The Saint Paul globe., 1904-03-17

| SOLDIERS TAKE
ScHOLLE TO TASK
Members of 21st Infantry Re-
sent His Public Estimate
of Enlisted Men.

Remarks made by Gustave Scholle
in the course Of an address before the
Neighborhood House association last
Monday afternoon, criticising the So
cial conduct of the soldier Of the regu-
lar army, have called forth vigorous
protests from the soldiers and officers
at Fort Smelling. The criticisms were
| brought to the attention of Mr.. Scholle
yesterday by T he Clio b e, and in fur
ther explanation Of the comments
which had proved Objectionable, he
said:
In regard to the remarks made by me
before the. Neighborhood House associa--
ton last Monday relative to the Fort
Smelling soldiers being at dance halls and
meeting our young women there, / wish
to say that simply used the Fort Shell
ing soldier as exemplifying the non-mar-
rying man who indulges himself as he
pleases. OF course he is not alone In this
by any means. but being more numer--
Gus class than any other combination of
citizens among us, it is but natural that
he stands out more prominently.
The temptation is greater, too, for the
girls as brass buttons have always had
an extra charm for the fair sex. 1t seems
scarcely necessary to say that no reflec-
tion upon the soldiers at Fort Smelling as
| a whole was intended, especially as II
| count some of my best friends at the
fort
T The protesting communications fol-
! low:
| To the Editor Of the Globe.
Dear Sir: In your Tuesday mornings
| issue appeared screed from one Mr..
| Scholle, who took occasion to wantonly
insult a body OF young men who' ne
claims, "are no good except in war
| time.''
This gentleman. (?) may have the good
| of the young girls of ST: Paul at heart,
| but he does not help his cause by the
statement that the soldiers are practically
| disreputable set who have nothing to
gain or lose by enticing young girls into
| personal acquaintance with soldiers who
| have been stationed at Fort Smelling at
various time in the past ten years, and
can truthfully say that they are e. as h high {Ill
| as any Of the young or old men of st.
! Paul, Of Mr.. Scholle's acquaintance.
There may be, and In fact are black
there is a smaller proportion of them
| than among an equal number of men in
civil life. If the gentleman will come
| with me on roundup OF the places
| where these people he wants to save
| congregate I'll show him very few wear
| ing the army blue. Let him walk along
| Seventh street any Saturday night and
| he'll see more civilians of all ages to the
! square inch, ogling the women and look
| ing for ''sport'' than he'll find In five
| years among soldiers.
| AT the public dances he'll find twenty
| five civilians to one soldier (and that's
| small percentage) who are engaged in
| enticing girls to enter.
l believe he'd do more good for the
! girls if he'd attack the parents instead
| of the soldiers.
| Thanking you for your space,
Ed H. Slater,
| 713 Conway street, st. Paul.
|
To the Editor of The Globe:
! In answer to the assertion made in
Tuesdays issue Of T he G 10 e by Mr..
| Scholle IN which he spoke about keeping
the girls out of the dance halls. it was
i very well said 1t is no place for the
girls to,, go. But the gentleman also said
diers at Fort Smelling. would like to
ask the gentleman if there are not just
as respectful and honest young men in
the army and stationed at Fort Smelling
| of fact some of the boys go down in St.
Paul and get drunk around pay days,
| but that is not altogether the fault of the
soldiers; it is the voters of Minnesota and
other states who allow whisky to be even
made and sold. 1 would like. to ask the
/ gentleman if the civilians don't come out
! to the Fort and the boys treat them with
respect I don't indorse everything the
boys do, but I don't think you can find
| a better set of men anywhere than are
stationed at Fort Smelling. Take it in
| the ministry or in business or in any
| vocation of life and there are hypocrites
! and not true fellows, and because a man
is a soldier he is none the worse by it,
| If the man that used the language is as
! good and respectful as the soldiers of
Fort Smelling he IS all o: K.
1 myself am a believer in Christ. am
| also a soldier, and 1 think L am just as
good as if had never seen an army. A
man that can't live correct life in the
army can't live one out of the army.
To the Editor of The Globe:
| Permit me to say a few words concern
ing a remark made by Mr.. Scholle, pres
ident of the Neighborhood House associa-
| ton, at a recent meeting thereof, and re-
corded in your issue of Tuesday morning.
On the occasion referred to, he speaks of
around at any time. except when they are
fighting" / wish to ask Mr.. Scholle why
he makes the exception in, their favor,
when II. they. @ are fghtinYg. Y Fighting is not
| able diversion for those around to enter
tain you with 1t may be. however, that
the honorable gentleman patriotically
means when they are fighting for their
country" We will give him the benefit
Of the doubt in any case. However,
| cannot help thinking that true patriotism
| to have around (around where he does
not state) those who are fighting to de-
fend ones flag and country. It might
certainly include if not respect for at
least simple courtesy towards those who
do such lighting when any is being done,
or, ''in those piping times of peace, .
whose occupation consists in training for
fitness and readiness for any active serv-
ice which their country may at some fu-
ture time, near or far, require of them
1t is true, too true, that at times there
appear in the foreground individual SOL
| dierS who, by their conduct, are any
thing but credit to the service they rep
soldiers. who in public, by their uni
form, attract more attention than civ
ilians of the same type would, that Mr..
Scholle judges all soldiers, or at least.
l soldiers in general AS we may infer
from his remark and as may be noticed
at such a time, people of his stamp have
an entirely different tone in their man
ner towards soldiers. We would, how
ever, much prefer that those people at
such a time should reserve their en-
thusiasm and demonstrations, and in lieu
thereof extend to us a little of their
courtesy in time of peace. I am glad to
Scholle does not express the sentiments
of the people as whole, or even of the
| majority thereof, but merely of a certain
4 class which is by no means new in, nor
is it entirely confined to- this country
Hoping you will excuse me for tres
passing so much on your valuable paper,
remain Daniel G. Dooley,
Company G, 21st U. s. l.
Fort Smelling. March 15, 1904.
Mr. Gustave Scholle st. Paul. Minnesota
Dear Sir: In the st. Paul Clio b e of
Tuesday, March 15, 1904, under the head
ing Good Work Done by Neighborhood
House." you are quoted as follows: "This
I fC fnl1 ", DE-,