Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-07-26
WOULD TEACH TROOPS
TO PLAY BASEBALL
Meade Athletic Director Be.
lieves U. S. Should En-.
courage National Pastime
USE FOR BIG LEAGUERS

Camp Meade, Md, July 26.
Contending that baseball. as the ma
tional pastime. should be given the rec
ognition by the Government that boxing
and other sports enjoy in the army
| camps through the appointment Of pro-
fessional instructors. owen, j. Harris,
athletic director for the knights of Co.
lumbus here, has written TO Ban B.
johnson, president of the American
League. seeking the cooperation of that
official
Harris believes that many Of the big
league ball players who are now SEEK
ing employment in shipyards and mu-
milton plants could be more profitably
used in war work by training the men
of the National Army in the fine points
of the great American game.
After watching the result of ten
! months training among the boys of the
army, it is evident that their interest in
baseball exceeds that displayed in all
other sports combined. yet there are not
three professional baseball instructors in
| the camps, aside from the big leaguers
who were drafted and those who enlist
ed, and their activities have been con-
| fined to playing the game on army
| teams rather than instructing the less
| proficient rockies in the finer points of
| the game. ..,. ...>
The letter of Harris to President
Johnson follows:
| Dear Mr. Johnson:
| I regret exceedingly that we are
unable to complete the plans Of CIV
ing the soldiers of this camp enter
| tainment by bringing the American
League clubs here to play twilight
| exhibition games.
! However. may I add that the plac-
ing of some of your league stars. and
| might add yourself. in the various
cantonmants as organizers and in
structors of baseball in the army
would STIMULATE greatly interest in
| TO be played at it's highest stand
ard, baseball must have professional
instructors and be placed upon the
same standard as boxing, swimming
and other outdoor exercises that aid
| both mind and body.
7 thank you exceedingly for your
! previous cooperation and trust that
| you will give your valuable assistance
to bringing about tile plan suggested
OWEN j. HARRIS. \
This letter followed the receipt of
communication from President Johnson
stating that the outlook for professional
baseball passing into the discard
through the work-or-fight order OF Sec
retary Baker would preclude bringing
big league teams here to meet the men
of the eleventh division team.
The Knights of Columbus interest in
the matter was furthered by the fact
that the appointment of John Evers as
professional instructor for the men now
| in France had brought nationwide ap-
probation and a most hearty response
from the soldiers now with Pershing.
The following enlisted men now in
auxiliary remount depot No. 304 here
have been transferred to the quarter
master corps and sent to Camp Joseph E.
johnson, Jacksonville, Fla, for duty:
Sergeant George w. Rurgy. Corporals
Frank E. Golden and Robert W. Waller.
Privates, first class, Bernard Brady.
Harry G. Pallam. Jeremiah Daily. Robert
]. Planter. William Dunn and Arthur F.
! Wood, Privates William A. Al5ach.
Ralph Bobzin. William Coady. Harry
FRANKIE, Robert M. January, Peter ].
Kelly, John Lyons, George b. Mennett.
George w. Murphy. Austin A. Normile,
Harrison Prout, Clarence G. Smith,
George NJ. White. Joseph Taper. Frank
d. Smith. William P. Quinn, Richard A.
OConnel, Abraham L. Manowitz, Ter
ance Moan. James A. McCarron. John ].
Euibak. Sylvan Kaufman. Sydney J.
Huntington, George Cohan. Joseph
Bruce Abe Ashton. George Biehl,
Thomas H. Burns. Antonio Del Fulgo.
william s. Huot, John J., Kaufman.
Thomas Laffan, John McGuife, Thomas
]. Mulholland, James H. Miller. william
Plews, Irwin H. Renkin. Ellwood r.
Stradling and Joseph Toner.
Captain Theodore H. Barringer, Jr..
medical reserve corps, has been assigned
to the Cardie vaccular board.
Captain Abraham Zingher. medical re-
serve corps has been assigned to base
hospital No. 50.
Captain John M. F'outs, medical re-
serve corps, has been assigned to the
base hospital of the camp
i Sergeant, first class. Edward Dietz, Of
the school for cooks and bakers. has been
promoted to be chief instructor in cook
ing, with the rank Of quartermaster SER
geant. senior grade.
1 sereeants Harold ]. Hughes. Corporal
George J. Steff, and Privates Andrew H.
Freeman, Paul r. Dieter, Cletus ]. Har-
rison. William M. Gettinger. Harry A..
Motz and Hubert Sebott have been sent
to recruit camp at Syracuse, N. Y, for
temporary duty.
i Upon recommendation of the COM
manding officer. camp quartermaster de-
tachment. the following appointments
and promotions have been made In the
fire truck and hose company No. 304:
To be Quartermaster sergeant. Sergeant,
first class, James G. Close: to be SER
geants, first class. Sergeants Charles H.
Porter and John H. Brand; to be SER
geants, Privates, first class. John Will
helm. George A. Mowrey and Frederick
j. Souerwald; to be privates. first class.
Privates Charles p. Fox. Morgan B. Har-
i, Il