The Coconino sun., 1917-05-18
FIRST ARIZONA INFANTRY

to tell your Boou peopie WndI atH trying to do for "our boys" as Chap lin of the First Arizona Infantry.
 No doubt there are but few people who know the relation of Chaplin to his regiment. Consequently he does not have the cooperation of the people which makes it impossible for him to do his best work. Briefly, the duty of Chaplin is to hold religious services on Sunday, bury the dead, and make report each month to the War Department of the births, deaths, baptisms and marriages.
 But no man, if he is hustler and really interested in the welfare of men, can be satisfied with the mere performance of the above prescribed duties. He is ever on the alert and ready to help the boys out of their difficulties. In fact, he is the one officer of the regiment who may be best approached by the men at all times and under all circumstances, with the assurance that they will re- ceive all the sympathy and help which their particular case may mer- it.
 And then you have to be on the lookout for the boy who has the wrong conception of what it takes to make a good soldier. So many get the idea that in order to make a, good soldier one must be tough" must drink, gamble, swear, etc. There, never was greater mis- take. As a rule our boys are morally clean, but, of course, tough will slip in occasionally and make his influence felt for a while but a few months military discipline usually works wonders in him. ...
 A great many people think that the Army is detrimental to mans char acter, can, honestly, say that if l had dozen sons I would urge them to take military training. Of course he is exposed to many evils, but if he has been properly trained in the home he will not yield to them any quicker than he would in civil life. In fact the only way to develop char acter is to come in contact of evil and overcoming it. The principal must be taught and developed in childhood but if boy has not had this training in the home, then military discipline will be of great benefit to him.
 Military training is not all. These boys must be clean, wholesome re- creation and place where they can read, write, play games, etc, and I am glad to say that we have such a place in our camp. The hall was built last July and dedicated to the men of the First Arizona Infantry, and for the past nine months has been in use night and day. It is we'll seated and lighted and equipped with games, books, stationary, victrola, etc.; also stage for amateur plays, a post-office, canteen, barber shop and
 
 laundry.
 Last July when I contemplated this building for the boys I found that the Government did not furnish anything of the kind in the field. Therefore I was up against it for funds, so took the matter up with the Chambers of Commerce over the state of Arizona, but to my great surprise did not re- ceive cent from any of them.
 Of course I naturally thought that Arizona was not interested in the welfare of her regiment, but after thinking the matter over 1 finally gave her the benefit of the doubt by concluding that she just didn't under stand the circumstances and the neces- sity of the hall.
 We'll, I might have given up the project then and there, but not being used to defeat I walked bravely into the city of Douglas one morning and walked out that evening with nearly S40000 and all kinds of games, writ ing material, and hundred dollar Victrola. But my cash was not yet sufficient for the hall, so I made trip to Bisbee, where raised $40.00 in forty minutes and with big do- nation from the Cochise Lumber Co.,, of Warren was able to build my hall and dedicate it to the men.
 Through the efforts of Mir. Selzer of Phoenix, several hundred books were collected from the citizens and sent to us. We also received some magazines from Tucson, some Vic trola records from Morenci, and smok- ing tobacco from the Red Cross at Phoenix. But nine months service has practically, exhausted our equipment and now that we will soon have 2000 men in the regiment, we will need to enlarge our hall and put in 2 moving picture machine and other things in