The Dermott news., 1917-10-18
CAMP PIKE NEWS


the drafted man was seven-tenths
pool and billiard player and the bal
ance an eater for what buildings do
not house really magnificent pool
halls are restaurants
During the Officers Training Corps
school al Fort Logan H. Roots last
summer. the impression the Little
Rocker evidently had OF the student
officer was that nothing so charmed
him as waXed floor IA Jazz hand and
one OF Little Rocks fair maidens with
whom to trip off the fox trot. one step
or waltz
At first the War Service Boa1
rather encouraged the dances, Tor II
gave the young officers a pleasant d.
version OH Saturday afternoon and
night, hut when II vas carried %
the exfreme a halt WIS called that
Was obeysd with the CELEBRITY that
should accompany an army command.
There are other WAYS ef entertain
ing me young efiieer, A. Vel as ne
young soldier or course there are
dances. but they arc undrr proper 81
perNisiou. and if the soldiers 90 e
them. they must pay admission Moth
ing Is free any more. beeaus" Major
General Samuel u. Sturets does not
want it 50. He wants his men to be
independents not molly Goodies.
The War Service Board has made
All ideal arrangement for the dance
hall-or SO il has been pronounced by
the authorities at Washington. and
passed en- to New York officials with
the request thai they profit thereby.
rhe first step by the local War Ser
vice Board WAS 70 secure an audience
with one of Little Rocks wealthy citi
xens, the owner OF a building covering
almost an entire square This build
tng. erected for market purposes. Was
only half occupied. The owner Wis
asked to tear out all partitions in this
half. and put in hardwood floor =
replace that of Mosaic tile. thus con,
verting I into IN ideal dance hall
This would require the destruction
Of NJ least 100000 worth of properly
but the citizen saw where h. could
provide recreation for hundreds Of
soldiers each evening. and readily
agreed
The next step MAS "a secure the
passage Of an ordinance which re-
qures the payment of a license of
500 per month for the operation O.
4 dance hall This VAS for the par-
pose Of suppressing the small dance
halls that would otherwise spring mp
all over the city. and be policed with
difficulty The owner Of the large
building has also agreed 10 employ
an orchestra Of the very finest. and
the VA Service Board knows that a
citizen Of this kind will keep order al
all times This board does not intend
to Great mopoly. but any one whp
viii compete for the business will he
forced TO make equally "a ample pro
vision. and conduct place upon the
same high plane.
Such questions as these are taken
up daily by the War Service Board.
one by one they are threshed out. and
finally solved to the satisfaction OF
Major Genera! SturgiS and his twenty
or thirty thousand charges.
At Camp Pike there are artillery
men by the thousands, but so far their
artillery drill has all been dependent
upon pedal eXtremitios. The men are
fully uniformed. but there the equip.
ment ends. Nevertheless these men
are drilled in the art OF manning their
guns. 4 member OF each company
who is nifty With saw and hammer
has constructed heXagon shaped
frames which answer for the wheels
of the gun carriage The frame work
OF the gun carriage is then construct
ed TO look as much like the real thing
as possible. A fourinCh OAK sapling
does duty for the field piece The
men drill with these guns. becoming
familiar with their positions. even
though they cannot mount and be
jolted over the high spots until they
learn to stick on.
This amt like home" mused an
arttlletNman on his twelfth day OF ser
wee out the bafFaFkS are good ana
the meals cannot be complained II.
though il is not like home TO many of
us What | say though is let's get
through with this thing and get back
home. II it's fight, let's go out and
hoist the American flag in Berlin and
then return 10 our business"
Just then the mess call was sound
ed, and this recruit. who thought the
food was not what he was used TO at
home did not hesitate even to bid
hasty farewell to his audience. He
evidently believed that In order 10 be
in shape for marching into Berlin
with Old Glory he must not run the
risk OF being out of condition on the
big day through missing any OF his
meals
Such expressions can be heard all
over the camp. The men are making
the best OF it, and while they might
have nrefprred staying nj home now