Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1916-06-28
TROOPS START SOUTH rs DELAYED

/ only perfect specimens OF manhood ar,
wanted. yet the officers feel that the is
| Brigade now would be well on its way e
| tho border had Philadelphia done It's share
In view OF General Prices recent crit
| icism Of the small number Of enistments
| in Philadelphia. its evidence in the hold
| up" OF the Philadelphia troops at Mount
| Gretna is causing wide comment among
officers here.
"C1TY MAY BE. DtsGRACED"
In speaking OF the situation. one officer
in command of battalion said
THE city. indeed, is likely to be disgraced
| nationally. Pittsburgh troops are only too
anxious to go and it would seem they have
good chance Of winning out. In fact
there is no doubt that the first brigade that
can show n full 65 men to each company
that brigade will be the first to go.
philadelphia Is way behind many other
cities In regard to enlstments, Thousands
cheered their lungs out when we left fol
camp last Saturday morning they yelled,
cheered, waved American flags and wished
us Godspeed, but that appears to be the
limit of the love they would show for their
country
why, many Of the men here even have
not the support Of their own families, Of
their fathers and brothers. The men here
are ready, doubly ready, yet there is every
chance of us being held back because more
Philadelphia men have not grit or courage
to bear discomfort when the hour OF danger
arises
81 admit. and my brother officers agree
with me, that the army physical examina-
tion is very severe, and hundreds have been
turned down. The men are measured almost
from their hair to the tips of their toes
Men have been thrown out because of un-
derwelght and there are many restrictions
more severe than the test required by the
state militia. With II all, II Philadelphlans
hnt 9Ia h. Ent Ntn
paid Philadelphia as being the first in the
state to have picked body of men ready
Tor service would have not to be rescinded."
Every man in Company b, engineers, all
Philadelphia men, passed the physical ex-
animation for admlttance to Federal service.
There are 50 men in the company. 1t is
causing favorable comment about camp.
Meanwhile pitlful scenes are witnessed.
sixteen men were rejected in one company
alone
The unsuccessful ones in n few cases
were so disappointed that they could not
rerrain from tears. Tears from a soldier.
or even soldier-to-be or woLld-be, are
unusual, but their grief was so real and
worthy, no doubt that even their most
hardened comrades kept silent. In Com
pany p. of the Fighting Third" only enc
out of 60 applicants are turned down. accord
ing to Captain w A. Hargesheimes, who Is
In charge of the first battalion Of that reSI-
ment during Major Brookfelds absence.
The scenes attending the physical exam
nation of the final patches of men early
today were pitiful, OFF they marched,
company by company. through the dark
ness to the rife range where army surgeons
worked over the nude bodies at breakneck
speed. The Guardsmen strode toward the |
place OF judgment, swinging their lanterns
singing, shouting, cheering to their captain,
he colonel their sweetheart. their mother;
when they returned the lanterns were car
ried despondently. Downcast faces and |
irooping shoulders here and there in the !
stumbling ranks, lit W like spectres by the
lanterns marked those who had |
'een Judged unfit There was no joy in |
the hearts of those crestfallen ones; and |
heir fellows, personally sorrow for them |
md with the honor Of the regiment upper |
most in their hearts. were stricken almost |
iumb through genuine grief. Such grief |
rops out in lives such as soldiers lead. or |
n the lives of cowboys. or of other groups |
# men who live close to the earth.
All through the darkness of early MORN
ng thunderstorms to the north and to the |
iouth grumbled behind the mountain slopes. |
he glare OF yellow lightning throwing the |
wooded heights into black relief. Rain fell |
It intervals.
Showers patered on the dog tents of the
ngineers, including Philadelphia crack
company B. which has it's stores and equip.
nent loaded in freight cars. Ready for the
vord to go. next to them lay the signal
roop its stores packed and loaded; even
heir pup" tents had been packed when
he word came late yesterday afternoon to
ostpone departure. Out came the little
ents again and UP they went
Other National Guard camp news, notes
md gossip on page 10.