The Benson signal., 1916-07-15

1XM And tan. The thousand
wy young women in the train
i ing camp were as red
faced as Holsters, always assuming
Holsters to be red faced. 1t is the tan
of wind and sun and life in the open.
The bellies who tangOed in high heels
all winter long, with never a hint of
anguish, were nursing swollen, blis-
tered feet as result of wearing stiff
high service shoes.
The khaki coats and skirts were bad
enough, they were so different from
the soft. fluffy garments that the girls
otherwise might have worn.
1t was the National Service School
for Women, this training camp, con-
Quoted by the wOman's section of the
navy league, of which Mrs. George
Dewey, wife of Admiral Dewey, Is
president The thousand girls soon
settled down to the business Of learn
ing now women may help in time of
war. 1t was preparedness of the most
practical sort being undertaken.
Imagine q tented city, laid out in
regular streets, with guards posted and
military discipline prevailing. In each
tent are five cots, occupied by four
girls and chaperOn-some matron
who is enjoying the training camp
just as much as If she weren't mar
rled, because she. too, is a girl again.
One of these matrOns is Mrs Robert
Lansing, wife of the secretary of state,
and she is drilling with the girls in
her 5000 khaki uniform just as
though she had never known the So
cial burdens of an official hostess in
the national capital.
There are five wash basins and five
small mirrors in each tent also. Be-
cause it is convenient and cheap the
tents are electrically lighted. And be-
cause it is further convenient, shower
baths are provided for the girls in
khaki. But these need not be regard
ed as uxuries. They simply are mod
ern necessities.
Reveilie at 6:3O.
Out of these tents, when reveille is
sounded at $50 o'clock in the morn
ing, pour the boarding pupils" of the
service school. The "day pupils live
in Washington and come later. For
half an hour there is marching and
concentrating under the direction
of three United States army officers,
who are assigned to the camp as in
structors. They pretend to dislike
their job these officers, but in reality,
they wouldn't miss it for a good deal.
The girls are so pretty, and despite
their biStered feet they smile so be-
witchingly.
At seven the mess tent calls. Break
fast for one morning consists of eggs
and bacon, prunes. baked potatoes and
coffee. Another morning it is Or
anges. bacon and hominy. bread and
butter, green onions and coffee. The
only difference between the fare of
the wOman's training camp and that of
the United States Marine corps is that
the girls are allowed butter three
times day and the marines only
twice. But they thrive on it. Bless
you, there was less need of rouge
among these thousand girls last week
than any week in all their lives. The
unbreakable crOckery and the camp
''silver" are lent by the marine corps.
by the way.
Then comes the ceremony of the
changing of the guard, which is an
other regulation borrowed from the
United States army. And after that
there is busy day.
The one obligatory course is that of
Red Cross first aid and surgical dress
ing of wounds. No less than $500
yards of gauze is used in the classes
in weeks time Red Cross head
nurse and 80 trained assistants are
the instructors in these classes. of
which there are five daily, each put
ting in an hour.
Girls Enjoy Signaling.
Then the girls may take semaphore
signaling lessons if they like, and
nearly all of them do "Wigwagging"
is one Of the most enjoyable Of all the
camp activities. The pupils" learn
the sigral alphabet, finding some diff
Guilty with the letters beyond en- and
prOnouncing "R'' particularly hard,
but they learn it and can transmit dis
patches by signal with some facility
already, as well as read" those sent.
There are classes in wireless teleg-