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Show The G. A. R. Parades f'ty "l-TE adjectives have long be-J5F- f come familiar "they trudged iKffl ' Painfu"y UP Riverside Drive, uV-i' ' ' ' hobbled bravely (Hyiir through the rain and mist 0ZA behind the flag that flew PS? J above Round Top at Gettys-Hj Gettys-Hj 3 burg or fluttered in the battle bat-tle smoke over the Valley of Virginia." The numbers have dwindled. But these valiant G. A. R, veterans of the war between the states hold tightly to their ancient glories and their comradeships, com-radeships, wearing their forage caps of the '60s. It Is the same In France and Germany and England, In Italy and Turkey and other countries. Wars breed their heroes, and the heroes become old men with their stories which few care to hear. They smoke their pipes and in the smoke dream their ancient dreams, seeking the solace of a thing that's fled. This Is a characteristic of war. It creates a camaraderie that men like to preserve as an emotional crutch. But there has grown up a difference In the outlook of crops of soldiers. Perhaps virtually every living soldier of the Civil war identifies himself proudly with that war. But the millions mil-lions who engaged in the last great encounter include a large percentage who forty or fifty years from now will not care to don their ancient military regalia. They will not march in the rain bravely. They may be sitting In old folks' homes or in armchairs discussing the folly of the great encounter. But, better bet-ter still. It Is to be hoped that war will have become so rare in the next half century that the boys who wore the khaki In France and in our own cantonments will need other glories to sustain their reveries in their last days. New York World-Telegram. |