Newspaper Page Text
Jan? 16, 1918.
Trench and Camp
Published weekly at the National Camps
•nd Cantonments for the eoldiers ot the
Vnlted Stites.
National Headquarters.
Room 504, Pulitzer Buildinc,
! New York City
ADVISORY BOARD OF CO-OPERATING
j PUBLISHERS
: JOHN STEWART BRYAN, Chairman.
H, 6. Adler, Chattanooga Times.
C. H. Allen, Montgomery Advertiser.
P. T. Anderson, Macon Telegraph.
F. S. Baker, Tacoma Tribune.
W. W. Ball, Columbia State.
John Stewart Bryan, Richmond News-
Loader.
Harry Chandler, Los Angeles Times
Amon C. Carter, Fort Worth Star Tele-
Cram.
Elmer R. CJarke, Little Rock Arkansas
Democrat.
Gardner Cowles, Des Moines Register,
R. A. Crothers, San Francisco Bulletin.
■ Charles S. Diehl. San Antonio Light.
W. A. Elliott, Jacksonville Times-Union.
E. K. Gaylord, Oklahoma City Oklaho
man.
F. P. Glass. Birmingham News.
Bruce Haldeman, Louisville Courier-
Journal.
Clark Howell, Atlanta Constitution.
James Kerney, Trenton Times.
Victor F. Lawson, The Chicago Daily News.
Charles E. Marsh, Waco Morning News.
: Frank P. MacLennan, Topeka State Jour
nal.
A. L. Miller. Battle Creek Enquirer-News.
D. D. Moore, New Orleans Times-Picayune.
Fleming Newbold, Washington Evening
: Star.
Gough J. Palmer, Houston Post.
i Bowdre Phinlzy, Augusta Herald.
Don C. Seitz, New York World.
Rudolph C. Slegllng, Charleston News and
I Courier.
' H. D. Slater, El Paso Herald.
W. P. Sullivan. Charlotte Observer.
Charles H. Taylor. Jr., Boston Globe.
James M. Thomson, New Orleans Item.
I Published under the auspices of the Na
i tional War Work Council of the Y. M. C. A.
i of the United States, with the co-operation
! of the papers above named.
' Distributed free to the soldiers in the
| National Camps and Cantonments.
i DISTINCTION IN RANK ONLY
IN INTEREST OF DISCIPLINE
Distinctions of rank in the U. S.
Army imply no social distinction and
are solely in the interest of military
discipline, according to Secretary
Baker. This statement was made by
him in a letter to Vice-President
Marshall in response to a Senate reso
lution asking whether there are War
Department rules and regulations to
1 prevent social intercourse between
onlcers and men.
Citing paragraph 3, Article 1 of
j the Army Regulations, Secretary
Baker said in his letter:
“In this paragraph will be seen an
endeavor to arrive at a true balance
in the proper relationship between
officers and enlisted men on the one
hand to encourage and exchange con
fidence and co-operation between the
officer and the soldier, and on the
other to avoid personal intimacies be
tween an officer and any particular
soldier or soldiers, which might have
a tendency to lead to favoritism or
the suspension of favoritism in as
signments for duties or cause discon
tent on the part of those not selected
for special intimacy by the officer in
question. Distinctions of rank in the
Army are solely in the interests ot
military discipline. They imply no
social distinction; indeed, in a coun
try like ours the advantage of edu
cation and -culture very frequently
will be found in favor of the soldier,
and yet it is necessary that the sol
dier should acquire by continuous
and unvarying practice the habit of
instant obedience to his superior.
This is as true of officers as it is of
men.
“In the emergency of battle, when,
every condition tends to distract
men’s attention and peril is on every
side, safety for a command frequent
ly lies only in its organized and co
ordinated activity, and this can pro
ceed from one inspiration alone—the
instant, unquestioning compliance by
all with the voice of authority. While
here and there instances undoubted
ly occur of thoughtless and incon
siderate conduct on the part of of
ficers and of unreasoning complaint
on the part of the men who have
failed to understand the just obliga
tions of this disciplinary relationship,
I am still persuaded that in the great
Army we now have in the field and in
training there is a growing realiza
tion that it is both possible and use
ful to be faithful to military dis
cipline and at the same time to the
democratic ideals of our country.”
TRENCH AND CAMP
HOW MANY GENERALS
HAS U. S. ARMY HAD?
■
Promotion of Major General Per
shing to the rank of General has
caused considerable discussion as to
the number of men who have held
that rank in the United States Army.
It is contended by some military writ
ters that only three men, Generals
Grant, Sherman and Sheridan, held
the rank prior to the elevation of
General Pershing, while others insist
that George Washington should be
added to the list.
Commenting on the subject the
Army and Navy Journal has the fol
lowing to say:
“The U. S. Army was organized
September 29, 1789, but it was not
until nine years later, July 3, 1798,
that Washington was appointed lieu
tenant general and commander of the
Army, which rank he held until his
death, December 14, 1799. This was
the highest rank Washington ever
held in the U. S. Army. The rank
of General and Commander-in-chief
‘of all the forces raised or to be
raised' (otherlvise the Continental
Army) was held by him from 1775 to
1783, but this w r as in the Continental
Army. Heitman puts Washington as
among the Generals in his list of
‘general officers in the Army of the
United States from June, 1775 to
1903,’ but it must be understood that
the Army of the United States in
cluded £ll troops raised in this coun
try, whereas the United States Army
was not organized until 17 89, six
years after Washington resigned his
rank of General of the Continental
Army.”
WAR TO END THIS YEAR
SAYS NOTED ASTROLOGER
It can be stated more or less re
liably that the war will end in the
summer of 1918. We have.the word
of an eminent astrologer for it. He
reads it in the stars.
While there has been considerable
discussion as to who started the war,
where it started and how, this as
trologer settles the matter by blam
ing the whole thing on the solar sys
tem. Hear him:
“Thus the beginning of the great
i war came in 1914, when together the
| sun and moon struck adversely on
I the chord of the conjunction of
Jupiter and Uranus in the proceed
ing spring, symbolic of the warring
forces.
“To those who look below surfaces
the determination of the end lies with
the United States and Japan, said to
be ruled respectively by Gemini and
by Libra, symbols of the power of
thought, the guiding intelligence and
work of the hands, and the Libran
ability to perceive both sides of a
question, throwing its weight on the
side of tbe just cause.”
After commenting on the facts that
last July there was “a major con
junction of the forces of law, order
and endurances with the forces of
ur'. ersal love and sympathy work
ing through chaotic disorder, the as
trologer says:
“Thus it< would seem that the
world war must be ended by the sum
mer of 19 18, though it would be folly
to expect Utopia until 1944.”
It’s easy when you know how.
EXPENSE ALLOWANCE FOR
OFFICERS
Announcement has been made by
the War Department that all officers
ordered abroad for the purpose of
observing the operations of the Al
lied armies will be entitled to reim
bursement for the actual and neces
sary expenses while on duty at not
to exceed $6 a day, from the date of
i arrival in a foreign country to date
of embarkation for return to the
United States.
“WAR OF 1917?”
Thus far the only official attempt
to give a title to our war against
Germany has been several references
to it as the “War of 1917.” It would
seem that “the European War”
would be a more fitting appellation
since this is the first time American
troops have ever fought on that con
tinent. Moreover, if the war con
tinues for several years longer the
mere limiting it to 1917 in its title
will be scarcely adequate to the pros
pective gigantic task the country has
of fighting a war 3,000 miles from
home, to say nothing of its added
tale of years.— Army and Navy Jour
nal.
MAIL IT TODAY
Relatives of soldiers appreciate
Trench and Camp, for it is “a vital
transcript of life in /amp.” See that
your mother and other kinfolk get a
copy each week. A one-cent stamp
' will do the trick. Don’t delay. Mail
it today.
CANTONMENT TYPES I
THE CREPE-HANGER *
TA-TUM-TA-TA! Tum-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-tum! Tum-te-tum-te, etc. Dirge
music. Half light. Sniffling and low moaning off stage. Enter —-
funeral procession? No! One, long figure, in regulation garb denot
ing the private soldier—American, any company, any regiment. The cor
ners of the mouth are drawn down, horse-shoe style. The brows are knit
heavily as in thought. This is camouflage. There never was a real thought
inside the low forehead of this specimen. Shoulders are bowed slightly.
The movement is slow and suggestive of excess gravity—in the feet.
When he begins to talk it has the same effect on the spirits as closing
all dampers and drafts has on a fire. The color of the world darkens and
darkens, finally becoming full black. He allows no joy to float free. He
hangs his weight of lead to every pleasure. He tacks up his crepe in tent
and mess-hall. One of his tribe was given a four-day leave at Christmas.
Was he merry? Did he beam with anticipation and satisfaction? Did he?
Ah, not the crepe-hanger.
“This is some rotten deal. Let a fella off a coupla days and make him
leave home Christmas night!”
The crepe-hanger tries to slip a fly into every ointment, attempts to
poison every cup, adding these little duties to his chosen calling of Crepe-
Hanger. His life is not an enviable one. He knows no such thing as com
radeship or popularity. He is shunned, but it avails naught to pass him by.
He’ll follow after, hang his crepe, and pass on, grimly satisfied..
It is a splendid indication of the spirit of the new army—that the
Crepe-Hanger has a negligible following. For he might be pernicious and
a menace, if there were not a buoyancy and humor among his co-soldiers
which make Jiim a joke.
But have you ever felt the urge of crepe-hanging rise within yourself
in sullen flood? Perhaps you have. Then isn’t the verdict on your own
crepe-hanging self, “Guilty, to be kept permanently in the guard-house?”
Somewhere in France.
It did not mean much to the
American soldier boys to be told the
house was a perfect model of the
Petit-Trianon. It was like no house
they had ever seen before but by far
the grandest.
Pink marble facades and gorgeous
wrought-iron gate way and imposing
door created an impression that the
rest of the house deepened. In the
great hallw’ay a butler in livery
ushered the men Into a cloak room
and relieved them of their hats and
coats. Coming up the marble stairs
several of the men slipped and skated
precariously on the smooth floor.
They made their way in awed silence
up the mammoth red marble stair
way, eyeing the gold walls and mag
nificent pictures.
In an upper room some one was
singing and 200 American service
men were sitting in magnificent
chairs in the music room. Ths ceil
ing attracted every one’s attention
first. It was high and vaulted on
which a sunrise picture was painted
ith delicate brush. Concealed elec
tric lights threw a soft glow upon it
from a gilded moulding. The only
visible lights in the room were a hun
dred new waxed candles, glittering
amidst tbe crystal bangles of thin
glass candelabra. On walls were
heavy, huge “bas relief sculptures”
and a life-sized bronze statue stood
in the corner.
A woman was singing at the piano
and the hostess—an American who
had married abroad—stood at the
door shaking hands with the new ar
rivals. The men applauded at the
end of the song and another was
sung. The men would have liked to
have her use the golden harp that
stood by the music rack. Most of
them had never heard a real harp
played.
Needed Rein forcemeats
After the music the men moved
down a long" marble hali at the end
of which a snowy refreshment table
WAR? WHAT’S WAR WHEN
YOU WED WIDOW WITH SIX?
Baltimore Man Sought to Evade Draft by Matrimonial Route,
but After Eight Months He Declares Himself Eager
to Fight for Uncle Sam
War may be all that a distin
guished American general described
it to be —yet there may be worse
things. There is one converted slack
er in Baltimore who has reached this
conclusion.
The man is thirty years old, and
he told the draft official of whom he
asked assistance in filling out his
questionnaire that he had attempted
to evade being called out under the
first draft by the matrimonial route.
“But," said the astonished official,
“you said here you had six children
to support.’L
“She had ’em when I married her,"
said the young man.
“There are some things that , are
much worse than war,” he went on,
darkly, “and I am now willing to go
to the front whenever Uncle Sam
calls me,"
In Marble Halls
By CHAUNCEY HULBERT
w r as piled high with choice viands.
Four stern-faced butlers stood behind
the table as the hungry, abashed mul
titude approached. When about four
feet from the cloth, the front line
halted and blushed red. Pressure
gently increased from behind and the
front rank embarrassingly tried to
back through into the second line
w r hieh held firm. An awkward pause
ensued during which four hundred
eyes looked over the plates of cakes
and creams and wondered how many
lie would dare take when his turn
came.
The hostess noticed the halt and
hastened to the rescue. “Come on,
boys—don’t be bashful! What will
you have?” said she, addressing a
particular man. The color swept over
his face and he could not say a word,
so she gave him a dish of ice frappe
and a few small cakes. The ice broke
about one second later and the four
butlers who had never faced a hun
gry American crowd before, learned
something new.
It was not a mad rush and snatch.
Absolutely not. Every man was
most polite and deliberate, but they
took the hostess at her word and
heaped their plates with the first
“delicatessen” they had tasted in
France. They then retired to chairs
to onjoj’ themselves.
After refreshments there was mors
music, then a good-bye to the hostess,
a quick scamper for the subway and
the party was over. But, like the
stone in a millpond—the waves of its
description will radiate in ever-in
creasing dimensions until the story of
the “Sw’ellest Party in Paris” reaches
the uttermost confines of American
soldiers’ camps in France.
Through the medium of the Y. M.
C. A. many of the wealthiest Amer
ican homes in Paris are open to Am
erican soldiers in the French capital
and many a soldier returns from
leave with tales of magnificent homes
and gay parties attended instead of
the gaudy demimonde on which he
had planned to squander his money.
He said he was married on May 1
and that he not only had become
ready to go to the front, but intima
ted that he had received some train
ing which would increase his value as
a fighting man. But the burden of
the statement was the following,
which he repeated several times:
"I’ve been married eight months,
and lam now ready for war. I don’t
want any exemption.”
It was Sam Weller, who quoted the
charity boy, who boasted that he had
mastered the alphabet, presumably
not without the aid of sundry cuffings
and other chastisements such as were
wont to accompany the pursuit of
knowledge.
“Yes, I knows it,” said the boy,
“from a to izzard, but vether it vos
vorth vile to go through so much to
learn so little—vy, that’s another
uvestion.”
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