Evening star., 1916-12-03
BOOKS ARE WANTED
BY MEN ON BORDER
Most Welcome of All Gifts
Chaplain Arthur L. Smith
Asserts.
BY J. CROSBY MCCARTHY,
Staf Correspondent.

BY J. CROSBY MCCARTHY,
Staf Correspondent.
SAN ANTONIO, Tex. Camp Wilson.
November 2T-"Tf the folks back home
want to make a big hit with the
militiamen from the District of CO.
lumbia, send them books. Don't wait
until Christmas. but send them now,
and later on send some more"
This is the advice. given by Chaplain
Arthur L. Smith of the Sd Infantry.
n. G. D. c., and it is based on his OBJ
servations at Y. NJ. c. A. building No. .,
where small circulating library is
maintained. The soldiers from the Ma
tional Capital want to read. but have
little reading material at hand with
which to crafty their desire. The few
books that are available are in great
demand. and sometimes there is wait
ing list of three four names for some
one particular book.
There are about 100 books in the
library maintained at the Y. NJ & A
building which is freduented by tne
District soldiers. OF this number, about
fifty volumes are the personal property
of Chaplain Smith, and the remainder
constitute a part of the circulating
library which the association MAINTAINS
in the camps along the border.
Shelves Seldom Used.
Shelves have been built to hold the
books but they are seldom used. AS
soon as a soldier returns book after
having read it. another militiaman
grabs it. Often man returning
book will be accompanied by a fellow
Ssoldier who wants to withdraw it and
does not want to run the chance OF
s.etting some other fellow get ahead OF
ihim.
seem to make any difference with the
militiamen. None of those on hand
now goes unread. Works on religion and
ancient history are absent from the
shelves almost quite as often as those
of fiction. Chaplain Smith reports that
there is in the library book on Chris
tian Science that is now thumb-marked
and worn as the result of frequent
readings.
stories of adventure appear to be the
favorites with the militia. Fiction
stories based on history also are pop
ular.
1T is strange that men who have
been living under canvas Tor nVe
months should be interested in books
telling of camp life, but such is the
case" said Chaplain Smith. "One would
think they would be more interested in
books telling of the luxuries OF home
life.
Books dealing with Mexico are in
great demand They may either be fic-
ton or historical works. just SO they
tell of Mexico and its people"
Hunters Bag Not Heavy.
Sergt. Maj. ]. Douglas Hood and
Sergt. Just c. Jensen of the Headquar-
ters Company went hunting yesterday.
They went in search of deer, but only
bagged two hawks. two rabbits and
road runner. They also brought back
with them two pairs of painful arms
and legs the result of their encoun-
ters with mesquite thorns and cactus.
At present the color of the hair
which adorns the head of Sergt. Love-
less of the headquarters company
closely resembles that of the setting
sun, but it is apt to become gray II
some of the other regiments in camp
do not stop stealing the marches
which he arranges for the Sd Regi-
ment's Drum and Bugle Corps. This is
generally conceded to be the crack
drum and bugle corps Of the camp,
and the men of the other like organ
izations watch it's movements very
closely. If the Sd Regiment corps
comes out with a new march the
bugIers will be playing it in few
days. Sergt. Loveless. who is bugler
with many years of experience, has
large repertoire of marches. and every
lay he tedcheS a new one 10 HIS
men The marches which are the most
popular are Canadian Centennial.
"CheIsea," IN the Army Now. "Ameri-
can Flag" Twenty ninth Infan.ry.
Pay Day" DROPS of Water" Bum
boat Man" and inspection.
Digging Panama Canal"
First Lieuts. Charles E. Smithson,
George A. Monagon and Francis G.
Martin, the battalion adjutants, today
are in charge of details aggregating
135 men, which are engaged in digging
n drainage ditch from one end of the
I'd Regiment camp to the other. Lieut..
Aonagon calls il miniature Panama
canal, for the ditch is about 800 yards
long and in some places as much as
three feet deep. Lateral bitches will
extend down each of the company
streets" and IL is hoped to provide
better drainage in this manner so that
the gumbo mud will not be such a great
problem following rains.
Several enlisted men of the Sd Regf-
nent whose homes are located in Alex
andria county. Va, were the guests of
Chaplain Smith the other day at the
theater and dinner party The men all
Aive within short distance from Fort
sMyer and are neighbors of the chap
Jain. whose residence is near Rosslyn.
The men went into town early in the
afternoon and after seeing several
movie" shows had dinner at a Mexican
restaurant. They sampled all kinds of
dishes from south of the border and
came to the conclusion that red pep
pers constituted the chief ingredient of
each of them. BY the time the meal
was finished their mouths felt as IL
they had been eating molten lead. one
of the men declared. After dinner an
other movie" was visited. and then
the party went TO one of the larger
theaters to see a vaudeville show.
Members of the Party.
Included in the party were Sergts. j.
d. Kelly. T. Gilman. Henry Clarke, jr..
and J. Quinn; Corps. T. Haines and ].
Hammond! and Privates Leo and c.
Wise. Sergt. Henry Clarke of the
Quartermaster Corps of the regular
army. who is stationed at Fort Sam
Houston. also was in the party. He is
the father Of SerXt Henry Clarke, ir.,
of Company q of the Sd Regiment.
The senior Sergt. Clarke served in
the regular army for thirty years be-
fore being retired and was in the re-
serve corps at the time the National
Guard was mobilized and sent to the
border. The services of experienced
men were greatly needed. and he was
called into the army again and sent IN