The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1917-10-30
GOOD LITERATURE
SOLDIERS "CHOW'
Home Papers Are Hid Between Mat
sresses Till Every Line is Read
Soldier is Newsboy's Friends.
Record Bureau, Camp Jackson.

4eCSO1o Soe1 O0tNP
If ever a people craved informa-
ton, term it curiosity if you care, it
is the soldiers at Camp Jackson.
Every scrap of printed matter in the
form of a newspaper is "chow" for
a soldier. Chow, by the way, is the
term used in the army to serve in
the place of breakfast, dinner and
supper. They literally eat up all
that they can get in print.
The Sunday issues of the newspa-
pers come in for the big share of the
weeks happenings and anything per
tanning to the army and navy is close
ly scanned and any reference to "our
branch of the service" gets a second
glance. "Soldiers are merely men,"
said an old army officer a few days
ago. "Just like the fellow that you
see at civil work only he is CARRIED in
a uniform and remembers that with
him the little customs that once ne
was familiar with and practiced un-
consciously meet consideration and
he questions if it comes under the
regulations" While to many this
seems unusual, it can be most easily
explained by saying he questions if
it affects his discipline.
So the soldier reads about home
and the country, the sea and Of its
travel, the foreign battle fields and
the life of the civilian population OF
our allies. The soldier Graves infor-
nation about himself and all these
things are "chow," especially when
it is in a newspaper. Why so? Very
easily answered. There is very lit
tie space for a soldier to pack away
books in his barracks. A newspaper
gives him the information necessary
and when he has devoured its con-
tents, it is passed on to his bunkle-
the fellow whose cot happens to be
along side of his, and so on until
the next bunkie exclaims that he has
already punched it; then to the trash
basket it goes and there is no trace
of trash.
Sunday, when the drill period is
tabooed, finds the fellow you knew
at home, sitting on the edge of his
cot, his face dug down in the folds
of a newspaper and a bunch on either
side of him stealing a glance at the
headlines and doing his best to find
out who won the prize in his home
county for canning the most toma-
toes, who sold the first bale of cot
ton, who killed the largest hog, when
the next increment of his pals move
and all of the things that you read
yourself.
The little fellow who calls in the
early morning to leave your paper on
your front step, and he must do it
in silence, finds the soldier up and
awaiting him. 1t must be fine for
those newsboys who find the front
doors closed to get a bright CHEEKY,
"Here boy, paper" He finds men up
and doing, all dressed the same, all
with an eagerness to get their hands
on a newspaper. The "newsy" knows
hiatt the soldier is his best friend and
sad will be the plight,of that man OF
bunch of men caught roughing it fol-
the "kid with the papers," paper
here" is the CHEEKY greeting to good
morning, for both newsy and soldier
are on too intimate terms and in too
big a hurry, one to get the paper, the
other to get into the next company
street before some other newsy beats
him to it.
The paper from home is saved un-
til the big daily has passed on its
Journey and then it comes in for the
big feast. Under the mattress is goes
until some time can be found when
it can be carefully gone over, when
the ~"locals" can be read and re-read
when the advertisements can be scan
ned and until the news from home is
thoroughly digested, the paper from
home is hidden away for another at
tack of a greedy, hungry news hum
ter"
We often wonder how many of our
boys are receiving The Press and
Banner! Not as many as should be.
If you have a son or brother who is
away why not have The Press and
Banner sent to him? The cost is
very little, (less than two cents an
issue) compared to the pleasure it
would give him. If he is changed
from one camp to another, it is only
necessary to motif yus and we will
make the change and send it to his
new address.