The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1917-10-18

the soldiers of today. They could
keep order in a town against undis-
ciplined and unarmed men, but if
they had to go out in the woods they
wouldn't be worth half their number
of "crackers." If "war came to this
country" as Editor Major Brown
says, they would come in fine to drive
wagons and help the cooks. On the
firing line they would be in the way
of real soldiers.
We are not fond of criticising other
counties, but since Editor Major
Brown has taken it on himself to
practically insult our county, we will
tell him few things about it that he
doesn't know, and few things about
his own that he doesn't want to tell,
and maybe he won't be so clipper
about Dragging that they have "dif-
ferent men here"
They probably are some different.
People we'll acquainted with both
towns say there are plenty of men of
fighting age in ST. Petersburg. They
ought to have "home guards" They
seem to be staying at home.
How is it in Ocala Two years ago,
you could stand on a prominent street
corner in this town and soon count
scores of young men, passing by in
| tent on business, taking the girls to
ride in their cars. or meeting each
other at the soda fountain-a big
crowd of cheerful, bright young fell
lows, looking forwards to lives of
prosperity as citizens.
Where are they today? Some are
in France, scores are on the sea on
the nations warships, or in the reg
ular army and nearly all the others
are in the training camps. There are
not enough men of military age in
Qcala to make up platoon, let alone
a company. All that are here are
men not quite up to the military
standard, or with relatives dependent
on them, and very few who expect
to be drafted any day. Beside them
the male population of the town is
made up of school boys and men of
middle age or over. Ocala has home
guards a plenty, but most of them
have gone to the front to guard the
| homes or the nation.
Another thing. In 1916, the presi-
dent, expecting trouble with Mexico,
called out the National Guard. Mar
ion county was right in line, and
three days after the call sent over a
hundred men to the state camp. Edi-
tor Brown can tell how manyJPinel-
las sent. The recruiting officers went
out, and every day some Marion
county boy went to Black Point. Re-
cruiting officers didn't have much en-
couragement in Pinellas. We saw in
one st. Petersburg paper, the indie
/ pendent, we think, that an attempt to
organize company there had failed.
Marion county sent 100 men to the
border. Pinellas sent about twenty.
Those who went were mighty fine
young men, but they were few.
Pinellas has, this summer, formed
a good artillery company, and many
of It's young men have gone in the
army, navy and the officers training
camps, so Pinellas is now "doing its
Bit" But it isn't doing it we'll enough
to justify the Independent in CRITICS.
ing Ocala, and its safe bet that
none of its real soldiers, particularly
the boys who went to the border with
ours, approve of any such criticism.
We are afraid that Editor-M ajor
Brown is little bit Prussianized. He
has been instrumental in organizing
the Pinellas guards, which is a good
and useful force, and he can't help
4 hoI 1o1af fol MT %oIx -,.I
a county that hasn't similar force
| He reminds US of a little boy we
: knew when we lived in a city of some
fifty thousand people some thirty odd
years ago. There was baseball
craze on then that would make base
ball crazes of today look like a calm
and equable taste for golf. 1t was
particularly violent among the kids.
Every residence block had nine and
generally champion whose batting
average was double that of Ty Cobb's.
Every vacant lot was baseball dia,
mond, and as there were not any too
many vacant lots the grass was not
allowed to grow on any of them. We
rode one day on train from that city
to another some hundred miles off
We were accompanied by a small
boy, famous shortstop in his ward,
and knowing the records of all the
nearby champions better than he
knew his prayers. On the journey, he
said but little, but closely watched
the many open fields the train pass
ed. We asked him what he was
thinking about. and he said it looked
SO strange to see so many vacant
lots, and no baseball diamonds mark
ed out on them.
Editor-Major Brown thinks it looks
very strange to see a town without
a home guard drilling up and down
the streets.