Friday, May 19, 2017
Today -100: May 19, 1917: The business now at hand is undramatic, practical, and of scientific directness and precision
Pres. Wilson sets June 5th as Registration Day, when 10 million men aged 21 to 30 are required to register for the draft. They will be chosen and sent (in a few months) to train in 32, um, concentration camps. Man, Hitler just ruined that phrase for everyone, didn’t he?
Fun fact: the term concentration camp was coined by the British during the Boer War for the places they stuck Boer women and children, some of whom starved to death.
But Roosevelt won’t be going, the White House says. Wilson dismisses the argument that TR would rally morale, saying “The business now at hand is undramatic, practical, and of scientific directness [or definiteness; the story uses both in different places] and precision.” Dude should totally write motivational posters.
Sinn Fein says it will boycott the proposed Irish convention and ignore any constitution it comes up with.
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Pershing's record in 1918 was less than stellar, the American experience in 1918 France was much studied between the wars to keep from fielding another poorly trained & led Army again.
ReplyDeleteThat said, it is sobering to think of the carnage if the military neophyte TR had been allowed to lead another unit of Rough Riders across No Man's Land against the German Army.
I like your blog very much, very informative.