New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1913-05-01
0RYAN WOULD DANISH
DANCING IN ARMOR|ES
Commander of National Guard
Advocates Ripping Out All
Board Floors.
NEED DIRT TO TRAIN RIGHT
Declares Proper Military Eli
cheney Impossible if Men
Must March on Pol
ished Boards.

Major General. John f. Organ COM
manding the national guard of this
state, believes the time has gone by
when armories should be used as ball
rooms. In a report submitted yester-
DAY, General Organ advocates the rip
ping UP Of all the polished board floors
in the infantry armories, and the sub
stitution Of dirt, clay or tanbark. He
does not believe that troops can be
properlv trained in all the rudiments
If field service when their drilling Is
confined to marching on a waxed floor
General Organs structures on the
ballroom" floors will cast gloom upon
those who have always regarded the
polished surfaces as built expressly for
dancing. The general, however, believes
the advantage to be gained by the use
Of the dirt surface will far outweigh
the social conveniences Of ballroom
floor. In this regard he says:
THE same authority which requires
the mounted commands to have their
nersonnal trained in horsemanshlp'
loading of wagons, pitching of tents, in
+renchine, individual cooking, requires
the infantry to have its personnel
trained In like manner. This training
is not possible on board floors. The
ballroom as a drill plain is out of place.
"It is believed that after this new
drill floor plan is adopted, the BENEFITS
derived therefrom will be such as VIII
make il obvious that board floors make
impossible a standard Of efficiency that
NAV be obtained by the use Of earth
clay. tan bark or similar substances.
After saying that the infantry is the
most important branch Of the national
guard. General Organ points out the
necessity of maintaining the backbone
Of the military force in the highest
state Of efficiency practicable.
The company commanders, according
TO General Organ, are nearly all TO-
tally unfamiliar with the making out
of ration returns and with other details
of routine life in the field
The tactical handling of New York
troops in the recent Connecticut man
euvres was creditable, General ORyan
finds. but. with some exceptions, the
infantry troops showed little knowledge
Of how to care for the horses that drew
the escort wagons, with the result that
the treatment the animals received
was not only bad, but in some instances
bordered on cruelty" The state is now
paving for a large number Of injured,
broken down and dead animals because
Of this lack Of knowledge.
General Organ finds that the tour
of duty Of the three artillery districts
at Fort II. G. Wright last summer was
most satisfactory. The record Of the
22d Regiment Of Engineers was excel
lent, with the duty Of supply, both
ouartermaster and commissary, well
performed. The camps were well po-
Iced and the discipline and morale of
officers and enlisted men were good.
The school Of instruction at Peeks-
Kill taught the officers valuable lessons
in the care Of their men and animals
General Organ believes. He ends his
report by advocating such courses OF
rife practice for the infantry as are
prescribed for the regular army by the
War Department.