The Washington herald., 1918-01-09
Wednesday Holiday Taken
Away from Khaki Klan
So as to Bat in Athletic
League.

While your old Uncle Sam Is max
ing 10000 new soldiers. he's also
making athletes.
Ir you doubt that. see how many
boys of the National Army from
Camp Meade you can see on Wash
ington's streets today.
You won't ind many. because the
Wednesday passes have been sus-
pended and the entire khakied pop
ulation of the Seventy-ninth Division
VIII be fndulging in open-air sports.
Army officers consider the sport fea-
ture Of the intensive training as i'm
portant as any other one thing In
the conditioning of a soldier. Hence
he has made participation In sport
compulsory.
You dent have to force the or
binary red-blooded American boy to
take up sports. He finds II the most
healthful and enjoyable method OF
forgetting the routine Of army life
and ridding himself Of excess en-
ergy.
There are some few. however. who
would like to Init the hay while
their barracks companions are out
on the athletic field. and there are
others who would like to spend the
afternoon reading the latest maya
zines and fiction. But there Is moth
ing doing for these soldier boys on
Wednesday afternoon.
Either you get right out there and
get into the soccer games, running
events or company competitions,
either as q participant or as an en-
couragement to your comrades. other
wise you work at kitchen police de-
tail. guard duty, or some other task
about the camp that means real work.
Between athletics and hard work,
the army officers feel the men will
choose hard work. And they guess
right. ~
The result Of this interest In ali
branches of sport Is expected to
give q wonderful stimulus to every
kind Of an outdoor game when the
National Army finally disbands after
attending the Kaiser's funeral.
There were over 1,50o football teams
IN the sixteen military cities that
housed the national army since Sep
tember. They performed before more
than 100000 spectators, and the serv-
ice games in the big cities netted over
$4,000 for the athletic funds.
Apart from the financial side anc
the healthfm benefits that accrued
was the great interest stirred among
soldiers who had never taken any IN
terest in the 'pigskin sport while In
civilian life. Some players on the
regimental teams had never donned q
moleskin. and yet after a season OF
twelve to fifteeny intercompany and
regimental games they developed into
swell football material and enthu.
siasts for the gridiron sport.
Boxing also got a wonderful stimu-
Ius. Professional trainers are at every
camp. and the boy who hasn't donned
the padded mitts for at least one set,
to, is a rarity in the training camps
branch Of indoor sport for popularity
with the. soldiers.
Glancing ahead army officers predict
that after the war baseball will mo-
only be the national sport, but tht
world sport, for already the oversee,
forces with Cen Jack Pershing hav,
popularized the diamond game In
France and England. and the wooden.
headed Germans may be the last Il
take IT up.
Since every man Is not adapted fol
football, baseball. basketball, boxing
soccer and the more rugged outdoor
games, the sport directors have en-,
eouraged competition in the les:
hardy but beneficial sport. Croquet
tennis. cricket, fencing, trapshooting
wrestling. In fact every exercise thai
win keep the men in the open and
keep them hardned up. is encour.
aged.
The government wants every mar
In the pink OF physical condition be.
fore they set sail for "over there
and II athletics will do II, the mer
are going to get plenty.
Incidentally. II the roster Of tht
men now serving with tie colors 1,
analyzed, It will be found that thert
are almpst as many sport champion,
with Uncle Sans forces as there arr
frnpof~harz IN, -fufIfar life