The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1917-10-11
STRICT TRAINING
CAMP DISCIPLINE
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT GIVING
ARMY BOYS OPPORTUNITY
TO DEVELOP.
ARE SERVED WHOLESOME FOOD
GROVE WILLS LOOKS AT CAMP
DODGE THROUGH OPTO-
MISTS EYES.


visional Cantonment, Camp Dodge,
Iowa, Oct. 6, 1917.-The first thought
THAT enters mothers, sweetheart's,
or sisters head; well we might as
well include everybody's head in this
statement, when the "Boy" is called
into the training camp, is only one of
ill-treatment, sickness and in the end,
death, or at least an opportunity to
pose as target. This might be
taken as the pessimistic side of ;he
selective CONSUMPTION. But parents,
sweethearts, friends and others, what
about the optimistic side of all this
government program? Have you
ever stopped to ponder over that? The
main reason why you have not is
because you have never been in the
position to view it but from one side
and the other is gathered from vague
newspaper reports alone. Permit me
to enumerate a few reasons why you
should be proud to have your boy IN
the army. 49,.
In the first place, the United States
lis fighting a righteous cause; that
has been proven to all during the last
few months, conclusively. And now
startling disclosures by former U. S.
Ambassador Gerard go still further
to prove that the fault, the reason
for this world wide war, lies anywhere
but with the United States. At least
you can be sure your boy is fighting
fer Christianity. But let US get
down more to individualism. They say
that the army will either make or
break" man. l guess it is true. 1t
is up to the boy. Surely if he is Of
the right calibre the opportunity to
"make" himself should be grasped.
Why choose the other alternative !?
There is the opportunity to improve
on his vocabulary Of profane words,
and to learn how to swear and ac-
cumulate other bad habits if he
hadn't any when he came; there is
an opportunity to shirk duty, drilling
exercising and other numerous re-
sponsibilities; there is opportunity to
disregard health and religious princi-
pies; there is opportunity to COM
plain about harsh treatment, "kick"
about the grub, and crab about your
position. ~
Yet there is glorious opportunity
to make" yourself here. You meet
thousands of men; you see where they
are at fault and you see wherein they
have attained an enviable height in
position and physique; you come in
contact with them and you learn how
they did it. 1t doesn't take long to
learn how those that took the other
route did it. l don't go so far as to
say all of US will attain the highest
proficiency in these lines, but we can
go as far as our ability will permit.
Meeting and becoming acquainted
with a countless number of men from
all over the country is in itself educa-
tional; the same result is obtained by
business men when they attend con-
ventions of their particular lines.
1t is possible for man to instill
manliness into man, it is being at
tempted here. The officers of our
company, and I take it that they are
!. no exception to the general rule, de-
vote large part Of time in their lee
lures to this particular trait IF
character. Discipline and obedience
are the watchwords, Listen while I
give you an idea of the Kind of advice
and warning our captain gave us the
other day. "You men,, coming from
all quarters of the-ceuntry," he said,
"must be brothers to one another, be
courteous to one another; work to-
gether; get behind each other and be-
hind your officers. Keep company F
at all times foremost in your minds
and always refer to it as my COM
pany." And "God help the man
whom l catch stealing anything in
this barrack." And IF anybody sees
anybody doing sopnething that You
think is not right, or if you want to
act tell-tale and backbiter, don't
come sneaking upstoa me, telling your
troubles; don't want any damn tell
tales in my company If l can't see
everything that~hsppens against
rules in this crowd, well, the perpe-
traitor will get away with it, that's
ALL" think that cover the manliness
feature. OF course, in your impatient
endeavor to get on, hpwsto Se court
I eous, You will overstep established
rules and especially when you have
not "a clear idea of how to distinguish
your superiors. You are compelled to
salute them, you know, but before you
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