The Springdale news., 1918-09-06
CAMP PIKE NOTES.
Camp Pike, Arkansas, September ?.

he is in quarantine Perhaps he has never mastered a dislike for oinlns or liver or boiled cabbage, and mother and wife have always joined forces to tempt his jaded appetite. At the hotels and restaurants he ordered what he lked-or could afford. Now he eats what the mess sergeant dictates, or goes without. And he eats it pre- pared and cooked according to the likes of the company cook, who IS all too often a creature of queer eccentfl- cities as regards the uses Of flavor ings and combinations. Our cook has used onions in everything but the lemonade and bread pudding-and the year is not vet young. When the the rookie gets out of quarantine his first break is for q Belmont or Little Rock "eat house" and loads up with everything on the menue that he has been hungering for during quarantine, days And next day the hard hearted infirmary orderly deals him out handful of C. (. pills, and he has pass ed through one of the early degrees of his initiation into army life. Learn ing to eat food you had always thoug- Int you couldn't eat is one of the great educational features of war
 "Geting shot" is really the first de gree of the army initiation arN II It were not often pitiful it would ire auently be hilarieusly funny. A lot of the men have been lied to so persls- tently about what will happen when get their small pox and typhoid in- noculations that they ore on the rag ged edge of nervous breakdown and at the touch of the tiny needle scream with fright and collapse in dead faint. As a matter of fact under or dinary circumstances not one of them would even notice the slight pain. Of course there is great difference III the after effect" Some men are really sick for a day or two, while others never know for a minute that they have taken the shots. But mans mental attitude plays quite an important part in the vaccination in- ltiation.
 Splendid reports continue to come from religious work secretaries of the |. M. (. 4 in this camp. More and more of the men are voluntarily com ing to the "Y" secretaries to discuss their personal relations as regards religious matters, in a striving to get real grasp on their souls salvation. Out at the colored "Y" Il few nights ago, an appeal to the negro soldiers to abandon gambling resulted Tn the secretary securing big double hand ful of dice in exchange for testaments. They have promised to read them daily and some very interesting Bible classes have been started there.
 Camp Pike turned out l,296 second lieutenants last week and has thous- ands more in the making. Many of them will stay here but hundreds left at once for duty in other camps. The extent of the territory served by the camp was best realized a few days ago when eight student officers arrlY- ed from Alaska to enter the Central Officers Training School.
 What do you want most v IS q query one often hears asked of the soldiers at the camp. Most of them would express a desire to see some loved one at home; something to eat or drink, clothes that fit, or less drill ing and more time in the shade, but the thing that some of them would seem to need mist ls more sleep. The average soldier can go to sleep stand ing on his head-0r on some other fellows head for that matter. You see them asleep on the yeranda at the Hostess House. in the ~ reading rooms, down town in the hotel lobbys, in the theaters; in fact anywhere that they can drop into vacant char. The program of the army provides enough sleep, but with too many sol diers the trouble IS that they have to go to bed when they are not sleepy and get up when they are, and it takes time to get the habits of lifetime adjusted to the calls of bugle. Dur ing the heated weather the men have stayed out as late as they dared and that with their strenuous life has made them ready to grab little snooze at every opportunity.
 The above paragraph brings re- membrance of q camp joke as to how one Camp Pike soldier lost his Little Rock sweetheart They were having lunch and the soldier called for third cup of coffee. Asked by the young lady as to the reason for drink ing SD much coffee. he replied, Well, 1 am going to spend the evening with you and 1 have to keep awake, don't I?" And his subsequent explanations failed to explain
 One of the strongest pieces of work the Camp Pike "Y" is putting over these days is the song program. Every unit in the Camp is being drill ed in mass singing and 1t is not infre- quent to see three thousand men or more gathered on hill side singing under the direction of one of the camp leaders. Songs are increasing Tn interest all the time as the fullest CO., operation IS received from the officers whose ideal army IS one that will sing as it marches, or as it loafes in camp.
 There IS lot of variety in army life as Is evidenced by the answer of Private Jones when asked by his sup erlor officer with regard to his pre- vlous military experience. He reph- ed, Two days Kitchen Police, one day garbage remover, one week on pick and shovel unit, Il days in quarantine and two weeks confinement to my quarters
 We are going to help the German people make republic of their country" said Rabbi Wolsey of Cleve- land O., in an address to the soldiers a few nights ago ''l have no hate in my heart for the kaser-only pity for his meanness and his madness. And l hope that some of you boys will be able to soon put him out of his misery
 Erwin Funk
 Camp Publicity Director
 
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