Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1918-02-19
Our Training Camps.

To spread crazy rumors about conditions in
the training camps is to render free of charge "a
valuable service for the Kaiser, which he would
gladly pay for if he could not gee 1t another way.
German propagandists in this country start
these rumors, and good American men and women
spread them broadcast, never stopping to think
that when they do it they aid the enemy.
Spreading rumors about the camps is one of
the subtle methods chosen by Germany to under
mine the confidence and enthusiasm of the Ameri-
lean people. The German government knows that
a weakening of the morale of the people at home
will inevitably reflect itself in weakening of the
morale of American troops on the firing line
Conditions in the training camps enough
to make any man proud that he is an American
citizen. They the product of the most mar
veous plan that ever launched in the history
of the world to develop mems bodies and morals
and minds. None but millionaires can give their
sons the benefits of training so perfect and COM
plete as that which the humblest private is now
receiving every day at every cantonment
The Government stopped all lumber in south
ern sawmills and took its pick of best selected
heart yellow pine to build the barracks. It lined
the walls with thick tar paper, and lined the floors
and lined the roofs. 1t constructed complete
waterworks and sewerage systems in every canton
ment. 1t built shower baths for officers and
1t secured the country for the finest cooks to run
the kitchens. 1t buys an abundance of the most
nourishing and finest foods that money COM
mand 1t enforces the most rigid sanitation and
cleanliness in kitchens and dining rooms. Every
where in every cantonment overlooking not the
smallest corner, it compels continual and contin-
uous cleanup of trash. 1t is cutting down all
other uses of wooden goods to insure an album
dance of the very best grade of'uniforms and
coats. 1t gives every man pair of shoes good
that thousands of in civil life wearing
army shoes for economy and comfort.
To prepare the men for the gruelling test of
physical strength and physical endurance, which
presently the trenches will impose upon them, the
Government is daily giving them a course in phys
ical culture the like of which other get
except the members of football squad To
the results of this wonderful training one has
only to examine the first he meets whom he
knew before the training commenced One lad
out of The Journals business office went into
camp a few months ago weighing 116 pounds
Today he tips the beam at 1871 He is as hard as
nails, as brown as a nut and out of his eye beams
that level look of a who has task to per-
form and is bent upon doing it to the utmost of
his manhood.
In previous wars it was taken for granted that
an army of meant an army of undesirable
women, an army of blind tigers and an army of
gamblers. 1t was taken for granted that an
army of meant epidemics of every kind of
contagious disease. Behold this Government at
the outset announcing the proposition that
training camps would have no undesirable women,
have no liquor, have gamblers that it would
create a clean environment in which to train its
if it had to resort to martial law; that if it
couldn't possibly get clean environment in
place it would move that camp to other
location where it could.
AS late the Spanish American War, Y. NJ. C.
A. workers in a camp were there on suferance
They were neither recognized by the Government
welcomed by the army officers. The Y. NJ. c.
A. secretary had little, miserable tent pitched
in a place unfit for other use, had assistance
from the army, and worked twenty-four hours
day because he was the lone man on the job. Be-