The Birmingham age-herald., 1917-05-28
Boys at McPherson Are Kept on the Jump, But
 It Agrees With Them
Continued from Page One,

(Continued from Page One)
 up the gruelling tasks of another day Thus it has been for the past 10 days
 and thus it bids fair to continue to the
 end of the three months.
 NO COMPLAINTS HEARD 1 But despite the strenuousness of the training there has been no complaint The men seem to realize that the na- tion is facing a crisis ana that upon them will rest part of the burden of drilling and commanding the army of conscripts soon to be called to the coors Men over 40 years of age wno probably haven't studied in a score of years or more are spending every spare moment boring over problems of military science set forth in the dozen or more textbooks which must be mastered The younger fellows, many of whom have just become 2l, march cheerfully for miles, despite the
 burden of 50-pound pack on their back and an army rife which seems to take on added weight with each step
 | Despte the hard work, doting parents need have no worries about their sons The little ones and the big ones are 1 thriving on the treatment The slen- | der ones are filling out; they are talk | ing on weght in the form of real muscle and are becoming hardened to l withstand even greater physical re- quirements which may come in cam | paign. The fat men are losing their | surplus weight, and instead, are de- l veloping smaller waists with hardier | limbs and chests. Men who could not 1 sleep at home. can hardly keep their | eyes open until they have finished | their studies. Dyspeptics and those without appetites consume such quan- | titles of simple but substantial food | that 1t takes the ingenuity of the mess | sergeant to make the $112.5 50 daily food | allowance provide enough for the 165 | men in his company.
 And this food allowance is based or wholesale prices which the quarter1nas- | ter pays in buying for 250O men,
 | Camp conditions are ideal All the mer l In the training camp are housed in bar racks which are well built and conven- , tent. They have never been occupied be- fore. There are plenty of windows and doors so that there Is no lack of light
 and ventilation. Cleanliness is obligatory These barracks are several hundred feet long with rows of cots oIp either side ot the aisle. Comfortable mattresses, pill lows. two blankets, four sheets and two pillow cases are provided All of those articles are new. The men look after their own laundry but inasmuch as wagons call every day, there is no trou-
 
 tories with hot and cold water are just in the rear of each company barracks. The mess hall and kitchen for each company are immediately in front. There are F of these groups of buildings, one for each company. There is base hospital where ordinary ailments are treated and also a well equipped post hospital, housed in a two-story brick building which is pre- pared to handle any case as we'll as the best city hospitals.
 About the only complaint the men have made so far-and they made that only in confidential way to a close friend or man in the. same squad-has to dc with the continuous confinement.
 DEPRIVED OF HOLIDAY The schedule for the three months course calls for holiday from Saturday afternoon until Sunday night at 10 o'clock each week. However, this was not possi. ble the first Saturday, due to participa- tion in the parade in Atlanta which was reviewed by Maj. Gen. Leonard Wood commander of the southeastern depart. ment, After working and drilling all morning and marching all over Atlanta and hiking to camp in the afternoon there was no chance for this holiday
 Then on Sunday, 1t was necessary to bt at camp to take the second "shots,, ol typhoid and paratyphoid serums and tc be revaccinated for smallpox if the pre- vious one had not taken Then on yes. terday (Saturday) afternoon, another holiday was lost because of the third shots which had to be administered te the 2500 "rookies.''
 Upon orders of the regimental surgeon no passes were issued until o' o'clock this Sunday evening so that the men might not exert themselves too much after he ing inoculated. However. there is no grumbling. and everyone seemed to i'm prove the time by reviewing some of the work of the past 10 ,days.{ Next Wednes. day. Decoration Day, bidA fair to be a