no suspicion of taint attaches to firms mentioned, rather they were innocent victims of an undisclosed connection, showing the workings of a system. Their mere use of Goodrich, so unqualifiedly loyal, in any article devoted to such a subject, calls for above statement, which may not only prove interesting as a foreign incident, but illustrative of the strict care taken to remove business From any course likely to aid the enemy so soon as even rumor indicates a danger.
Very truly yours,
THE B. F. GOODRICH COMPANY.

A soldier’s wife sends us the following letter, written by a, French woman at whose house the soldier himself was billeted lor several weeks. It exemplifies so charmingly the spirit which brings the French very close to us in these days of doubt and hope, that we print it, apologizing for the injury which the translation does it.

Permit me. chore madame, to give you more real and detailed news of your husband than he himself can give you, subject as he is to the strict rules oi the implacable military censor, who passes nothing. Do not worry, for at present he is still far from the battle-front: his days pass quietly in a peaceful little village of central France. M — is a modest little place on the banks of the Cher, a charming little river flowing through a laughing and fertile valley. Life is not very gay. I fear, for your husband; this district is lacking in such things as theatres, movies, ole. But we try. my two children and I, to make your husband’s stay here with us as agreeable as possible, by softening in a measure, wherever we can, the sadness of the separation from all his dear ones. Here if is the family that recalls to him a little (dare I hope it?) the beloved fireside that he has left behind.

You are often the subject of our conversations in French, for I am ignorant of your language, and I must boast that your captain has made real progress in pronunciation and now speaks like a true Frenchman.

I also have the sadness of being separated from my husband for the last four years; he has been at the front, but have I the right to complain? I have a visit from him every four months during bis ten days leave. I enclose in this letter a little flower of France, picked for you by my little Françoise, who already loves you much without know ing you,

II I know when your husband leaves for the front, I will let you know at once. My letter will reach you more quickly than his, not having to go with the army mail.

Accept, Chère madame, the assurances of the real and visit sympathy of a French family.

Affectionately,