New-York tribune., 1918-02-22
Parade Will Mark a
Memorable Washing
toms Birthday
aJohnny Has His Gun"
To Be New Refrain
Men in Khaki Are City's
Guests; Open House
at Hotels

Standing Oh tuN SlUSIlDtS as inc most
significant military show in the city's
history rolls down Fifth Avenue, will
need to revise the doggerel lyric. To
dsy Johnny HAS his gun. has his gun,
has his gun; Johnny HAS his gun. his
gun. gun, gunl
Not only has he his gun, has Johnny,
but he knows how to take it apart and
put u together again, how to keep it in
shooting shape-and how to use it,
And Tor every one of the 10000 john
MES in olive drab. whose parade is to
make this Washington's Birthday mem
orablc above all others, that goes.
In the 69th Regiment Armory last
night, just for an instance, you might
nave set an inkling of what New York. s
National Army boys have learned about
guns since they struggled away to
Camp Upton last fall in tailors' clothes
and hand-mc-doWns. Row upon row of
rifles stretched across the armory
floor, in alignment as precise as if they
had been laid to . tape. Men who had
spent a lifetime at soldering might
have left their arms as had the rockies
of Uncle Sans brand-new 30oth and
306th Infantry regiments.
Soldiers City's Guests
The rifles wcro there, ready to hand.
Their proprictors, save for dolorous
handful left on guard, were elsewhere.
The big homo town had made them its
guests at large.
That 6,ooo mon were in the city, fresh
from Upton. and that thousands more
were coming caused no hedging III hos
pilalty. The movies generally were
cost free TO the wearer of olive drab
and at the hotels it vas open house.
Mushrooms under glass? If Johnny
wanted them me had only to ask. A $40
appetite was as freely satisfied as q
yoarnipg for beef-and.
: Ii Able from the lower East Side
aspired to the Ritz the Ritz was his.
Same with the Waldorf, the McAlpin.
the Astor, the knlckerbocker, the Bilt~
more. Same with the Woodward. which
ls ihe headquarters of Tom Green,
president OF the Hotel Mems Assoca-
ion and archhost of them all. Same
With forty other Of New vork's biggest
and fanciest hostleries. The only pay
ment that Able or Johnny could make
was TO look as if the food had made
linn inter for the Job ahead of him
across the water.
There were tickets, of course. The
Mayors Committee on National De
fence had seen to that, and one had
been issued 10 every man who didn't
have real home of his own to step
into. II was set forth on the commit
tees cards that the bearer was entitled
10 dinner Thursday evening, breakfast,
luncheon and dinner Friday, and break
fast and luncheon Saturday at such and
such 4 motel.
Didn't Ask for Tickets
But the singular part Of it was that
nobody wanted TO see the tickets.
"A uniform is ticket enough" Tom
Green said. ''The hotel men want to
60 the Limit. Our only trouble has
been that we haven't been able to get
an exact line on the number of men
We ii need to make provision for. At
iirst the Mayors Committee said
thered he 2,000. Next we heard
hundred. But we're ready to take care
Of the whole lot Of then.''
Free grub-ard such grub--and
lree movies were lust a part of it. At
the Grand Central Palace there was
5ree oanelng and free skating tickets
formally issued, but again not needed)
aud at the Lexington Opera House
lhore was a big free show. For skat-
lne and dancing and the opera house
show Johnny's uniform was pass for
5hlmsel { and ms girl as we'll. The
Mayors Committee OF Women on Ma
'ional Defence. which, with the CO.
operation of Manager George Grundy,
rad arranged this end Of the festivi-
nes' ' displayed marvellous wisdom in
me matter of partners for the evening
They left the girl-getting entirely up
TO Johnny and his rcgimentals.
he National Army men began pour
ing INTO the city at 10 o'clock yester-
oay morning, brought from UPTON on
thirteen special trains. The 3O2d En-
gneers were the first to arrive They
marched from the Pennsylvania Sta
non, the detralnng point for almost all
,he troops that followed, to the 69th
Regiment Armory. A flarge crowd
appraise and applaud the rest who came
- their wats. The 305th Infantry, the
5O6th Infantry and the 3O5th Machine
Nun Battalion, comprising the 153d
brigade, were marching INTO the armorv
before the engineers were settled.
1Jith Brigade in Line
I'm the late afternoon came the 154th
Brigade The 307th Infantry. the 3oSth
Infantry and the 306th Machine Gun
battalion. The brigade hiked through
3mrty fourth Street to the list Regi-
ment Armory, at Park Avenue, where,
as soon as the men had stacked arms
IN the galleries, they were dismissed.
) hey We're told they were free to fol
low their fancies until 10 o'clock this
iihornIng- Ia reporting time an hour
!eeWay was given to the men quar-
tered at the 69th Regiment Almory.
VINO arc not required to be on hand
until II o'clock.
me neld artillery unit. whose guns
sNu siu stock had been shipped ahead of
s'ie'l on Hat cars, have Squadron As
emory, at Ninety fourth Street and
rt' 1qIk Avenue. as their headquarters.
mere the l75 men of the battery viii
''poft at ~ o'clock this morning.
~, ourteen motor apbulances rolled
H." tl,So Town under their own power in
sse e afternoon. The battalion on the
cp cp'1h Infantry, which has been in /
sSe4 s,Saed among the paraders TO show
e,o ,""C Nlnd OF soldiers New York's negro
mt ".of poys and walters can be made +
Al was held in camp overnight.
az, e.i,'losether, with the 10000 marchers
aA me brothers in arms who have re
i 1o'eoa a oo0a special leave, there will be some
H. Wv Wv men from Upton in New York