Evening star., 1896-07-25


be issued. Underiths circumstances It will
be impossible for anyucompany to take an
outing Of the desfred subscription.
The Athlstiqy A.sociation.
Everything points to successful season.
beginning September next, in the gymna-
SUM at the armSry,7 conducted under the
auspices of the National Guard Athletic
Association. There ist promise Of the pur-
chase of new apparat t,ss to the value Of sew
eral hundreds of dollars, and a general dis
play OF activity and 4vigor. The services Of
iete. have been engaged as athletic instruc-
Tor, ana absolute. control Of the gymna-
sium Is to be vested in him.
work In the gymnasium Is to be carried
on systematically and In accordance with
carefully prepared schedule. instruction
IN basket ball playing will be the order for
an hour or more Monday evenings, and at
ITS conclusion the gymnasium will be
work. Glasses will receive instruction
Wednesdays and Fridays. from 7:3O to 0:3O
pm. A strong effort is to be made to make
the athletic association one of the features
OF the District National Guard.
Midsummer Election of Officers.
At the semi-annual meeting of the mem
bers of Company A, I'd Battalion, Monday
evening last, w. l.. Hazard was elected re-
cordrg secretary; G. W. McGlue. financial
secretary, and Logan Prosise, jr., treas
urer. Capt. Edwards announced the ap-
pointment of the following committees:
Executive-Capt Eugene G. Edwards.
chairman; First Lieut.. c. A. Myers, Second
Lieut.. Logan Prosise, jr., w. e. Thompson.
w. l.. Hazard, G. w. McGlue and Joseph
Godfrey.
Recruiting-W Smith. chairman;
Oscar Walters. William Cohen. Theodore
g. DeMoll and Howard Mills.
f1nance-Joseph Gulsta. chairman; Ezra
Gould and M. p. Britain.
General rt-martial-First Lieut.. c. A.
Myers chairman; Sergt Frank M. Collins
Corp. Joseph Dodge Private John Orr and
Private Sol Richold.
AT the meeting the subject of a company
encampment was discussed but no conclu-
sion reached. 1t Is hardly likely, however
that the command will go into camp prior
to the brigade outing next June.
Prepared for Duty.
Maj. Winthrop Alexander, inspector gen.
eral of the District National Guard, in the
course of an article Ten Years of Riot
Duty" makes the following statements,
which are of interest to the members of
the local brigade:
"a full equipment for troops in the field
should be kept in armores, including a re-
serve supply of ammunition for emer-
gencleS. which should not be used for any
other purpose. At least twenty rounds per
man should be kept on hand. Some ar
ticles such blankets canteens, haver-
sacks and cooking utensils. snoulo be kept
In the quartermaster store room. but
packed and labeled SO that they can be is
sued quickly
THE squad alarm list for rapid assembly
which has proved the quickest and most
satisfactory method in most cases, should
be posted in the armory, corrected to date.
and each sergeant and corporal should
have his list Of names and addresses with
him at all times. The neglect of this pre-
caution will some time oblge the COM
pany commander to go to considerable
trouble, expense and delay ito get his men
together. In every city and town there
should be prescribed militia call on bells
or whistles which would he interpreted by
every soldier as an order to report imme-
dlately at the armory prepared for service
This is done in many cities and towns 1t
should be tested occasionally as also the
alarm lst, IN order to observe its effect and
remedy defciencies.'
Rapid Assembly.
AS al illustration of rapid assembly, Maj
Alexander cites a case in Maryland in 1894
without the slightest warning, he saws.
the commanders of the 4th and 9Th Regi-
ments in Baltimore. received orders about
noon. June ), to assemble their commands
in heavy marching order with two days'
cooked rations. to- proceed to the Frost
burg mines. AT O'Clock in the after1o On
the regiments We're ready. and left at 6
CLOCK with over. 80 per cent of their
strength. to engage in the hardest kind of
work Tor between two and three weeks
The National Guard of this country to
be thoroughly reliable and efficient con-
tinues Maj. Alexander, mus. comprise
representa- tiyesa OF its best elements tho
large Intelligent and law-abidn,,' class of
citizens, upon whom the strength and safp
ty of the nation depends. This is undo lbt-
edly the case at the present time, to a high
degree, but instances have occurred within
hat
exceptions to the rule. A soldier should
remember that when he enlisted he became
a part of the organized force of his state
which stands behind its chief cxecutiye tn
enforce laws enacted by representati ;es of
the people. The officer or soldier has no
more right to question the wisdom or ms
tlce OF enforcing those laws than has a no.
liceman to refuse to arrest a man for an
offense the punishment for which the of
hcer considers too severe or perh lbs un-
necessary. If the laws are unsatisfl lctory
to National Guardsman he SHOULD leave
the service and remain out until there is
nothing en- the statute books to which he
can object.
An order from superior authority to per-
form certain duty which is in accorda ice
w..i the law of the land should be suffi
cient to D:ite out every man. however un-
popular the Gauss. Police work is not an
agreeable business for i,,::c teurs, but the
proper sense of duty should be strong
enough to overcome any personal opinions.
An observance of this principle would have
prevented a certain militia company from
refusing to guard a jail and protect a pris
oner from lynching. and also the spectacle
of several hundred troops in South Caro-
lima In March. 1894. refusing to obey tho
order of the governor in his attempt to en-
force the unpopular dispensary law
Physical Advnntaxes.
Lieut. Parker. paymaster, 1st Massachu-
setts Infantry, in paper read before a
school Of officers. said: The size and
stature should be taken into account.
Men who look wesk or are very small
of stature should be rejected We are
enlfsting too many small men, too many
beardless boys. 1t is a waste of time
and money to take such material. II
has demoraizing effect on the older
men. They find these boys coming into the
company. and they drop out and refuse to
re-enlist. The medical department should
establish a minimum standard of weight
and height, and recruits below that stand
ard should be rejected This comedies ex
actIy with the writer's experience and
opinions. While the legal age is eighteen.
the force is not maintained for the amuse-
ment of every one who wishes to ioin II
and only those men should be enlisted who
can best do the work for which it is liable -
Novel Attraction ut Sea Gfrt.
of ha