The Ordway new era., 1917-11-02
I'm 0,;gunization is
being framed in the
science V ambush
at american Uni
ver5ity :: HD their
business foMdeguns
andmate,7aiofzvar
from OHi" enemies
from our enemies

"ashington.-Of the novel units
which are being organized for the first
time In the military history of the
United States, probably the company
OF "camouileurs" now in training at
Camp American University will create
the greatest popular interest; partly
because 1t is composed of the leading
artists, sculptors and architects in the
country, but more from the unique task
which the "camoutleurs" have set
themselves. Camouflage is not a new
military term developed by the war.
On the contrary, 1t is an old slang
word of the French stage, intended to
be descriptive of the makeup of the
actors. In its military sense, in which
1t Is now popularity known, the term
refers to the art of so concealing or
Disgusting an object that the enemy
cannot recognize it for what 1t Is. A
peaceful rock is discovered when too
late to be death-dealing gun. A
mound Of earth heaped above n trench
shows no sign of human occupancy,
"i'h Nii'hhS iShi ho w
his cost that the seeming mound was
II row of invisible helmets with n rifle
man behind each. A hedge cOncealS
a regiment. and the onrushing German
finds death lurking behind the cleverly
contrived nest of shrubbery whose Sc
cret even his airplanes and his cameras
had failed to reveal.
1t is not surprising that the fasci-
nation of outwitting the enemy by
means of brush, color and ingenious
design should appeal to the artistic
sense of our painters, sculptors and
engineers. 1t was this appeal which
caused Barry Faulkner, the artist, and
Sherry f. Fry, the sculptor, on an
evening some months ago, to call to-
rether in New York rs many of their
artist friends rs they could assemble
with the idea of organizing and offer
ing to the government the services
of the artists of America to aid the
American troops in France to ambush
the Germans. Camouilage, by the way.
is only another name for ambush. 1t
was first employed by the American
Indian; perhaps not consciously, but
with such instructive naturalness, that
the Indian of history always appears
TO have been merged with the rock and
the forest in which he fought. Opin-
ion is divided as to whether the In
dian realized the effectiveness of MS
own scheme Of costume colors. How
ever that may be, ambush always has
been more than half the art of tn?
fighting Indian, and the modern ca
moufnpe was his natural resort. When
the white man came with the shotguh
the Indian Mt first had the advantage
for he SO blended with the landscape
that the superior marksman could not
distinguish him, and the bow and ar
row won many bloody triumphs over
the gun. In the day Of the short-ranse
musket with which our early armies
were equipped the necessity or con-
cealment was as great MS In the days
Of the pioneer, and the woodsnen VINO
tonight in the Continental army ana
who picked off the British In lSl2 had
learned better than expose themselves
To the enemy in red coats Then came
tho lonr-range rifle, and the art OF
conceolment and disguise became less
seryiceable. With the invention OF the
oirnlone. however, the need OF inge-
Mons devices for hiding troops anu
continent from the enemy again De
came vital, and the French developed
n until It ranks with the best OF their
r. ohI ovpmpntg.
II was knowledge of TINS heed n,iu
OF the new problems injected into tne
science Of war by the airplane tnat
drew these artists together IN New
vork Nineteen responded to the hrst