New Britain herald., 1917-08-22
LESSON NO. g. YOJTR. EQUIPMENT AND ARMS.

H
 dier. 3. Nine Qualities of a Soldier. l
 4. Getting Ready for Camp. 5. First l
 Day in Camp. 6. Cleanliness in 1
 Camp. z. Your Health. 8. March
 ing and Care of Feet) Each soldttr in modern army car l ries with him sufficient food, clothing, ] shelter, fighting arms, and ammuni- i ton to take care of himself for a short period in case he should be sep arated from his company. The total weight of his load, in addition to the clothes he wears, is 50 to 70 pounds. | The number of articles Is surprisingly large They are so devised, however, that by ingenious methods of packing | and adjusting they can all be carried with the least possible effort.
 You are personally responsiblt for all the arms clothing, and supplies is- sued to you. The trained soldier keeps l track of them. He knows immediately 1 at any time where every one of his bt- | longings is to be found. You are re- 1 ouired to keep them in good condition. 1 In case you need other articles, they 1 may be issued to you; but their value | in that case will be deducted from l your next pay.
 You will receive on enlistment an ample supply of clothing including no1 1 only your uniform but extra snoes' shirts, underclothes, and socks. You l may not be able always to keep your l clothing spotlessly clean. But when 1t 1 becomes dirty or spotted take the nrs1 opportunity to clean it thoroughly. | Your shoes must be cleaned and pol ished frequently. Wet shoes should be carefully dried Army men frequently dry their shoes during the night by 1o fy,1c ~ 1Vxy o1 n pebbles heating them in meat can or kettle until they are very hot and then placing them in the shoes. So long as the pebbles are hot move them about once in a while by shaking the shoes. Take care not to heat the peb
 bles so hot that the shoes will be l schorched.
 In general, see to 1t that all your l clothing Is as neat and clean as pos 1 sible at all times. Mend rips and sew on buttons without delay. This will add to your comfort as well as ap
 pearance. Wear your hat straight. Don't af feet the smart aleclS'' style of tilting
 the hat. Keep all buttons fastened.
 Have your trousers and leggins prop
 erly laced. Keep yourself clean
 shaved Carry yourself like a soldier
 Bear in mind that there is a ten dency in camp life for men to become careless and untidy. You must use 1 every means to eounteract this ten
 dency. For this purpose the customs
 and regulations of the Army empha-
 size the necessity for personal neat
 ntss and cleanliness. The good sol l dier keeps close watch on himself. Besides his extra clothing a soldier
 carries a blanket, a rubber poncho, a
 canteen, a mess kit, including meat can, knife, fork, and spoon, a cup, toil-
 ct articles, first aid package, and
 some rpinor belongings.
 One of the most useful pieces is { one-half of a shelter tent. with rope and pins. The shelter tent is said to be a French invention which was in 1 troduced into the American Army dur ing the Civil War. In the army 1t is often called "dog tent'', evidently 1 because of its shape and small size. Two men can combine their halves
 and set up shelter tent in a few
 minutes While 1t can not be de- scribed az roomy, it Is just what it's 1 name implies, ''she1ter" from wind and rain It Is used only in tom DOT l ary camps.
 Your chief fighting tools will be. a rifle a bayonet in a scabbard, car fridge belt, and an intrenching tool. l Other weapons or defenses needed in ; modern trench warfare will be re- ferred to later. Do not under any cir
 cumstances lose track of these articles i while on field duty. So long as you nossess them, you are an armed sol- dier capable of defending yourself and of nerformine effective service. With out them YOU are for all practical pur- poses helpless Of course. this state ment does not apply strictly to those men who are armed in some other way, such as those who are serving ar tillery or machine guns.
 The rifle is the soldiers closest friend. His first thought should be to guard it and care for it above all his other possessions. He expects it to take care of him in emergencies. In 1 ordinary times he must take care of l 1t.
 Tn caring for a rifle it Is especially 1 important to keep the bore clean In so doing be sure to avoid 1njuring the delicate rfing, which causes the bull l let to spin as it is forced out and thus 1 greatly increases the accuracy of fir l ing. Never put away rifle that has been fired or exposed to bad weather without first cleaning it. Never lay | rifle flat on the ground. Rest it se- ! curely against something. In lower i ing the rifle to the ground, whether during drilling or at any other time, see that it touches the ground gently.
 Don't play with your rifle. rifle { or revolver, whether loaded. or unload ed, should never be pointed at per son unless you fully intend to shoot that person, if necessary, in the per- ! formance of your duty. When fire arm is put into your hands you are | intrusted with great responsibility ! for it's proper use. < Anybody in normal physical condi- tion can learn to be good shot. Two