The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1910-11-04

- ERHAPS your boy, now that
kx>N he has arrived at the age of
WV 18, say, and should be Civ
E ing serious thought to what
W his life's work will be, still
clings stubornly to his boy
hoods dream of being a soldier. Per-
haps you have PORTED out to him that
he hasn't sufficient education to get
him into West Point. Perhaps he has
the education and you admit it, and
then try to discourage him by telling
him Of the many difficulties that lie
before the young man who dreams of
gaining shoulder straps through the
Point. In either event, the boy, with
the dream in his mind, replies that
he'll join the army as a private, and
then. perhaps, you go up into the air"
at once at the mere thought of your
son being high private in the rear
ranks of Uncle Sans land fighting
force.
But why? Among all vocations
there Is none that offers such certain
advancement and reward for honest
energy, and there is none that has
such slight requirements or prepara-
ton in the beginning. All that the
war department will require of your
boy is that he must be between the
ages Of Is and IS years, of good char
acter and temperate habits, able bod
led, free from disease, and must be
able to speak, read and write the Eng
fish language" That Is all; for the re-
Quirements as to height, weight, etc.,
are sufficiently elastic to admit any
young man that is not abnormal in
these physical respects.
II there Is no recruiting Office in
your vicinity, letter, addressed to the
war department at Washington, D. c.,
will bring Information about the near
est place at which your boy can apply
for entrance into the army. 1t Is re-
quirement that applicants must pay
their own expenses to the recruiting
office; but after being enlisted every
necessary expense in the life of the
soldier, including food, clothing, bed
ding, medicine and medical attendance
is borne by the government.
1t will be necessary for the candi-
date to choose the branch of the serv.
ice he desires to enter, whether in
the infantry, cavalry, artillery, signal
corps, hospital corps, etc., but as the
! infantry Is the most numerous, and
conditions in all branches are general
ly the same, for the purposes of this
article it will be assumed that your
tention to work up straight in that
line.
Passing his physical and mental ex-
aminations before the recruiting Off
Ger, your boy, beginning his career as
private, will first receive SIS month
in addition to his keep as outlined.
His duties will be to police and clean
and take care of the barracks, squad
room, and grounds, keep his clothing
and equipment in order, and stand
guard duty. He must rise at $3.50 to
in the morning, according to season,
and in Is minutes respond to roll call,
then clean up his bunk before break
fast The forenoon Is devoted large
" to calisthenics and other drills. Then
comes dinner at noon, with more drill
in the afternoon, and parade for half
an hour just before supper at six. He
Is generally free in the evenings,
W gh be must report for check roll
call at II o'clock, unless he has a
,>-. 20 be absent later. The barracks
are fitted with library, pool and card
tables, etc., for the use Of the men.
Before he has been doing all these
things very long he will discover, Ct
course, that his company commander
conducts regularly a school for In
struction in the rudiments of ordinary
| and military education, and, though
attendance at this school is compul'
sorry only for noncommissioned officers.
your boy, with his eye on advance
ment, will attend every meeting of the
school BY so improving his oppor-
tunities, and studying at night on his
own hook, an ordinarily bright private
may be promoted to corporal within a
year from his enlistment, and this
first of promotions will gain him an
| increase in salary of six dollars q
month.
AS corporal your boy will hold an
important place in the army organiza.
| ton, as he is the direct officer in com
mand of seven privates, the eight be-
ing known as ":he snuad," which is the
basis of our entire military system. He
! will be relieved of the manual labor OF
taking care of the barracks anG
grounds, and in parades and company
drills will always take his place as
leader of his squad. He posts and re-
lieves the sentries on guard duty, and
sees that his particular followers are
instructed in their duties.
The next promotion will be to ser
geant, at $50 a month. The duties here
are largely an amplification Of those
! that fall to a corporal, only the ser
geant is the direct commanding officer
Of two or three squads, known as g
section
Finally, and within the three-yea,
period of his first enlistment, your DO,
may reach the important post of first
sergeant, tho highest non-commission
ed officer in the company. Here he vii