Evening star., 1909-02-07

INTEREST in District National
Guard circles is now centered on the
inaugural parade. Militia headquar-
ters is making arrangements to the
end that the brigade will make the
best showing in its history.
The National Guard Of this District of
Columbia, as usual. will be directly IN
rear Of the regular troops.
When the Guardsmen report at the
rifle range at Congress Heights next
spring they will find many improvements
since last fall. Among the most impor-
tant will be an extension of the skirmish
pits and the renewing of the backstop on
the 1.OO0-yard range.
The schedule for official rifle practice in
the gallery for the coming week follows:
Monday. I'd Battalion, I'd Regiment;
Tuesday. 1st Battalion, I'd Regiment;
Wednesday, Sd Battalion, I'd Regiment;
Thursday, Cd Battalion, 1st Regiment:
Friday. I'd Battalion. 1st Regiment. and
Saturday, Officers Revolver Association.
The schedule for gallery competitions
for the present month is: Company
matches, Mondays. the 18th and 23d: bat
talon and regimental matches, Wednes-
day, the 24th.
Lieut.. j. A. Dempf. Naval Battalion;
Lieut. J. d. Carmody, First Division,
Naval Battalion; Lieut. ]. II. Mittendorf.
chief engineer of the Battalion, and
James II. Frank of this city We're guests
of the First Naval Brigade, Maryland
National Guard, last week at smoker
and vaudeville entertainment in Balti-
more.
The usual afternoon drill of the First
Battery, Field Artillery. was held last
Friday. At the night session instruction
was given in the manual of the pistol.
After the drill the Battery Club met, with
DR.. Perry in the chair and Corp. George
A. Bonnet, secretary-treasurer. at his
desk. Arrangements are nearly perfected
for the battery masquerade ball III Eagles
Hall the evening of February 22. The
invitations are in the hands of the bat
terymen and no one in the organization
feels any doubt that the ball will make
an impression in the social military circles
of the capital.
At the club meeting there was some
discussion as to the size of the orchestra
which should be engaged. Casper Orange,
tru.npeter and composer, insisted that
either he entire National Guard Band or
employed, but some of the close-calculat
ing spirits felt that an orchestra of twelve
or fifteen pieces would be large enough
and that suggestion was adopted.
\ discussion also arose as to whether
the programs should be engraved or
simply printed. Many OF the men of the
battery expressed the opinion that a
printed program is not fit to be handled
by a batterymans girl and would give
a cheap cast TO the affair. Opponents of
pd
in the battery knew everybody else; that
the ball would be somewhat of family
affair; that the battery was not a pluto
cratic organization or millionaire's club
and that printed programs would save
about $40. The question was not settled
but was left to the discretion of the gov
erning committee.
A committee on decorations was ap-
pointed
Capt. Fox gave talk on how to re-
taliate on government officials who dis
criminate against members of the guard.
Among the visitors were SerSt. Lanham
Of the general non-commiSSioned staff
District of Columbia Militia, and his little
son, Trueman Lanham, who was adopted
by the battery.
In the report Of Lieut.. Col Robert X.
Evans executive officer Of the national
rife matches Of 1908. there is much re-
garded as OF interest to all concerned In
the national sport. Col. Evans has for
two years been in charge of the events
and will probably be selected as the eX-
ecutive officer for 1909 which promises to
be the greatest shooting year this coun-
try has ever seen. His observations and
recommendations are considered worthy
of the consideration they receive at the
hands of the War Department, the ma
tional board for promotion of rifle prac-
tiCe and the National Rifle Association.
Col Evans makes resume of the rules
as they exist and gives his recommended
ttons for changes therein. Prominent
among his recommendations is one for
the acquiring of national rifle range.
This country Is one of the few, perhaps