Shoshone journal. [volume] (Shoshone, Idaho) 1884-1931, 1917-11-16

and begin passing through an endless
series of Squads right" columns
right" attentions" and facings until
finally you are ordered. "as you were.
and you begin all over again. So the
drill goes ad infinitum.
Long after the eight hour law has
been broken you return to the barracks
to plow the real estate from your
"physog' after which you enjoy that
rare privilege of dissecting an army
stew. This done you are dismissed for
the day. You are tired but neverthe-
less, after a long day of stern dicip-
line you crave some sort of diversion.
vnn would like to see a good entertain
ment, hear some good music. or listen
10 someone tell humorous stories until
the noise of repeated commands and
the monotony of wheeling columns had
| been drowned and forgotten. Or per-
haps you Want TO write home to the
But wanting thing and getting it
are two different propositions. Where
are you going to get your entertain
ment when you are is miles from
from leaving camp. What is there for
man 10 do between mess time and |
taps? with 2445 men in your company |
the beds are by necessity so close to- |
gether that there is no place left for |
writing tables and no place to sit upon |
except your bunk, and even if you were
supplied with these the probelm of sta
tionery and writing materials would
remain unsolved. 1t is also not GUS
tomary for man to read without hav-
ing something to reod, or listen to
humorous stories without having some
one to tell them or some place in
which to hear them.
The foregoing is in no way a criti-
cism of the camp. Camp Lewis is the
most comfortable and luxurious that
has ever been constructed and the Of
fcers are extremely considerate of
thir men. When one is soldering he
does not expect to enjoy drawing room '
comforts. Yet to be suddenly picked
up from civil life. where you enjoyed
on abundance of social AMI educational s
privileges. and placed in an army camp '
where there is total lack of such en- t
joyments, except for an intimate num- {
Der of bugle and whistle caHs, is. to I
put it mildly a shock. g
This, then. is the reason for some of /
the unorthodox stunts executed on the i
men to sit around in their barracks at t
night without offering them any il
would make every man in r
he army homesick before As hours. +
Moreover. if you do not provide whole 4
some diversions for the men, their in b
late social instincts will prompt them S
o seek unwholesome pastimes when t
ver the opportunity presents itself.
Every night in the "Y'' buildings
here is something to hold the atten-
ion of the men. The social programs
nay consist of movies, vaudeville slxits, m
ogues. bumurous stories. boxing. n
yrestling, "Juju the magician" and al Is
ogether be fearfully and wonderfully d
onstituted. but nevertheless they in W
roduce a freshness and spirit in the II
len that is well worth the trouble. te
II you had been in one of the build Il
,gs last night. you would never again d'
uestion the propriety OF these pro- m
rams. At 5:45 p. m. during the mess
our. there was not soldier in the
About o'clock pianist
ad struggled in and by $40 a flock of -
ghtengales had invaded the premises ~
bout the piano, that foretold the early W
emise of such favorites as 'There's tn
Long Long Trail" and Goodbye su
Hello France" In
In the meantime in another part Of Jo