Evening star., 1918-05-19
This was my week with the SOL
dlers, On Sunday saw
thousands of them at Camp
Meade, That night I talked

thousands Of them at Camp
x Meade. That night talked
with one of "Pershing's Fifty" and
the next day I had call from that
not unusual type. the fellow who
burns with patriotism and cannot get
into the service.
At Camp Meade I found the boys
happy. Pershing's man was worried
for fear that something might hap
pen to his regiment while he was
gone that he would not be present to
share in. The fellow who could not
break into the service was just
downright unhappy.
BY electric line to Camp Meade. and,
as I passed subdivision after subdi-
vision that had gotten no farther
than the subdivided stage. 1t occurred
to me that Washington and the state
of Maryland will be powerfully we'll
populated places when all of these
houses now planned are built. There
are admiral avenues" and other
streets with nautical names by the
score between here and tho camp.
Unfortunately. though. most of them
are filed only with scrub oaks and
weeds. You can't the streets only
by the nne large signs. Sometimes
one nnds a house.
But II those subdivisions were only
populated by some Of the people who
try to crowd into the Sunday trains
between Annapolis Junction and the
would be jammed. BY actual count
there were 100000. 900 on the four
car train which boarded. stood on
a gentlemans new tan shoes, and I
have It on the authority Of a woman
that the gentleman was standing on
her new pumps. Several thousand
other persons also complained that
their feet were being trampled on.
The fact that no ono on the train
was playing a musical instrument
shows how crowded it was. One
brash chap started to play a French
harp. but on the first full sweep with
his elbows he blacked the eyes of
two passengers. Then he quit by re-
quest. The saddest- looking man on
the train was one who brought his
guitar along. fully intending to play.
The space he would have needed for
operations was occupied by three
cash customers of the road.
Assuming that all the world loves
a lover. the entire world must have
been lovesick on Sunday. The boys
and gals certainly were out at
Meade. Over in the knights of Co
lumbus Hall and in kindred places
music filled the air. and the tunes
were echoed back from every part of
the camp by couples that hummed
loves old sweet songs.
There also was a ball game. and
the Observer. being no gent for the
ladies any more-due wholly to his
years-wandered over to the dia-
mond. There he found some $4,000
other persons who had no girls. Here
and there were few women. but not
handsome ladies they were. too. but
1t wasn't safe to peel ones eye at
them too much. The Observer tried
that and at least half of ,the shifting
his right eye. Thereafter he kept
his cap well down over his eyes, tilt
ing hfs head upward only to follow
the high flies.
As near as the Observer could make
out. the Meade boys didn't think
glad. indeed. to have the Washing
ton American League club as guests.
but why in the world should their
team submit SO gracefully to being
kicked downstairs? I am violating
no confidence in saying that the
opinion about the camp was that
there were better bah players in the
service Of Uncle Sam than were on
the camp team. The reason that 1t
Is violating no confidence Is that
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