Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1917-10-02
By WARD GREENE.

CANT JACKSON. Columbia, S.
c.. Sept. 27.-No more fitting place
could have been chosen for making
fighting men out of the lads sent
to the coIors from North Carolina,
South Carolina and Florida than
this open-hearted southern city,
capitol of the hot-blooded state
that was first to secede from the
union fifty years or more ago. and
now is second 10 none in spring
ing TO her defense.
Both by reason of its ideal loca-
ton in the sandhills of the slop-
ing Atlantic seaboaru. and its prox-
unity % the heroic environment of
Columbia itself, Camp Jackson
ranks high among the national
army cantonments that Uncle Sam
has planted from the Atlantic to
he Pacific in less time than 1t
takes congress to appropriate
money for the purpose.
Columbia is situated we'll near
the middle of the state of South
Carolina, within easy distance or
Charleston to the southeast, Au-
gusta to the south. Greenville,
Spartanburg and Charlotte to the
west and north. One reaches here
in a roundabout way from Allan
ia, the trip requiring nearly a
whole day, but that is because OF
the lack of straight railroad con-
nections. BY automobile. IL is only
a few hours run from half dozen
cities
Three months ago Columbia was
one of those rambling, pleasant,
old-fa shioned Dixie towns that are
the delight OF northern tourists and
the pride of every citizen VINO has
lived there longer than a year. Its
streets are broad and shaded; fire.
quent monuments look down on the
passerby; the houses are white
pillared. red-briclIed. frescoed with
green vines; a cemetery snuggles
near the center of the city, ricn
with .epitaphs. echoing to the laugh
ter of children who play among
the rusted tombstones. II Is like
Savannah. where old men ride BIZ
cycles up and down the flat streets;
or even New Orleans, with Its
Creole architecture and leisurely
ways.
Then there came a rumor. Can
tonments were TO be built in the
SOUTH The Carolinas were TO get
one. Columbia was being consid-
cred. So Columbia got up on its
hind legs and went after that can
Torment And Columbia got IL.
Today the change is marked.
man who used to live here but left
five months ago. only to return last
week. told me he never saw so
IN Tn1r
a political campaign, which is &C
tivity raised to the nth power
in South Carolina.
The streets are so full of soldiers
on Saturday nights that, broad
though the sidewalks are, passage
is difficult: lodging houses are
full and rents have gone sky-high!
rooms at the hotels must be engag-.
ed days in advance; the restaur-'
ants have scratched out luncheon
thirty-five cents" and substituted
table d'hote-one dollar and a
quarter; the stores wear a CAV
and thrifty holiday air; automo-
b,les are parked thick along the
curbing and rush madly around cor
ners; people smile jovially or else
wear that harassed expression
which indicates bursting pocket
books; Main street. from the grand
ole state house to the Jefferson
hotel. is it's own little Broadway:
the man who owns the drug store
on the off corner and was consid-
ering taking out bankruptcy, has
bought him a Ford and wears
cream vest with green stripes across
the buttons.
CHARM OF AGE AND LEGEND