Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1918-12-08
CHG HELP
ONWESTERN FRONT
Kenneth Clark Tells of Using
+. The Stars Song
Sheets.


words of the soldiers favorite ditties
printed by The Star for the commits
sion on training camp activities are
now treasured along many points on
what was recently the western front
is told in a letter just received at
the office of this newspaper from Ken
meth Clark, serving overseas as an
entertainment secretary of a di-
visional "Y."
Clark originally was the official
song leader for the training camp ac-
tivities commission at Camp Meade.
He served there for many months
and had the Meade men ranking
among the loudest and most unani-
nous. if not the sweetest. punches
OF singers in the uniform of any serv-
ice in the world.
Clark's Pep as Song Leader.
Clark, who enjoyed a great college
reputation at Princeton as a song
I leader, became the possessor of an
almost national fame after his ar
rival at Meade. He could put more
pep" in the caroling of a bunch of
veterans Sn,,1a IS. S or rockies, either, than
well known in Washington, having
led the vocal effects at a number Of
large gatherings here.
The commission decided not to send
wanted to go along with his old divi-
sion and SO switched over to the
Y. NJ. c. A. just before he sailed
The Star sent him a big package of
the little song sheets they had been
furnishing for his Camp Meade work.
10 NIL, 70 Inv, m
the transport going over. along with
his other equipment, which consists
solely of a portable organ. his voice,
a folding megaphone, a uniform and
an all-embracing grin.
Singing VS.. Hot Weather.
ION one evening. especially. the
singing was godsend," writes Clark,
'for We were lying in port with the
heat SO terrific that the men were
lying about in absolute exhaustion.
A quartet of boys on the forward
deck began to sing close harmony
and that gave me cue to start some
singing by the crowd. / had the song
sheets passed around, and soon they
spirit, although they were troops that
] had never seen before. After We
had sung ourselves out the regi-
mental band that was on board APP
pe2Tcu anu gave Il ndlI-nOuf CouCefl
the result being that the singing and
band music carried the men through
an almost intolerable situation"
'After 1 had rejoined the division
over here / was mighty glad that I
had a supply of the song sheets with
fne, for the general asked me, just be.
fore our men underwent their baptism
of fire, to go out and visit some of the
outfits and give the men an old-time
Camp Meade greeting. We packed
Into the automobile the portable or
gan. song sheets. etc. I remember one
gathering in the shelter of grove of
trees, which started just as rain be-
gan to fall l had a couple of men
hold a raincoat over the keyboard of
the organ SO that the action would
not be spoiled, and the boys kept on
singing very cheerfully - right
through the rainstorm."
''All Right! Let's Co."
"AiI right. let's CO." is the phrase
this leader usually employed when he
came to bunch of Yanks-the same
phrase the boys got to expect back at
Meade. Sometimes he would stop the
motor car in some populous section of
q village street and begin playing I'M
SYSTEMATICALLY on the tiny organ.
Gradually a group would gather, and
as soon as enough were there he won d
pass out the leaflets and the men
would soon be singing Justify. Later
he would pick out men to sing solos.