Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1918-02-22
sELECT|VE DRAFT MEN
ARE OF H|GREsT TYPE

WASHINGTON, D. c., Feb. "a
Writing of the various racial elements
which make up our new National
Army, now in training at Is canton
ments throughout the United States,
Major Granville Fortescue, U. S. A,
in a communication to the National
| Geographic Society, points out that
| the selected men are, as rule, far
, above the average in intelligence and
experience and education of the class
that formerly drifted into the regular
army, and he advances the opinion
that, without any disparagement of
the older branch of the army, the
present recruit, brought into the SER
vice under the selective law, will i'm
prove the tone of the whole service.
A portion of Major Fortescues com
munication is issued by the society as
the following war geography bulle-
tin:
Perhaps Camp Lee, and certainly
the 159th brigade, can claim IN its
enlisted personnel the purest Amer
lean blood of any camp throughout
the country. Most of these Virginians
trace their lineage back to the days
of the colonies, and the only noticea-
BILE strain that in few instances col
ors the Anglo Saxon is trace Of the
Indian.
SHOULD an Englishman read over
the localization order for this brig
ade he might imagine it a call for his
home soldiers Men from Middlesex.
Surry and Kent are in one company;
in another Westmoreland, Northum-
berland and Northampton have fur
nished quotas, and scattered through
out the other battalions are soldiers
from the counties of Lancaster, York,
Warwick, Bedford, Richmond, Sus-
sex, Southampton and Isle of Wight.
Company roll calls sound like les
son in English history-Bucklngh CHAM,
Brunswick, Cumberland, Bath, and
Halifax-or in literature, for one
company has squad composed of Ad'
olson, Arnold, Johnson and Meredith.
"One given to philosophizing would
have had much to reflect upon could
he have seen these descendants of the
first Royal Virginia colonists gather
ed in a hollow square around the di.
vision headquarters flag on the ami
versary of the composition of the ma
tional anthem and heard them sing
the 'Sar Spangled Banner That GER
emory marked cycle of civilization.
But this camp is true cross'-sec-
ton of our country, and it would not
be fair to allow Partially for our
native stock to blind us to the quail
ties of the Pennsylvanians and West
Virginia miners who are selected for
the other units of the division
These are the sediments of the
melting pot. The description is not
meant as reflection on the quality
of the men, but rather for the apti-
trde of the classification Among them
are found Poles, Lithuanians, Greeks,
Syrians, Italians and even Austrians,
who have no place here; all the con-
glOmerate mass of humanity that dur
ing the last decade has made it's way
to American shores. Instead of the
old English names of Cox and Boggs
and Padgett that predominant in the
Virginia brigades, the first sergeant
struggles with list of polysyllabic
letter combinations usually ending in
witch" or ski" The report goes that
one first sergeant of the Pennsylna-
MIA company sneezed during his call,
irg of the roll and six men answered
"Here!' This may be soldiers hypo-
bole but the fact remains that in
many instances the aid og an inter
prefer is necessary in order to get
through the routine of daily work and
drill E.
But it is just these hnadicaps that
bring out the spirit and ingenuity of
the officers training the troops. Eng
fish or, as some prefer to call our
idion, good American is the only lam
guage permitted, and with constant
molding, with that atmosphere of 10y
atty which always surrounds a mill
tary camp, this heterogeneous Gle
ment is gradually being absorbed in
to the sinew of the new army.
American history, patriotism,
honor for the flag are all part OF the
daily instruction of the recruit. Some
CT the officers have ordered the play
ing of the Star Spangled san ner on
the company graphophoLes to be a
daily ceremony; and during this GER
emory the men stand with head I'M
covered at attention