The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1917-07-16
E CHARTERED
AMAZINGLY ORDERLY ALREADY
SYSTEM AND HEALTH THE
ORDER OF THE DAY.


Persons having doubt of the inter
est taken in the welfare Of the men
enlisted in the company for Madison
should take the pains of looking the
matter up in a visit to their quarters
il the East hall of the Normal build
ings. The organization of their Gull
nary departments and sleeping &C
commodations were the first TO re-
ceive attention. And whatever else
there is to do about the place, there
Is always sufficient men detailed to
those departments to furnish plenty
of food and serve it expeditiously.
And everything in the culinary de
partments is scrubbed every day
whether it needs ii or not.
Yesterday was largely given over
to registration, assignments to duty,
and organizing the commissary de
partments. X. Wickham, coveted by
the officers to take charge of the
kitchens, came this morning and re
lieved a strained condition, Under
Mr.. Wickham's instructions it is
hoped that some very good company
cooks will result and that the men
will wax hearty.
The hours of the program will be
much the same for sometime. The
subject matter of the program will
vary little from day to day, and will
only be a gradual development of the
frolicsome gentry into alert soldiers.
Individual instruction will be under
taken first, then the squad, then tine
platoon and lastly the company in
full strength. They have consider
able to learn. One thing is the salute.
To-day the men were taking no
chances on the salute thing-they
Just saluted everybody in sight to
make certain.
First thing the bugler toots, and a
little reveille sounds. They assemble
at 5:45 and have Is minutes in set
ting up exercises. Then they have
mess. "a visiting lady wanted to
know this morning why their differ
ent victuals were not kept separate
instead OF being served the men in
a mess
One of the first and most easily
taught of all military evolutions are
those in connection with this mess
business. The men form outside
and they learned it quickly. Then
they are marched round the building
TO the ear and the line enters
through the large kitchen. To each
man is given a plate and side dishes
by the cooks, with their portion Of
food on 1t. The line goes into the
dining room and each man reaches
his assigned place in an orderly man
ner, and all are seated at tables, six
on. Coffee, tea or water are served
In the dining room. With the COLA
ton before them the men need no
further instruction.
The writer was in their kitchens
and dining rooms today at shortly
after l o'clock. The men We're just
finishing up the work of cleaning
and arrangements after the 1870
mess. The dishes were stacked. the
floor was mopped-mopped, not
swept. but mopped-the tables We're
scrubbed. Even the chairs We're
wiped clean, as If they had been any
thing but clean before. There may
be places that present an equal de
gree of cleanliness. but there is no
place cleaner.
The instructions cover everything.
Ii you can think of a thing conducive
to personal comfort. health or gen
eral ~well-being. il is embodied in the
instructions. The sleeping quarters
are inspected every day and the re
quiraments are rigid. And as their
education is carried forward toward
the perfect soldier. their work will
become more exacting, and their time
more wholly taken up.