The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1918-02-07
Camp Josephus Daniels at West Palm
Beach Teaches Junior
Naval Reserve

bounds the only camp school in the
United States where American boys
between the ages of Ia and IS years
are being trained for service aboard
American ships. This waterside
school, which is known as Camp Jo
sephus Daniels, is located at West
Palm Beach on the shores of Lake
Worth. 1t has just been opened by
the U. s. Junior Naval Reserve, an
organization with headquarters in
New York city, whose sole purpose is
the training of American boys for sea
service.
The opening of Camp Josephus Dan
iels marks the beginning of nation
wide movement inaugurated by the
Junior Naval Reserve to turn the
thought of American boys toward the
sea as life career and to provide the
training necessary to make those
boys capable seamen and at the same
time to provide the navy and mer-
chant marine of this country with a
continuing supply of American-born
trained men.
Camp Josephus Daniels occupied a
5O-acre tract of land facing on Lake
Worth, this land having been donated
for the purpose by persons keenly in
terested in the undertaking. The lat
ter part of December the first detach-
ment of cadets from the national
headquarters in New York city ar
rived at the site of the new camp and
at once began the work of laying out
and building the camp. More cadets
continued to arrive and within two
weeks a model camp was erected,
practically all the work being done by
the cadets under the direction of Of
| ficer instructors.
! The camp will this winter accom-
modate 200 cadets, all housed in up.
to-date tents with wooden walls and
raised oors. The cadets have also
built recitation buildings, mess hall
and last, but not least stout guard
house. The camp is equipped with
power boats and ships cutters which
are used in the training work on the
water.
AT this camp school the cadets are
given infantry and artillery drill:
training in the handling of boats, in
struction in swimming that they may
be at home in the water as well as
on the water, the rudiments of sea.
manship and navigation and instruc.
ton in regular school subjects EN-
Draclng mathematics, geography
Spanish and similar lines. The ca
diets live according to well-planned
routine which combines the training
of both the mind and body. The
course of training at the camp will
cover period of six months and is
such that the boy who completes it is
well on his way toward making for
himself place on board an American
ship.
Camp Josephus Daniels is under the
personal supervision of Major Willis
j. Physloc, commandant of cadets
and the originator of this unique plan
for the training of American-born sea
men. Major Physlox is a southerner
by birth and has had a varied expert
ence which has included actual sery
ice in the United States army and in
the Rough Rider regiment, and in ad
dition has had in it several years OF
work as instructor and commandment
OF cadets in military preparatory
schools. 1t was result of this ex
perience and knowledge of Amer.
cas- need of trained men for her
ships that was born the idea which
has resulted in the L, S. Junior Naval
Reserve and its work
He conceived the possibility of es
tablishing a training system which
would provide an opportunity for am.
bilious American boys to prepare
themselves for life careers at sea and
at the same time make certain a con.
tmuing supply of trained men for the
navy and merchant marine Two
years ago, with the aid of prominent
men who saw the possibilities of the
thing Major Physioc got the actual
training work under way.
The training plan provided for local
posts and waterside camps These
were rapidly established. The first
waterside camp was on the Thomas
river nnnr Nauy 7 onlz.