The Dolores star., 1917-11-02
A o,gaaization is
being trained in the
science of ambush
at Ame,7can Uni
verSity :: H1 their
business nhideguns
andmafe,10Iofsva
from our enemies

Washington.-Of the novel units
which are being organized for the first
time In the military history Of the
United States, probably the company
Of "camoufeurs" 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 "camoufeurs" have set
themselves. Camoufage 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 80 concealing or
Disgusting an object that the enemy
cannot recognize it for what 1t is. A
peaceful rock II discovered when too
late to be a death-dealing gun. A
mound Of earth heaped above a trench
shows no sign of human occupancy,
when the incautious enemy learns to
his cost that the seeming mound was
row Of invisible helmets with a rifle
man behind each. A hedge conceals
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
It 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
engineefk It was this appeal which
caused Barry Faulkner, the artist, and
Sherry ID. Fry. the sculptor, ON an
evening some months ago. to call to-
gether In New York AZ many Of their
artist friends n they could assemble
with the idea Of organising and Offer
Ing to the government the services
Of the artists Of America to aid the
American troops in France to ambush
the Germans. Camoufiage, by the way,
y only another name for ambush. It
was 6rst 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 his
own scheme Of costume colors. How
ever that may be, ambush always has
been more than half the art of the
fighting Indian. and the modern ca
mouflage was his natural resort. When
the white man came with the shotgun
the Indian at first had the advantage,
for he 80 blended with the landscape
that the superior marksman could not
distinguish him, and the bow and mr.
row won many bloody triumphs over
che gun. In the day Of the short-range
musket with which our early armies
were equipped the necessity of con-
cealment was a. great as in the days
Of the pioneer, and the woodsmen who
fought In the Continental army and
who picked OF the British in 1872 had
learned better than expose themselves
70 the enemy In red coats. Then came
the long-range rife. and the art Of
concealment and disguise became less
serviceable. With the invention Of the
airplane. however, the need Of inge-
nious devices for hiding troops and
equipment from the enemy again be-
came vital, and the French developed
lt until It ranks with the best of their
military achievements.
It was knowledge of this need and
of the new problems injected into the
science Of war by the airplane that
drew these artists together in New
York. Nineteen responded to the first