Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1917-10-21
AMERICAS KID BROTHER
Goes TO TRAINING CAMP
ooo'ooO Of Them Being Taught to
Become Strong Men and Val.
iant Soldiers.
HIS WELFARE COMES FIRST
Millions of Dollars Expended to Give
Him Benefit of Proper Sports and
Amusements and Make Him Fit
and Vigorous.
ny JAMES II. CoLL1ys.

and cncrgy-the army surgeons have
National Army cantonment, Uncle Sam
Will Immediately begin TO put moro
energy into him. He will live outdoors
sixteen hours a day, and get scientific
phEslcal training TO tune up every mus
Gle in his body and make II available
for endurance and hard work. War is
the most energetic activity of mankind.
They will fill the Kid Brother full of
the energy of the athlete and give
him the enjoyment of properly trained
muscles that comes to the acrobat
They will do this and then mu,ipIv
him by 100000 and the sum total of
him will be COO, ono American bows with
more energy and better ideas of how
to use it than have ever been nossesscd
by an equal number of Kid Brothers
III this generation.
This energy is being generated 20
fight the Germans. But before It can
be applied Oh the western front there
Is problem even more serious than
fighting Germans to be solved. Unless
you give that much energy and ample
outlet 1t is going to wreck something
If it cannot find anything else to wreck
1t will wreck itself
FOSDICK Is IN CHARGE
OF CAMP ACTIVITIES
y n
the Mexican border there were 5000
Kid Brothers in our National Guard
camp near town which had not even
4 pool room. much less n moving pic
ture theater. The one organized out
let for energy there was we'll
equipped efficiently run red-liGht dis
trict. Many of those 5000 soldiers did
the logical thing-proceeded to wreck
themselves. They were so successful
that the War Department hurriedly
sent trained social workers to see what
could be done to stop the damage. and
one of these social workers who is
now In charge of tho training camp
activities Of the National Army resolved
as he stood in the desolate streets OF
Douglas. Ariz, that if he ever got
chance to provide healthful outlets for
soldiers energy he would certainly do
the best job that he knew. To-
day this man. Raymond 3. Fosdick,
has charge Of the training camp ac-
tivities of our new National Army, and
what sort OF n job he is doing you
may judge for yourselves.
The Kid Brother knows that when lie
goes to camp Uncle Sam will have pro-
vided for him uniform. n rife, q place
TO live and sleep and proper instruction
In the soldiers discipline and duties.
He has probably seen some figures of
the food that he is to eat the millions
of pounds of beef, and beans, and Jam:
the trainloads of potatoes. and onions,
and cabbage. He is willing 10 do this
patriotic service as soldier. Yet he
may also feel that his period of SOL
Gicry, whether IL last one year or five.
may be so much time dropped out of
his life. spent in a sort of jail far from
the people and the things that he likes.
If he has heard anything at all about
training camp activities. it is probably
about only that pnrt of it which relates
TO booze and vile So much has been
said about safeguarding his morals that
he may have good reason to think that
he is going to have pretty. dull. sissi-
fled sort Of n time
WILL HAVE; CHANCE
TO SEE GOOD SHOWS
Suppose the Kid Brother comes from
some country town where good shows
are seldom seen. If he got chance
10 see real Broadway success under
the management of n man like Marc
klaw, he would not let it get by Well.
he is going TO a place where there Will
he n theater under the management of
Mare Klaw, and will have n chance to
sec some of the real broadway sue
cesses. Booze and vice have received
altogether too much publicity in con-
n"ction with the soldiers training. Mr..
FoSdick says-thcy are negative ac-
iVitiea in his job, and also the least
important and most unintcrestinE. De-
spite great public curiosity in this
phase Of the work, there has been
little difficulty In making our training
camp surroundings clean The army
has enlisted local police officials in
every training camp territory, and
these territories have been cleaned
up and vice and booze arc giving little
trouble. and that is about all here 10
to say of them.
Inc active work is much more inter-
esting. This is divided into work in
side The chffp and outside ih adjoining
cities and towns. Each cantonment
VIII nave its own thcater. seating $500
people ana in these thcatcrs every
night thcrc VIII be shows given by pro- |
teSSlohal actors and actresses travel
'hs OH reguinr circuits, far above the |
average theatrical amuSemcnts aynil- |
able TO 20 per cent or the boys i'm their
nome towns. Two weeks every month
VIII be given UP to Legitimate drama. !
good plays, and musical shows. Cur
rent successes from the big towns ono
week VIII be given up to moving pic- |
lures and vaudeville. and the fourth !
week to lectures, concerts and anna
teur stuff Amateur night I'm an army |
cantonmcnt will he new idea in this
Famous institution. Voluntary singers
and actors from the towns and cities
round about Will be invited to appear. |
ana because turn about is fair pInv. |,
the civilian population OF these cities
VIII be invited to attend as an audience