Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1891-11-21
he thinks it is several per cent ahead Of the
company mess in every respect.


II IL was not for the cauteen, though neither
the post nor the company mess wouid come up
to the present standard. The canteeu arrange
ment-the profits on liquor sales going to the
mess fund-induces men 70 drink. The more
they drink the more there will be for them to
eat so the man who persistently guzzlss at
every opportunity at once increases his uurelia-
bilitv as a soldier and his rations. If everybody
would only drink real hard and keep it up the
post mess would be equal to the best hotel table
IN town. Canteen profits amount to more than
300 per month. and this sunl-is disbursed for
extra rations-things which the government
might but does not provide. The bills of fare
are very good. The meals for two days, selected
at haphazard from the sergeant-stewaru's
record, we're as follows:
Breakfast-Beef hash coffee. with milk:
bread. strip.
Dinner-vegetable soup, roast beef, gravy,
potatoes, turnips, bread.
Supper-Fried sausage, fried potatoes, corn
bread, coffee, with milk.
Breakfast-0atmeal, milk, Irish stew, coffee
bread. strip.
Dinner-Oyster stew, crackers, roast beef
gravy. sweet potatoes, canned tomatoes, bread,
ketchup.
supper-Ham, potato salad, bread, butter,
coffee.
The cooking of rations has always been q
good deal of trouble to commanding officers.
Good cooks are hard to get and dificult to re-
TAM Col Henry is trying to educate few.
The head cooks at the post mess are kept on
indefinitely, but the three assistants are
changed every thirty days, so that in a little
while each troop must have in its ranks a large
proportion OF satisfactorily expert cooks The
men who do what is technically termed police
duty In the kitchen are relieved every seven
days
very successful institution of considerable
importance is the post bakery. Here are
evolved lOaves OF wheat and corn bread rolls
and buns, all as good as the -four used will per-
init, every bit of it sound and wholesome.
One of the things not generally known is
that Fort Myer is the most advanced cavalry
postln the country. Lots of people have an
impression that it is only a show affair, where
everybody, at stated periods, exerts himself to
appear beautiful and puts i'll the rest of his
time in preparing for the fulI-dress occasions.
Lots of people are loaded with erroneous ideas.
stationed at a cavalry post (never mind
wnere), who said of the troops that ''they
drilled as though they were sick"
No one could truthfully utter that criticism in
connection with the Fort Myer of these days.
Cavalry methods have undergone revolution
airy changes within the past ten years, and the
garrison just across the Potomac is moving
along very near the head of the column. That
means that everybody is doing good deal Of
work Studies are being attended to. The
officers lyceum meets once a week to discuss
subjects of practical value. There are recita-
tons on outposts, advance and rear guards,
Reconnaissance. the crossing OF rivers. the
selection OF camping ground, topography and
map making. Each officer has to contribute
one essay of not less than 5000 words in each
year and this essay is thoroughly discussed by
the lyceurl. The newest ideas in cavalry work
are debated and tested.
Non-commissioned officers Glso paw consider
able attention TO theories. They undergo q
monthly examination on military subjects and
the most successful competitor in each troop
fya Nors I,,a