The Oskaloosa herald. (Oskaloosa, Mahaska County, Iowa) 1885-1919, 1902-08-14


~ Tor few days. The camps are as
long as many of our citizen soldiers
can afford to be from their homes and
their places OF business, but the time
allowed to the military school is far
too short.
Il believe that the state guard is be-
coming better year by year and the
officers who are in command are doing
all in their power to bring this about
The trouble lies mostly with the com
panies. They will go to their homes
today and camp life is laid aside.
Weeks and months will pass before
some of the company members will
take up a gun for drill and by this
time the effect of the lessons taught al
camp will have passed away entirely
The company officers are not to blame
for this, but the trouble lies with the
men in the ranks. II you are
guardsman you should take enough
interest in your company to at least
be present at roll calls and drills
Drilling must be persisted in everlast-
ingly. The finish comes to the soldier
in no other way
He must be drilled until obedience to
commands becomes mechanical and
until movements are executd without
conscious effort. The finished musician
looks at the notes not at the keys be-
fore him and the printer watches the
copy not the letter boxes in the case
1t is this way with the ldier. Until
his movements become mechanical In
drill there will be absent that finish
so necessary to make the good soldier.
Another thing, the boys should be
more ambitious in their work No
man can be good soldier without be-
ing ambitious. The men should have
have a desire to stay with the guard
and not drop out with the expiration
of their enlistment Officers should
come up with the ranks and the
guardsman who has long term OF
service to his credit is the most likely
to be advanced. Ii has not been so
much this way in the past, know, be-
cause we have had so little of ma
terial of this sort upon which to draw
but the guard is becoming better year
by year and the long service men are
doing their part toward this better
ment.
1.-THE state of Iowa has done what
it could to encourage the enlistd men
to continue in the service, and it re-
wards continued service in the guard
with decorations that are greatly priced
by the men. There are decorations
for five, ten and fifteen years service.
This little attention has done much to
keep many men in the guard"
"a sort of lively interest is main
tanned when there is company rivalry
or a strife for first place-to be the
crack" company in the regiment.
officers are encouraging this and find
! that it promotes company interest and
pride where other measures have
failed"
1.-THE rivalry in the companies of the
Fiftieth regiment is not great. Some
companies excel in one thing and
some in another, and the average that
places a company in the lead does not
always tea the story as it really APP
pears"
Oskaloosa people have treatd the
regiment in a royal manner. We can
not speak too highly of the hospitality
of the people of this city. Certainly
we shall never forget the boys of Com
pany F, 51st, for the many things that
they have done for us"
"The officers have liked the idea of
having the camp in neutral" city.
That is, holding the camp in place
thai has no company in the regiment
| encamped The people have no pets
| and the several companies OF the regi-
| ment are thus on an equal footing be
fore the public so far as attentions are
| concerned. 1t is very probable that
this plan VIII be followed more gen
| orally hereafter
Eyes, it was a good camp. wish
that we could have had couple OF
more weeks just like the one that
has passed so quickly and so pleas
antly."