Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1917-08-31

(Preceedlng Lessons: /. Your Post
of Honor; 2. Making Good in the Ar
my; 3. Nine Soldierly Qualities; 4.
Getting Ready for Camp
.x <osessss. sssssx ssgs
When the time comes for you to
enter the army, you will be instructed
to report at some convenient place in
your own neighborhood. The exact in
structions will be given later AS
quickly thereafter as proper arrange
ments can be made, you and the other
men who are assigned to report to the
same officer will be transported to the
training camp (or cantonment as it is
sometimes called)
There will be nearly forty thousand
men in each cantonment. The task Of
preparing for your arrival is enor-
nous. Each cantonment will require
I25, 100000 feet of lumber, 1900 doors,
$4,000 window sashes, 1866 casks of
Portland cement and 5000 yards of
broken stone. The water supply of a
cantonment will be 100000 gallons
day. 1t will have it's own sewerage
system, fire department, bakeries, ice
plants and hospitals. 1t will even
require a gigantic steam-heating plant
Sixteen cities, each with population
OF 10000 we'll cared for-that is the
task
In spite of the best efforts, it is pos
sible that some of the details may re-
main unfinished at the beginning of
your camp life. There will be GER
tain amount of hustle and apparent
confusion on the surface. Bear in mind
that underneath it all lies a we'll
thought-out plan. In working out this
plan everything possible has been done
for the comfort and convenience Of
individual soldiers. Don't grumble If
you run into some temporary delays or
Inconvenience at the beginning. One
of the tests of a good soldier is his
cheerful willingness to take things as
| thew are and make the best of them.
You are naturally interested in
| forming some idea of the camp life OF
soldier. The description which fol
lows will help you in forming this idea
However, there will be many changes
as you go along in your training.
AS the men in the National Army
must get ready in record-breakin2
time. their training will be more siren
uous than that of soldiers in peace
You will find there S plenty of hare
work ahead of you. The average en-
ergetic young American will be glac
of it.
The soldier arises for the day usually
at about six o'clock, little earlier in
the summer and a little later in the
winter. The buglers sound the call
known as reveille. The men dress and
fall in.
Your first experience of military
drill will probably consist OF setting
up exercises" which ordinarily oc-
cupy the first few minutes of the day
They consist of certain movements OF
the head, arms, trunk and legs which
are carefully designed not merely to
develop your muscles, but also to IN
crease your skill, grace, self-control
and self-reliance. At the same time
they will also put you into the right
frame of mind for a vigorous days
work.
In the mornings when the bugle
rings out the reveille, and you crawl
out of your bunk reluctantly, possibly
tired and core from the previous day
work, you will find yourself wonder
fully freshened and cheered up by a
| few minutes vigorous setting-up eXer-
cises. Watch their effect on yourself
and YOU will see why they are sc
\ highly regarded by most eApeflehc'
ed soldiers of the army. 1t will be
only a short time until you look upon
the early morning setting-up drill as
one of the pleasant features ofy our
day.
Then comes washing up and break
fact. Usually breakfast is followed by
half-hour for cleaning the barracks
and hunks and putting clothing and
bedding in order. Frequently the com
pany commander will inspect the bar
racks Immediately afterwards to make
sure that every man has attended tc
his part of the work. There is then
often some time which the trained
soldier uses for attending to his per-
sonal needs, tidying up his clothing
and the like.
The remaining two or three hours
of the morning are likely to be spent
in drill-at first in "close order and