Charlevoix county herald. (East Jordan, Mich.) 189?-1953, 1916-07-07
News From
Camp Ferris
Encampment a Busy Scene With
Plenty of Work For All.
Health Conditions Excellent and
RatiOns Ample and Good.

Camp Ferris, Grayling, July 4th.-
Friends at home will have some need
less worry the next few days as to the
welfare OF soldiers IN the Michigan bri-
gade at Camp Ferris. Reports will
cause them to believe that the men are
not being properly fed; that they are
overworked that they don't get sleep
enough; and that they do not sleep
warm at night. In fact, good many
mothers will feel that the government
is using their boys unfairly and there
will be perfectly needless heartaches
in consequence.
These reports will come from the
men who have been rejected because
of failure to pass the physical examina-
tion. Some of them have been sent
!. home before the examination because
Aof sickness, and the sickness is as often
lue to their own folly as to other eau
Dses. They feel, as do the others re-
y jected, perhaps, that some excuse for
their return home is necessary.
1t is weakness of human nature to
blame everybody and everything for
conditions except ourselves, so some
of those who lose out feel in duty
bound to knock. Not all of them; but
some do, and the stories which they
tell are cruel and unkind.
Now to relieve the feelings of those
who will be harried by such stories.
The men are not being starved. They
are being fed plain, wholesome food,
and enough OF il. This food is well
cooked and served in cleanly fashion.
A doctor is responsible for its cleanli-
ness. How many Michigan homes
have a doctor in the kitchen to see that
health rules are rigidly followed?
The men are not being worked to
death They drill all told four hours a
day Many of them are laboring men
who have been working hard at home
eight and ten hours a day. Up here,
drilling in the brilliant sunshine, re-
freshed by cool breezes off the lake, is
certainly not drudgery. Of course
lIltIc ID Il PAL lOl vi thN
troops each evening. This takes half
an hour and is pretty ceremony in
which the men are keenly interested,
because they are competing with other
companies for the best appearance be-
fore hundreds of spectators.
Some of the men perhaps do not
sleep very warmly at night. There are
not blankets enough yet. But the
blankets are here and will be issued
within day or two And that sleep
ing lightly covered is not unhealthful
is shown by the fact that company after
company, containing from 100 to lac
men, report each morning, mo sick
ness" In each regiment perhaps
there are 25 cases of slight colds. But
get 900 men from any city or town
together, from any occupation, and
more than % of them will have colds,
il is safe to say.
They get sleep enough, by the way
more sleep in many instances than they
get at home, Taps blow at 10 o'clock
That means lights out and quiet in
company street. If a man is in camp,
there is nothing to do but go to bed al
Taps and sleep eight hours, till six the
next morning The bed is there, the
quiet is there. He can sleep il he
wants to. If he prefers to walk -four
miles to Grayling and stay up till after
tkot ha fattlt nf he
state or the government.
So the stories of the disgruntled ones
who are sent home can be taken with
a proverbial grain of salt. Let me re-
peat again that only few are disgrunt
led. Most of the rejected, a big MAORI
ty of them, in fact, face their hard lucl
like soldiers, and go back to their civi
liam duties quietly and gamely. Blu
~ loud talker, "guardhouse lawyer
is the army name for him, is Away,
with us, and makes more noise thar
the real soldiers who are rejected
through no fault of their own.
The testimony of Mrs. G. L.. NutsoI
and her son, Claude, of Owosso, wh'
are here visiting a relative in Compan.
H, of the 33rd Michigan Infantry, is o
interest to other mothers and brother
who are wondering how the youni
a. soldier is faring
al wish everybody could come vi
here and see conditions for themsel
ves," said MIR. B. Nutson, who is gro
Ger, and knows considerable about tn
quality of food. There would be
good many mothers who would sleel
better. The food is well prepared AM