THE AMERICAN LEE MA G A Z I IV EL FEBRUARY WW 1942 NOW- WE ARE GOING TO FIGHT/ Double your Enjoyment during the New Year with the *6o»a?uear" TEN HIGH ach, We've waited an extra year to give you the "bonus year" Ten High. And, mister, when you taste the detectable good- ness added by that extra year, you'll say, "There's a birthday worth celebrating!" That includes you millions of Ten High drinkers who didn't think this whiskey could taste better. You'll find all the old-time satisfaction in the "bonus year" Ten High—plus a bonus of flavor ^^21 that Doubles Your Enjoyment! Straight ggflF Bourbon Whiskey. 86 proof. Copr. 1942, IBjglf Hiram Walker & Sons Inc., Peoria, 111. This whiskey is 4 years olid missed again KEEP HIM RATTLED, BOYS l00k.9 like each AND HE'LL BE SETTLING throws , birth day UP WITH A ROUND OF Old deadeye BONUS yeafC TEN HIGH! a little more um-m-m-m-how an off his aim extra birthday has ate FathertIbraham A-**v M^jj^^L. '! ''Wlw r£u*»w *uC5i£U^ Aiuj cLy&^Ct iLr^y KAJJ> he *4t <r>vv' va^<y^ l<^vuu~&' ^%****~^ Lpvtr+rfc sh~t a,^M*v<^- j(>*lA/t- jfff^Uy U*Uj oj£~tv~t«y d*-r>J^. BOYD B. (~-j Cjrt&s^c, lift, c*r*^*~-^ ^t^Suw J@4teu*~. llvu^, Lm^oU^ fh+**r*^ >Hfu// STUTLER uJM c*r*JLf , / feiU^^'j -£cu^ of the war songs that have FEWstruck popular favor have been written about war, and very few songs of hate have survived the incident that gave them birth. war or the hi, a*.t. c^nr^p 9aJfa*, ^4l^aLe^ Ifc^, Jt*~,»Sj <W/ None of these last deserved to live. The songs that have lived are those of in- spiration, patriotism, or fiery devotion to an ideal or to an individual character. It is in these homely vehicles for the ex- pression of a national emotion that mil- lions have found courage, hope, faith and Original script of a song marched into meter by a Quaker patriot in one inspiration in our times of greatest trials. of the nation's darkest hours. Upper left, James Sloan Gibbons, the author"" There's little or none of the martial spirit in "Yankee Doodle," "Dixie," swing that will, as Grant White once gave the setting for America's golden age "There'll be a Hot Time in the Old Town said, seize upon the popular imagination of war songs: songs that live and are as Tonight," "The Long, Long Trail," or and stick to the ear as burrs stick to the much a part of our heritage as any act of that prime favorite of the men who skirt of a blackberry girl. They know, the Founding Fathers. There's "Dixie," fought the war of 1917-1918, "Hinkey, too, that the new song that will take the "Battle Hymn of the Republic," "Mary- Dinkey, Parley-voo." Yet there is none nation and will live in the hearts of the land, My Maryland," "When Johnny who will deny a place right up close to people need not in any way depend upon Comes Marching Home," and a dozen the top for each in its time and genera- the literary quality of its lyric for a place others that are played and sung by Amer- tion. They still live. in popular favor. It may be that the icans young and old whenever groups get A new war and a new crop of war stately lines of Julia Ward Howe's "Bat- together. And that is not to mention songs are with us. Tunesmiths and lyric tle Hymn of the Republic" would have such highly personal songs as "Three writers are already at work turning out scant chance in a 1942 jazz-minded Tin Hundred Thousand More," addressed to a constant stream of compositions, hop- Pan Alley. Such a stately lyric would President Abraham Lincoln, which quick- ing that lightning will strike. Tin Pan probably be needled and streamlined and ly took a new title of an even more per- Alley knows that, when all is said and emerge as something with the tinny rat- sonal import: "We Are Coming, Father done, it is the men in service who will tle of George Cohan's "Over There." Abraham." True it is that the song sang determine the songs the nation will sing, The American Civil War of the Sixties itself out with the thinning ranks of the for all of the juke-box and radio plug- soldiers of the Sixties and the generation ging; and they know, too, that the tune * Reproduction of the original manuscript through cour- tesy of Walter R. Benjamin. New York City. Portrait of that had known Father Abraham as a be- James Sloan Gibbons from York Historical Society, must have a simple lilt and rhythmic New New York City. (Continued on page 36) FEBRUARY, 1942 THE AMERICAN MAGAZINE February, 1942 Vol. 32, No. 2 Postmaster: Please send notices on form 3578 and copies returned under labels form 3579 to 777 N. Meridian St., Indianapolis, Ind. Published monthly by The American Legion, 455 West 22d St., Chicago, 111. Acceptance for mailing at special rate of postage provided for in Section 1103, Act of Oct. 3, 1917, authorized Jan. 5, 1925. Price, single copy, 15 cents, yearly subscription, $1.25 EXECUTIVE AND ADMINISTRATIVE OF] EDITORIAL AND ADVERTISING OFFICES Indianapolis, Indiana 75 West 48th St., New York City COVER DESIGN The BY J. W. SCHLAIKJFR Center WE ARE COMING, FATHER Message ABRAHAM 1 By Boyd B. Stutler January issue of this magazine ABSOLUTE CENTER, U.S.A. 3 THE By Karl Detzer was on the press when the infamous Decorative Map by Henry J. O'Brien Japanese attack on Hawaii forced war I HELP? 4 upon us. In the circumstances, with the HOW CAN By A. D. Rathbone, IV issue reaching members of the great 6 Legion family three weeks or more after BESIDE THE ANGELS OF MERCY By Howard Stephenson the beginning of hostilities it became Illustration by Gregor Duncan necessary for us to make changes in the TWO WRONGS 8 magazine, and rather quickly. The art By Arthur Leo Zagat editor cut in on the drawing of the Illustrations by J. W. Schlaikjer grim-looking youngster labeled 1942 THE ARMY HITS ITS STRIDE 10 which made up the front cover, and in- By T. H. Thomas serted a notice concerning the clarion BATTLESHIP BOSS 12 call to service issued to all Legionnaires By Paul Schubert by National Commander Stambaugh. On HE WAS A FARMER 14 the first page of the magazine proper By Harry Botsford Frank Street was a discussion of the war powers of Illustrated by the President of the United States in IN MR. LINCOLN'S SERVICE 16 Hyatt peacetime which Professor John W. By Jack Illustrated by Harry Fisk Curran of the Law School of De Paul University in Chicago had contributed. "WHEN GOOD FELLOWS GET TOGETHER" 18 The illustrations used with that article By Thomas A. Larremore proved remarkably pat for the editorial Illustrations by George Shanks RACE OF THE CENTURY 20 Important By Ted Meredith FEBRUARY-BY THE NUMBERS 22 A form for your convenience if yon wish to By Wallgren have the magazine sent to another address EDITORIAL: to our fighting men 23 11 ill he found on page 45. OHIO: IN THERE PITCHING 24 By Frederick C. Painton The U. S. at War, which was substituted 26 on page one and continued to the back OUT OF THE FOLDER of the magazine (the publishing term is PACIFIC OUTPOST 30 By John Noll the back of the book), where Professor J. (Continued on page 48) BURSTS & DUDS 56 of Legion and is owned THE AMERICAN LEGION MAGAZINE is the official publication The American exclusively by The American Legion, Copyright 1942 by The American Legion. Entered as second class Stam- matter Sept.*26, 1931, at the Post Office at Chicago, 111., under the act of March 3, 1879. Lynn U. baugh, Indianapolis, Ind., National Commander, Chairmaniof the Legion Publications Commission; Vilas H Whaley, Racine, Wis., /Vice Chairman. Members of Commission: Phil Conley, Charleston, W. Va.; Britain, Conn.; Theo- Raymond Fields, Guthrie, Okla.; Jerry Owen, Salem, Ore.; Harry C. Jackson, New dore Cogswell, Washington, D. C; Robert W. Colflesh, Des Moines, la.; Dr. William F. Murphy, Pales- Milford, Tex.; Lawrence Hager, Owensboro, Ky.; Frank C. -Love^Syracuse, N. Y.; Elmer Nelson^ tine, Glenn H. Campbell, Mass.; William B. Fischelis, Philadelphia, Pa.; Claude S. Ramsey, Raleigh, N. C; Cleveland, O.; Earl L. Meyer, Alliance, Neb. _ ,. - Uirector ot Director of PublicationsAJames F. Barton, Indianapolis, Ind.; Editor, Alexander Gardiner; Stevenson; Advertising, Thomas O. Woolf; Managing Editor, Boyd B. Stutler;,Art Director, Edward M. Associate Editor, John J. Noll. ^ - • / in fiction and semi-fiction articles that deal with types are fictitious. Use ot National Distillers Products Names of characters our the name of any person living or dead is pure coincidence. New York Magazine 2 The AMERICAN LEGION When Answering Advertisements Please Mention the American Legion Magazine Our center of population, from 1790 to 1940. Left, Prof. Cogshall at the present center on a Hoosier farm NOVEMBER 18, 1941, an ONelderly astronomy professor from Indiana University put on his rubbers and tramped into a little grove of hard maple, hickory and walnut trees on a southern Indiana farm, to "shoot the sun" with an old- shrewdness and self-sufficiency, and he fashioned mariner's sextant. He moved "don't know much about the neighbors east fifty yards, west half that distance, & and don't bother them any." backed up a little to the north.