Evening star., 1915-02-14

lumbia to recruit the various
orxaniza tions up to their fun
peace strength and to provide for an
ADEQUATE reserve corps. While the en-
lstment campaign recently starteu
among the veteran and patriotic organ
izations Of the city has not yet begun
to bear fruit, 1t Is the belief OF head
quarters officers that enlistments very
soon wall begin to pick up.
While many of the veterans IN 'he
patriotic organizations are desirable In
the guard. the greater portion nave
passed the age limit for men in the ioeii
National Guard. while others are
physically disqualified. However. u Is
believed that the letters sent OUT 10
these organiza tfons, asking them TO take
I'D the question of increasing the en-
listed strength of the local guard Or
ganizatlons. will reach deeper than 'he
organizations themselves.
The men who compose these organhza-
tions, in the majority of the cases are
men who have been on the oatteheid
defending the United States. They well
know the need of maintaining an ade-
quate army to repel any force which
might attack the country or to down
the force of a country which the tnteu
States found IL necessary ~ hs"'-
II is the belief of guard officers that
while these men are themselves dis
o,altfied they will spread the patriotic
snirjt to the younger members of their
families with view to having tnem
take UP interest and enlist in the Ma
tional Guard SO that they can prepare
themselves for the defense OF the coun-
try.
While the process of getting the pa
trfotic gospel spread throughout the
city will take some time, 1t Is pointed
out that when the younger men reauze
the need of training themselves for war
In time Of peace enlistments in the guard
viii increase, enormously.
The enlistment in the local National
Guard is for period of three years
Each summer the guard goes away TO
camp where there are from ten to hf-
teen days actual field service. such as
the men would have to undergo should
they be called into the country's serv-
ice. The training thus received In
these camps would better fit the men to
than IL they had no training whatever
During the year there is armory in
struction covering, approximately, TWO
hours a week for the enlisted men,
Many interesting drills and exercises
are taught and the men are Instructed
how to handle the rifle and to take
care of themselves under adverse con-
ditions. Besides the regular annual
encampment there are three days camp
at the National Guard rifle range. in
Congress Heights, near the District
line There the men have three days
on the firing line. pumping silhouetted
targets full of holes. Besides this field
instruction in rifle shooting there Is
armory instruction with smaller cali
ber of rifle. Such matters as map max
ing and map reading are taught the
members of the guard
1t Is the hope of the headquarters Of
hcers that the local National Guard
will be recruited up to its full strength
this year. Last year. when the organ
ization went to Virginia Beach, Va, and
camped on the very shores of the At
lantic ocean, it broke the record for
the number of men ever taken to an
encampment, and the officers are par
ticularly anxious to break that record
this year
While the service at the encampments
- not hard. considering the training
which 1t is necessary to crowd within
the ten or fifteen days. every effort is
made to give considerable time to the
men for pleasure Every afternoon last
year they had Off for bathing. and in
the evenings they were given the
chance to go to the nearby pleasure
resort
Companies K and L have won match
es for the first weeks shooting in the
Springfield Indoor League for the Sd
Battalion. LIST Infantry, N c. d. c..
company team championship.
Maj. George TAFT. Battalion command
er. and his adjutant Lieut.. ]. r Fehr.
have arranged this series of indoor
rifle shooting matches for the National
Guard companies with the object OF
increasing shooting interest in the or
ganiZation.
Each week for ten consecutive weeks
the above companies will compete
against each other. and the company
winning the largest number of match
es will be awarded a handsome loving
cup as a permanent trophy. emblematic
Of the company rife team championship
u the Sd Battalion.