Weekly journal-miner., 1917-10-31
LEARNING WAR CAME
 STRENUOUS BUSINESS
Embryo Officers Are Given A Three Day Stretch Of Real Trench
 Life At Camp Stanley.

s. The retreat After having sue CcSsfully Withstood counter-attack, the attackers would again turn and face toward their own trenches. The next battalion would then come over
 the top and drive them rcar-ward through the trenches. It would then be the turn of the company to make
 an unsuccessful countcr-attack. Fol
 lowing this move, they would circle
 the entire trench zone and return to
 their original positions.
 By the use of this system, the in structors were able to rush the men
 through the course three or four
 times a day, giving everyone an op-
 portunity of practicing in the various
 steps leading up to complete trench
 attack. It was like practice in for
 nations for football game Each
 individual had his assigned place in
 the unit, and each was supposed to
 use every bit of strength and ingcnu- ] ity possible, without ovcrrcaching the limits of his objective In other
 words, the smoothcst of teamwork
 was desired.
 NO NNdhlili-N lNilldlllth III dlih~
 after the third day of this practice
 Very few dropped out, however. The work of the past eight weeks has
 hardened the bodies and minds of the men, and while they grumblc at tn,
 hard work of double-timing around with 40 pounds of pack and rife, they have acquired the downright stub bornncss to sec the game through.
 At night, the companies chancine to be in the trenches, slept there. Those held in reserve. slept in the open fields back Of the trenches. IL was cold. No man had more than one blanket The mosquitoes became familiar - even contcmptuous. The ground was hard and far from ac- cOmmodating. The men were tired. sleepy and incredibly dirty and sweaty. They had their meals out of their mess kits from the field kitch- ems. One or two handfuls of soil more or less in the ''slum" didn't matter, however. Hunger blinded them 10 these irregularities and ia tiguc rendered them obliviouS to the cold and the hardness of the ground
 Nor were they permitted to gain a real nights rest. Sentrics had to be posted. Patrols into no mans land had 10 bc sent out Night attacks were to be resisted. The various sleep killing duties were assigned by roster, so that each man bore his share Much of the work of details and rosters was done by the students themselves, acting as platoon and squad leaders.
 DiscomfortS in trench life were purposcly exaggerated. The object was not only to toughcn the men bui to ferret out those whose OVer-dcvcl- ! opcd love of case would make them unfit 70 endure the actualitics of com bat. Instructors were frank to say that the men bore up splcndidly un- | der the physical and mental strains l The men who remain in camp are the | pick of the horde that was taken 1T | and uniformed late in August The, ! are with very few exceptions, equip | ped with the makings of officers.
 The last half oi the wccK, follow ing the trench work was devoted to drills, such as are always necessary in Europe to bring the men back 10 a proper condition after a period in the crampcd quarters of the ditchcS. Al the same time, there was a noticeable change in the attitude of the officers. Where they had ground the men down with frequent "bawl- ngs out" before, they now displayed 3 keen desire to teach. Mistakes on the part of students were corrccted- even kindly. We take it that the wceding-out process has been and, with what they have eft, the instructors are now aiming To mold leaders of men. DiSciDlin, -cmains strict, however. If anything, Inc chalk-linc must be walked with wen more care than before.
 Courses such as student officers lavc been receiving will be duplicated or the drafted armies. There will be rigorous training for the soldiers both { lcrc and across the water. before hey take over sectors in the Western ' ront Uncle Sam must have hun lrcds of thousands of specialist fight . ITS before he can make the weight oi 2 lis hand felt in the battle royal of the $ nations.