The Oakley herald. [volume] (Oakley, Idaho) 1908-1961, 1918-02-15

few miles of their borders made h ~
rect appeal to the business imagina-
ton Think of the millions of pounds
OF supplies to be sold to the canton
ments Think Of the thousands of dol
lars of soldiers money to be spent in
the nearest town. The prospect was
dazzling. Every community that sought
an army cantonment sought 1t on this
basis Of financial good to the town.
and when the sites were announced
there was jubilaton In the 16 towns
selected-joy over the prospect of easy
money. But today these IS towns have
very different conception of sol
dlers' cantonment. They know that it
brings responsibility as well as money.
They have found that thei1 own town |
standards must be improved
Millions Spent by Communities.
More than three million dollars Is |
being spent In these communities to
provide conveniences for the soldiers |
And every cent of that money has been
raised in the towns themselves. The
soldier wants good eating places, good
moving-picture theaters with attractive
programs, wel-managed pool rooms,
and places where he can rest and write
and read. Some of the community
work done by the little towns would
put a big town to shame. Gettysburg,
Pa, is q town of only 1000 people, and
it will have this population increased
by $4,000 soldiers. 1t has fitted up
two big, centrally located recreation
rooms with pool tables, reading and
writing materials, and music. The col
lege there has turned over its athletic
field to the soldiers with tennis courts,
baseball diamonds, running track, gym
nasium, and a hall for dances, enter
tainments, and movies. There was no
swimming pool for the soldiers. The
citizens raised $500 and built dam
In a nearby stream. Junction City
and Manhattan, Kan, are even smaller.
They raised $1,000 for a soldiers club
In Manhattan and $500 for another
one in Junction City. The school play.
grounds ad college athletic field were
, turned over to the soldiers. Then a
= sanitary survey of the city was made,
classes in French provided, and finally
these typical small American towns
did typical American thing-famlies
: invited individual soldiers to dine with
them in their homes.
: Training camp experts have found
: that when the soldier first comes to q
, community the people of that com.
l munity can be classified in three
groups; known as the sentimental,
avaricious and the resentful. Many of
the sentimental are women, naturally
u They flock around the youth in uni
form, persuade him that he is d hero
u and thrust upon him attentions which
u quickly spoil him. They break dowr
I his self-respect, pauperizing and giving
y him false ideas Of his own family
1t There are sentimental men who do hin
e as much harm; men of greater means
$ than his own, who entertain him IL
a ways that give him false ideas Of lif
e. with which to go back home.
- Soldier Makes His Own Way.
an The avaricious group is made up Q
&c practical citizens, who exploit the so
g. der by overcharging and cheating hill
90 and appealing to his baser desires. TIL
IN resentful group Is made up of peopl
10 who hate the idea of war. To Their
" the soldier personifes war, and the
IS take it out maliciously on the innocen
,e kid brother who Is doing his bit tn
best he knows how, and who is tel
q times the man and the citizen tina
m these busybodies imagine themselve
" to be. But when the soldier come
f. he makes his own way. He is clear
n moral, strong, and enthusiastic II
m has his work and his play in camp, an
tv looks to the town only for reasonabl
to amount Of amusement of some othe
r. kind. The experts who organize tn
ST soldiers play also organize the towI
10 They show the people that this boy /
to uniform is still human being entitle
Nv to human ties-friends, church, fri
If ternal groups, the companionship G
good women. He is neither to be pa
in ronized nor sighted, pauperized or e,
le plotted. He was a civilian yesterda.
,r and he will be tomorrow better civi
Is ian for his military training and tn
is service he has rendered his countr,
,y Even the resentful group changes. The
in see that opposition to the soldier mus
ID. surely react upon their community.
a. they evade their responsibility to hi
r. the result will be broken homes, vic
If. disease, EQUALIZATION, and lower con
nj munity standards. If they meet III
nd responsibility by constructive commul
in ity effort they protect themselves an
M the soldier and benefit their con
es munity.