Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1916-06-01

DHILADELPHIA is mobilizing.
While most of the nation is dis
- cussing preparedness, Philadel-
phia has ten thousand men ready, in
theory at least, to take the field,
When the recent Sussex crisis arose
wit. Germany, the leaders of the local
army wired Secretary Baker that their
ten thousand stood behind him.
The organization is formally known
as Philadelphia Citizen Army, and
intends eventually to recruit up to a
strength of 4S,000. Moreover, in the
large plans which inspire the foun-
ders, Philadelphia corps is to be
only the nucleus of a National Citizen
Army of a million men.
Locally people speak of the corps
as "DreXel Biddle's Citizen Army" or
more familiarly as "Biddle's Army"
Therein lies the whole story. For
this is unique army, paradoxical
army. 1t is one mans army, yet it
gets more men than the National
Guard. 1t is rich mans army, yet
in some ways it is an ideal army for a
poor man to join.
The army had it's birth in A. j.
DreXel Biddle's brain. He is a figure
pretty well known to American news
paper readers, his exploits as an anna
teur boxer combined with his sudden
determination to found a worldwide
material for much picturesque copy"
Less well known, perhaps, is the fact
that his Bible classes have been
pushed along until they number 150,-
600 members. Now he is pushing his
army in something the same way.
The original idea of the corps, and
the idea that still animates its lead
ers, was simply to SHOW Congress
that it can be done" Several months
ago it became apparent that the coun-
try wanted preparedness, but the pow
ers that be seemed unable to decide
just where to begin and what to do.
Philadelphia Citizen Army is in the
nature of concrete suggestion, a
laboratory demonstration of how citi-
zen armies are built.
Being well endowed with this
worlds goods and in close touch with
men of wealth, Mr.. Bidde was in a
position to put his ideas into practice.
He wanted to get the rank and file OF
Philadelphia out and give them mill
tary training, somewhat after the
Swiss or the Australian fashion, with
out interfering with their regular
work. If the citizens of Philadelphia
really wanted an army corps, was the
implication, let them come out and
form one, without waiting for instruc-
tions from authority.
AT first it looked as if they didn't
want one. After lengthy negotiations
a number of officers were loaned by
the government to act as drillmasters
Thousands of recruiting circulars were
sent( around explaining the scheme
and setting the first meeting at Lans-
downe, country place near Philadel-
phia. Thousands of dollars were spent
to get publicity. Front page adver-
tisements were inserted in the news
papers. When the day arrived, IL
fnnnh In. af Il Ixxx xVvt4 #,
ten officers. The recruits were there
too-as many as sixteen of them
The new army was apparently a
! fiasco. 1t looked like failure. But
Mr.. Biddle remembered his Bible class
experience, when he had started with
four men. lie looked over the six
teen recruits, and they were a hetero-
Eeneous collection, especially from the
religious point of view. There were
three Jews, four Roman Catholics, an
atheist or two, and members of sew
eral Protestant denominations. Never
theless, the aggregation were called
on to start the army by saying the
Lords prayer. This they did, and
the first drill was postponed while the
recruiting campaign went on.
Before long the tide began to turn,
and enough men came out to start the
drilling After two weeks, names
were pouring in, until now, as stated
before, the corps numbers ten thou
sand, with a fair prospect of getting
the $4,000 set for a goal.
The work consists in bi-weekly
drills with strenuous weekend drill
ing at Lansdowne. Saturday and Sun
day are devoted to the latter, and into
these two days the men in charge are
contriving to cram twenty eight hours
of military practice of one kind or an
other. Tents, food and equipment are
furnished.
In the matter of meeting expenses,
the corps is calling on the wealthy
men of Philadelphia. A campaign
has just been launched to raise $500,
600 to cover the cost of prospective
expansion. The theory is that each
recruit shall pay for as much as he