Catoctin clarion., 1918-06-13
DRESSMAKf!, ONCE,
uSESBAYONE:iT I now
Our National Army Is a Po!ygIot
Organization.
FROM ALL Walks OF LIFE
Anecdotes Illustrating How Sons Of
Many Nations Take to Soldiers Life
In the United States Army-Large
Part of Time Taken Up in Salutng
Calling Out the Guard for the
Commanding Officer

Every person who has written ten
words about our National army has
commented on It's polyglot complexion,
Its sons of many nations, Its children
of two hemispheres and other smooth
sounding phrases. Its men also have
been drawn from all walks Of life,
some of which are conducive to any
thing except fighting, writes Junius B.
Wood in the Chicago News.
one night q general staff officer was
inspecting the dark trenches in the
American sector northwest of Toul.
Earlier in the evening there had been
brush with the enemy, machine guns
still We're popping and everybody was
stralning his eyes out over No Mans
Land hoping for some shadowy form
to shoot at The officer was almost
upon soldier before the latter turned
and mildly whispered Halt W
keep watch here ana don't LEI
anybody get as close as ! am before
you halt him." said the officer "a
Hun might have your rifle before you
know what was happening"
BY this time the soldier was speech.
less. The officer started to put him at
his ease, now that the man was prop.
ery on the alert.
"Where did YOU come from" asked
the officer
"San Francisco, sir" replied the SOL
dier.
81 know that city WELL Where did
you live?" the officer queried.
BY this time the man was at his
ease and launched into description OF
the surroundings of Golden Gate ave-
nue. and Kearney street.
"And what was your business
there" asked the other native son.
Ladies' dressmaker. SIR replied
the soldier
1t is big transition from an adept
in gently sticking pins so ns not to
spoil fussy lady's fitting To fero-
cious charger jabbng II bayonet
through a mans body, hut It had been
made in few weeks.
The Question OF SaIutes.
A large part Of soldiers life Is
taken up IN Salutlng. He must salute
every officer he meets. Usually the
officers susceptibility to saluteS varies
in inverse gucmetrcal ratio to the
length of his commission. a "baWling
out" prompt and severe may be cX-
pectpd If he neglectS to salute Il "Shave
tail" lieutenant. especially If he i in
the medical corps. They say in the
army that medical corps officer
may forget his pills his hnndageS and
his Instruments but he never forgcts
his "thrpc SS"-SWOrd spurs and Sn-
lutes. An older officers arm usually
aches with years OF Saluting and he
Is not looking for them However, 1t
often happens that soldier who can
recognize major block away has
such poor eyeSight that he does not
see lieutenant when he passes him
on the street.
But all these petty e>asiOnS of dis
cIpline vanish when the soldier Is on
duty. There he is away from the
hurly-hurIy of the street and all Is
strict business. Officers are fewer and
he sniutes them all. If he is on guard
he clicks his heels together and brings
his rifle to attention. holding II there
until the salute Is acknowledged. In
cidentally the saluting requirement Is
not all on one side. If an officer fails
to return a soldiers salute the latter
has right to call his attention to
the oversight and regulations require
that The officer retracc his steps and
give the salute
A well-meaning soldier inclined to
be absent minded about salnting, was
on guard in front OF Il regimenta! bead
quarters one day. The officer Of the
day, particularly anxious to have Il
trim military appearance, gave him
personal warning.
"Now don't let anybody get past you
without saluting them" said The Off
Ger.
The soldier paced back and forth
saluting occasionally. Suddenly he no.
ticed that the colonel had walked past
him. He had not saluted.
"IIere, here, wait a minute" shout
ed the excited soldier.
The surprised colonel turned
around His thoughts had been on so
many other things that he had not
noticed the sentry, much less the fail
ure to salute Nervously the dough
boy" clicked his heels together,
ha Aa 10
ular i'm front Of his nose and completed
his idea of his duty by dismissing the
amazed colonel with:
'Now you may pass, sir!"
Calling Out the Guard.
One day high ranking command
Ing officer was inspecting a division
training area. The sharpness of his
eyes was byword IN the army and
1.-The officers at one billeting cantonment
we're determined to have everything
up to the mark, though satisfied his
quick vision would find something they
had overlooked He was to be there
at three o'clock or later Everybody
was to "Stand to- from that time until
after the inspection was finished,
whenever that might be.
ON duty that day was a sentry who
was reliable but SLOW He was in
front of headquarters while the guard.
befitting the visitors rank, waited "at
rest" on nearby bench where they
could instantly be galvanized into at
tentiOn.
'Do you know the general by sightT'