THE BRAZIL NUTS

The history of man is pock marked with revolutions. Wars are often the result of faulty diplomacy, but revolutions rise from a violation of principles. A handful of men set themselves as the defenders of the status quo; another handful, the men of convictions, oppose them; and there are always the followers of both camps, the people who make revolution a more inspiring, more honest thing than war. And there are always, too, soldiers of fortune who seek only excitement, who, regardless of issues, fight for either side, and who shift their loyalty with easy convenience. Human strife carries with it many sordid trappings, but none so despicable as the blatant soldier of fortune.

Today there is a civil war in Brazil. It arose from a difference between Brazilian leaders, it is financed by Brazilian money, and its effects are largely confined to that land inside Brazilian boundaries; yet the national consul at New York was deluged by American volunteers. They have tendered their services, and are prepared to give their lives--to Brazil. There is nothing admirable about these men; they deserve the contempt leveled upon an assassin who kills because he likes the red color of blood.