Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-02-20
COMPETITIVE DRILL
Boys Brigade to Compete for
Evening Star Trophy.
PROGRAM COMPLETED
SIX COMPANIES TO PARTICIPATE
SIX COMPANIES TO PARTICIPATE
IN EVENT.
Individual Drill to Follow-Inaugura-
ton of Annual Custom, Washing
tons Birthday Anniversary.

/
Infantry Armory, Monday next The drill
| Is the Inauguration of an annual custom
of celebrating Washingtons birthday an
| niversary by the embryo soldiers Of the
boys brigade. The program for the event
| Monday is completed and the exercises are
| to be extensive. There will be COMPETE
| tive drill in which six companies will par
| ticipate. Following this will be an indi-
vidual drill. Capt Frank De w. Ramsey.
| Sth United States Infantry and Lieut..
| Charles E. Hay, oath United States In
| fantry, will be the judges of this contest.
Brig. Gen. John M. Wilson, United States
| army, retired, will present to each of the
| two regiments of the local division a hand
| some stand of colors, the gift of the ladies'
| auxiliary, of which Miss Mary Lamond is
| the president. A patriotic address will be
| made by Mr.. Charles Nesbit and refresh
ments will be served by the ladies' auxil-
| larry. Music will be furnished during the
progress of the drill and throughout the ex-
| ercises by the High School Orchestra.
| The Boys Brigade is made up of youths
| of all sizes and ages. and is calculated to
| give the youngsters knowledge of mill
| tary work that will be valuable to them
| in the future. The brigade is interdenomi-
national and each church has the govern
| ment OF it's companies. There are two
| classes of members, regulars and cadets.
| The companies are Differed by the most
/
| church, while the regimental field and staff,
and the brigade and divisional officers and
| staff, are made up of the older members of
| the church, who have military experience.
Origin of the Movement.
| The origin Of enlisting the boys of the
| churches in some form of military organ
| ization originated with Mr.. w. H. Smith of
Glasgow, Scotland. twenty years ago. Mr..
Smith had for long time been consider
| ing the problem of how to get the boys into
| the church. He determined finally that
this could be done better through the me-
dunn of a military organization than by
any other method. so he went into the
streets of Glasgow and called in all the
street urchfhs He promised to give them
a cap and belt if they would attend the
drills of the companies at the various
churches. The boys accepted his invita-
ton, and he brought the newsboys and
wharf rats of his home town in contact
with the more refined youngsters found in
the church. He soon built up an excellent
organization. From Glasgow the idea
spread throughout the United Kingdom and
gradually found it's way to the United
States.
The first company Of the boys brigade in
this city was organized about four years
ago The movement did not Immediately
take firm root here, but has grown. Now
the District of Columbia has divisional
headquarters for this city and the state of
Virginia There are two regiments, one OF
large boys and one or cadets, IN this city.
The Virginia territory has recently been
added to the District of Columbia division
as one two companies have recently
come into the brigade from Virginia. not
sufficient in number, however to justify the
forma ton of a division in that state.
Controlled by Council.
All actions Of this division are controlled
by council composed of the members of
the advisory board, together with the Off
GERS of the division, commandments, company
commanders and all commissioned officers
above the rank of captain
The officers of the local division are: Rev.
William Hart Dexter, Phi. D.. Takoma Park.
major general commanding; Col. James M
Pickens adjutant general: Lieut.. Charles
W. Shaver, assistant adjutant general.
The local regiments include thirteen COM
panies, each company representing church.
The companies and churches represented
are: First Regiment-Company A, Ecking-
ton Presbyterian Church; Company b, Will
son Memorial Methodist Church; Company
c, Ninth Street Christian Church: Company
D. Takoma Presbyterian Church; Company
F. Western Presbyterian Church; Company
F., Trinity NJ. f. Church; Company G,
Waugh N. T. Church.
Second Regiment (cade.s)-Corpany \,
lexington Presbyterian Church: Company
B, Western Presbyterian Church; Company
c, Trinity NJ. e. Church; Company d, Ia
coma Presbyterian Church: Company e.
Peck Memorial Presbyterian Church; Com
pany F, Waugh NJ E. Church.
Advisory Board.
The advisory board of the local division
includes II. B. F. Macfarland. president
Board of Commissioners of the District of
Columbia; Gen. Charles Bird, u. S. A.:
Capt. Lewis Merriam, L. S. A.: Rev. Teu-
mis- s. Hamlin, D. D., pastor Church of the
Covenant, Presbyterian; James NJ Pickens
adjutant 9th Battalion, District of Column
bia National Guard; Rev. A. II. Thomp-
son, pastor of Wilson Memorial M. e.
Church; James E. West, late acting general
secretary of Washington Y. M. C. A.; Rev.
Charles H.. Butler. pastor Kelar Memorial
Lutheran Church; Owen P. Kellar, presi-
dent d. c. Union. Y. p S. C. E.: Rev J.
c. Nicholson d. D., pastor Trinity NJ E.
Church; Irwin B. Linton, attorney and
Counselor Rev. E. B. Bagby, d. D., pastor
Ninth Street Christian Church; ]. Thomas
Kelley, M. D., physician and surgeon; Rev
Charles F. Sontag, rector Grace p E.
Church, and Henry Brewcod.
The national organization has about 30 900
members and is commanded by Lieut.. Gen
ii. r. Bope of Pittsburg. Pa. Gen. Bope is
one OF the most prominent and wealthest
citizens of Pittsburg. He is the first vice
president of the Carnegie Steel Company
and great church worker His staff in
cludes John A. Clark. adjutant general:
Col Geo e. Howe, assistant adjutant gen
erai; Mr.. James H. Reed, judge advocate
6sHeidi, Itt rev, COrtlandt Whitehead ID.
u, chaplain in chief; DIR. J. Hartley An
derson, surgeon general
The national organization is controlled by
board of trustees. composed of prominent
ministers and laymen throughout the
United States. Under them is the military
organization carried out in conformity with
the regulations of the u. S. army as far as
II Is necessary to obtain the desired nhy-
steal, intellectual and military training. The
commander-in-chief. Lieut. George II. p
bope, with his stan, has the generalssuper-
vision of this great army, giving a large
STARE of his time and money in dispatching
the business OF the headquarters at Pitts
burg
First Competitive Drill.
The competitive drill to be given here
Monday will be the first of it's kind the local
division has given. The Washington bows
went into camp for short time last sum-
mer under the command of Gen. Dexter.
The boys are armed with guns of various
styles and sizes. The smaller boys have
wooden guns-Quakers, as they are called.
The ol6er boys get cadet rifles of the
Springfield pattern. or Remingtons, such
as were made for the army but were never
used, and are now being disposed of by the
War Department.