The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1917-11-10
Boys at Camp Funston See Only.
Sincerity in Drill.
Stories of Comedy on Wooden
Guns Not Liked.
SLACKERS ARE A CURIOSITY
Men Who Hated To Leave
Home Glad They Went.
Boys Win Be Kept Good and
Warm This Winter.
BY sERGr. LEO c. MosER.


Camp Funston, Nov. 10.-Daily pa
pers have informed the citizenry that
the soldiers in training at Camp
Funston are uniformed in blue denim
and that they are drilling in the
manual of arms with wooden guns.
Several feature articles, written no
doubt by desk men who have not Wis
tied the camp, have appeared in pop
ular dailies which play up such facts
as these in a jocular tone as If they
were highly entertaining.
The boys who come from an earn-
est days drilling-including several
miles of marching, hours of infantry
drill and two or three charges up thes
steep side of a bluff at double time
do mot see the joke in this type OF
jocoe familiarity quite so readily.
The man who is putting his whole eff
fort into learning and working and
advancing does not like to be bothered
by some fool bystander punching him
in the ribs and grinning at him.
No SIackers There.
Slackers are a curiosity here at
Camp Funston and, as with all curf-
osities are studied only at a distance.
AS could be expected of the citizenry
of a nation which has emphasized
peace and industry for so long a time,
good number were reluctant about
leaving their homes and individual
plans to enter the service.
However, now that they have be-
come accustomed to the routine, have
experienced the exultant thrill of
marching in ranks to the beat OF
military music, have come to feel
that they are an important unit in the
greatest project that our country has
ever entered upon, the soldiery OF the
camp is 1913 per cent pure. q
To Illustrate: One of the men
from the second contingent who was
a m a info afV-xr
sistently growled for several days at
every inconvenience of the camp. Az
ter three weeks in the company, upon
re-examination, he was discharged be-
cause OF a weak heart valve. He
was free to go back to the employ
of the Standard Oil Company at his
old salary of $3.50. per month. Upon
request, he was given permission to
| stay in camp for twenty-four hours
! will he made a frantic but vain ef-
! fort to get into Truck company, the
I Quartermaster Corps, or a Supply
| Train.
Nearly every barracks is now sup
| piled with steam heat from a central
heating plant for each regiment OF
| twelve companies. Organizations of
! lesser strength and the officers are
supplied with stoves .
The men have received issues OF
, cotton khaki uniforms, wooden olive
crap uniforms, heavy wooden over-
NJ.
Iieece-hned underclothing. The
quanty of clothing that Uncle Sam rs
furnishing his nephews is far better
tnan the average civilian can or does
OBTAIN. The percentage who have not
received such full equipment is very
The mess is good. While the tables
are not furnished with the PASTRIES
salads, and desserts that are SO pleas
ing TO the gustatory sense, there Is a
great plenty of beef. potatoes. and
army puddlngs. There is always a
full supply of some articles that are
now becoming luxuries, for Instance.
cane sugar and navy beans. Appe-
tltes are sharpened by routine duties
so that the plain menu becomes ex-
tremely satisfying and paIatable.
one gullible rookie, after his first
i've mile tramp. was led to believe
that there was chicken in the army
stew. He consumed two plates with
great gusto but found that his third
plate only tasted like beef !