The Washington herald., 1917-04-23
"BOUD0IR STREETS
CLOSED To VISITORS
Military Rigidiy at Service School
Camp Chills Sishtseers.

At $40 o'clock yesterday afternoon tn,
! military atmosphere over. above, arounc
! and through the National Service Schoo
encampnfent at Conduit road and ths
District line was so thick that there wal
some talk Of slicing 1t up and giving Il
away as souvenirs.
The strange part about It all was that
Sunday relaxation was supposedly n
effect, when every fair young woman IN
high-laced boots and khaki was pre-
sumed % be at liberty TO show heI
friends over the entire camp, with thu
! exception, Of course, of the ''boudoii
streets" from which mere men are re-
ligiously barred
From the time the hundreds of visit
ors were greeted by Policeman Costello
of the First precinct, who had TO mark
the District line on the ground with q
stick in order to keep inside his beat
until they had seen the last, least cook
tent, 1t was a wonderful, patriotic pano-
rama OF khaki, khaki and more khaki.
A sleepy reporter. dropped of a Cabin
John Bridge car at the District line yes
terday afternoon and was greeted by a
weird silence, that seemed to be Impress
ed on every moving thing in sight. Pri-
Yates saluted their officers in whispers
visitors asked directions in hushed voices,
and orders were given with bated breath.
1t was all strange to the newcomer
who demanded in husky tones the mean.
ing Of the silence
"Sh-h," breathed Assistant Comman.
dant Elizabeth Something or Other
church services are going on in that
| tent Step right in"
Inside Rev. Charles A Wood, Of the
Church Of the Covenant, was praying
Here the stiffness, but for the sound OF
the preachers voice, was oppressive
~ 4.
to an end with a song; but II wasn't g
hymn. 1t was THE Star Spangled Ban
ner."
Escaping from the church building, the
reporter burst into the sunshine to greet
condition even more strange than the
overpowering silence- Every one had
suddenly galvanized into ramrod rigidity,
Across the drill field. or whatever It was
a mess sergeant, bareheaded, was stand.
ing at attention Down the way. a bunch
of privates had been frozen into ''as-
they-were' positions by the first strains
OF the anthem. Everywhere was this
military rigidity as a salute to the an
them
The fair young woman who consented
to guide the bewildered reporter over
the array Of soil and stubble, where tent
after tent reared itself from the ground
pointed out the cook tent, the bake tent
the map-readIng tent, the field telegraph
tent, the wireless tent, the Red Cross
tent, the photograph, knick-lnack, ad'
ministration, and a maze OF other tents
They had camp inspection earlier In
the day and everyone was "an dolled
up" in Sunday attire, only they do not
call II that in camp. The girls were all
looking for the boys, and the boys were
looking for the girls, and those Of the
fair privates who were stuck for guard
duty, tucked back unruly locks, faced the
sun with Spartan determination and
thought Of their country and their own
supreme sacrifice.
All persons journeying to the National
Service School Camp are warned to take
along cigarettes. They don't sell 'em out
that way. There is no special reason.
but you can't get 'em, unless you're
lost to shame and borrow one Coffee
is ten cents and so are Ice cream cones,
and as the ground is dusty. shoe shines
are the same price.
At AS o'clock. the fair young woman,
who was guiding this portion of yester-
days camp review, jammed back another
stray lock OF hair. looked at her wrist
watch and announced that she was going
on duty at 4:5o. although the nature
of the duty was not altogether clear.
Whereupon, Car No. Isl came along, and
most OF the crowd that was gathered
at the station got on and came back to
town.