Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1917-04-20

practice. And from your bath you step
into your uniform.
That's the system at Fort Mcpherson
as arranged by Captain HUMBER All
YOU have TO bring TO the post is
Souni body and some determination.
Your trousers may be worn ana frayed
AMI your coat may be ragged and your
shoes may be run down. and your hat.
may be the fragmentary headpiece OF
the chap who likes his bed in box cars;
but all that doesn't matter. The army
doesn't care whether your shirts yell
low with age just so your spine isn't
OF the same tint. Uncle sam wants boys
with hearts of real gold
And he's getting them.
From the shower bath you enter that
new uniform OF brown. with every
thing that's new. with shoes that ft,
and that are comfortable. And as you
begin 10 lace the strong. reddish-brown
shoes OF the United states government
YOU do so with JOY in your heart. for
YOU are assured no bill collector will
poke his head into your front door
about the first of the month.
NO MORE INSTALLMENTS!
You no Ionge. have TO worry about
the dollar down ana the dollar-a-month.
or the up-one-fiight-and
'em-if-y GU don't-like' EN-. Uncle Sam
your tailor and he makes clothes that
nj. and he doesn't care how rough on
clothes you are. You're given the priv
iIege OF determining the future of the
clothes you've left behind. You can
wish 'em of on some home for ragged
ruffiaus. you can burn 'em. or sell EN-.
or keep 'cm or send 'em home for
mother 10 hang on the wall and point
them out TO your cousins and aunts
and say. There are the last clothes
Johnny wore before he became a man"
Then they dig you out a place TO
sleep in the quarters Of some Of the
companies in the different barrack
buildings. but they don't let you sleep
with the Germans. Only the sentries
are allowed TO get close enough to the
TeutOns 10 be able to describe their
eyebrows.
After being uniformed the McPher-
son recruits jay-walk across to the hos
iptal where they are introduced TO zap
tain James /. Robinson and his needle.
With the assistance of a number of
the officers of the Georgia Field Hos
pital company, now stationed at the
post. he examines them and they're
officially sworn in. Then they're vac
cinated as a safeguard against typhoid
and para-typhoid. Sore arms are plen-
tiful at he post, but there are no sore
heads.
GETS A TOOTHBRUSH.
After a. rookie has been duly exam
ined and uniformed, and given a birds
eye peek lat the post ne is supplied with
a toilet kit, which he must cling to
through thick and thin. through peace
and war. In this kit can be found
a razor, a tooth brush, some tooth
paste shoe polish, towels, etc.
Non-commissioned officers and some
of the best privates Immediately take
squads of recruits and drill them, which
is hardly more than good exercise for
the first few days. There is plenty of
it, however, because the rockies are
kept walking about six hours day.
The work of the recruit is light anC
he has plenty of time 10 write, read.
greet his mother when she comes to
see him, look at he Germans-from a
distance. and inspect the entire post
Not more than 800 of the men sent
to Fort Mcpherson to be sworn in will
be retained I'm the Seventeenth. These
500 will be divided up among the COM
panies Of the Seventeenth 10 raise the
different companies to full war
strength. The remainder of the rockies
will be sent elsewhere. and those who
are to be sent away will not be sup
post Those who will remain, however,
will be given guns within two weeks
time.
a YEARS TRAINING.
Captain Humber stated that all rock
les would be taught Immediately nand
grenade throwing, trench digging and
first aid.
1t takes fifteen months TO make a
man a good soldier" said Captain Hum
Der thoughtfully. "A man isn't good
soldier until he understands first aid
and ali the rudiments of soldering. lie
can look like a million dollars on the
parade ground in dress parade and then
be far from what we call good man.
The Seventeenth is full of good men.
They're some of the very best soldiers
we've ever seen.
The recruits sent us for the last
few days are unusually good to look
upon and I have rarely seen so vigor-
Gus and healthy a lot. We're getting in
good shape at he post now. and will be
getting splendid results within the
next few days"
Tents are springinG up on the Fort
Mcpherson grounds like vegetables in
a rich garden. There are nearly one
hundred of them up now. and they're
well-arranged. One rookie remarked that
the post looked just like a painted pic
ture. And it does.
A PAINTED CITY
The buildings at the post are. red
topped. and they seem even redder in