The Washington herald., 1907-10-09
CAN RIDE A HORSE
Chair Warmers of Army Give
Laugh to ScOfferS.
EVEN BEAT THE AMBULANCE
Rooted Cut Of Their Sang ORlces by
Presidents order - They walk,
airy Chargers over Muddy Virginia
Roads-They Finish Smiling.

S-t-u-n-g! That vernacular Of the same
vintage OF lemon" can be fitly applied 60
Theodore Roosevelt President OF the
/ United States of America, and to all those
sconers who had an idea In their heads
! that because a lot Of army officers had
been holding down swivel chairs In the
war offices they We're unable to ride a
horse.
Twenty-nine brave men went out and
demonstrated that. like other famous per-
sons. It is 'once a rider. always a rider.
Pursuant TO an order Of the War De-
partment, as suggested by President
Roosevelt, commander in chief these
twenty-nine men, most of whom are the
fathers Of debutantes who are now num-
bered among the proud young matrons Of
the army. yesterday made a ride Of 15.7
miles in two and a half hours.
For days-nay wceks-the reading pub
| lie has been anticipating a huge. side
splitting laugh on the morning of Octo-
/ Der g because a lot Of busy, and there
/ fore "chesty," officers, would be branded
as "has beens" and "forgetters Of the
ancient art of horsemanship"
sad. Maybe, but True.
/ 1t is a sad thing to disappoint a news
papers readers but it must be confessed
that the laugh is not on the officers who
have been riding rattan cushions for the
last-well It is not just to the aforesaid
/ debutantes to say-just how many years.
/ Nevertheless. 1t may be pertinent to say
/ that many OF the officers whose career
/ dates back TO the occupation Of the Phil
/ ippines. admitted on the famous test ride
/ of yesterday that the army man who has
/ been busy may be taking on weight, but
who can still tell the difference between
a Morris chair and an eleven-inch Nc
/ Clellan saddle, Is the man who will come
4 through a fifteen-mile ride with fewer
hairs turned and fewer anathemas al
/ the order that made him prove that a
cavalry hard fitted horse is not exactly
! a hammock.
It was declared by unkind critics that
a lot Of officers in a blue funk rode to
Fort Myer in closed carriages, ashamed
to be seen by an admiring public. AS a
matter of fact. the twenty-nine officers
almost climbed into the buses that were
/ to transport them to the cavalry fort in
the same sort Of glseful spirit that per-
vades the schOolboy when he goes on a
picnic.
/ Most of them had not been on a horse
for years, but all appeared eager tc
make the ride as the Presidents order
demanded.
Correspondents Form, TvvOs.
At the cavalry fort they were assembled
/ in front of headquarters. and. unlike a
circus parade-and it must be confessed
that many of the newspaper correspond
ents anticipated such a parade-the offi-
/ GERS. started from the fort, under the dl-
rection OF Gen. DuyaIl, on the way to
| Waterbury.
Gen. Duvall had anticipated the expec-
tatlons of the newspaper men-who had
| expected to be unwelcomed-and he told
them to form in line of twos wherever il
suited their fancy. That was score No.
for the army.
Really, the only incident during the
ride that neared being amusing was that
horse ridden BY Maj. Edgar Russell, OF
the Signal Corps. was not d lit animal tc
take part in such an orderly AFFAIR as the
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