The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1918-08-24
In Progress as Result of Big
Task.
All Men Are On an Equal
Footing.
RICH and POOR LIVE TOGETHER
When They Arrive in Camp
They Lose Identity.
Each Man Takes Turn at
Kitchen Police.
BY sERGT. H. G. DENYvEN.

BY SERGT. H. G. DENYVEN.
A bigger, truer and more profound
democracy is in process of evolution
as ar incidental result of the big task
that confronts the United States, that
of making the world safe for democ-
racy" which is finding it's foothold in
the army and navy of this country in
the training camps and on the battle
fields in Europe.
The enlisted man Of the army is on
an equality with his fellow man to a
degree that was never approached in
civil life in any section of the coun-
try. Rich and poor and educated and
ignorant are living side by side with
hunks adjacent in the same barracks
building or in the same tent They
borrow smokes" from each other, eat
the same mess from the same kind of
mess kits. associate at odd hours and
generally learn the others mode and
philosophy of life.
No Special FavOrs.
When the draftees are sent to a
training camp to become an integral
part of the vast army machine that
this country is building, they lose their
identity as civilians and the social
planes of wealth's creation are broken
and a new standard of democracy is
raised, a democracy of the highest
type. None is the recipient at the
receiving station of special favors as
they enter Camp Funston. Each has
to pass the same rigid physical ex-
animation, submit to the same sort of
a shower before they start on their
journey thru the mill which will
make them a soldier. A noncom of
the army takes them to the showers
and no matter how recently one has
been bathed or how long since a bath
has been INDUCED in one must be
taken just prior to the start thru the
mill The same quality of clothes is
issued to every one, the wealthy man
as we'll as those from the poorer dis
tricts getting the same. Further, no
one may purchase from private funds
clothes of a better material and wear
them on the drill field.
After an assignment to a company
is made the same equal treatment IS
again noticeable. Everyone has to go
thru the painful stage of the awkward
squad, learning squads east and west"
as the soldiers facetiously call squads
right d squads left. The college
graduate from the wealthy home and
the son of a chimney sweep both take
their turns at kitchen police, at the
guard duty. and at doing the various
other sorts of fatigue work that is in
cidental to the army training.
All Do Kitchen Police.
One day a graduate of a we'll knows
university will have the job of kitchen
police. cleaning pots and pans. peeling
potatoes, scrubbing floors and doing
other tasks in the army kitchen,
which has the problem of feeding
Americas soldiers and alongside of
him will be the man who has not had
the opportunities of a good education,
both cheerfullv doing their Bit to-
ward the accomplishment of America s
purpose and incidentally learning 20
be better comrades than was ever DOS
sible in the life they formerly led.
On the drill field marching side by
side. training for the eventual duty
the men from every walk of life asso-
ciate. being ''bawled OUT in the same
terms by husky "noncom," being re-
quired to do the same drill and learn
ing to handle and clean rifle. Each
man has to keep his rifle spotless and
no one may leave this task undone.e-
Equality In Everything.
Equality of pay, of living, of
clothes. of training, of discipline are
gradually evolving an equality In the
known as the melting pot" for the
world for years, hut the work of that
ssmelting pot" is being carried on
quicker and with surer results than
ever before. It was a common custom
for aliens as thew reached the land
OF freedom to seek an aho@e In the
vicinity of those of their follow coun-
to1efher IN s'roh comro-0itie-. their
association with the native tr7arica r
was IirnitAd ard thei- ass'~1H" tjon OF
ere custom and lanorac~ of this Gown
+r,- was a SLOW nrocasS. oftan reGTirfno
So MANY . c three Pararat'o~S TO ira We
Fhe finished hrnari~o-. Thesa af"ns
en- 4[A ar--,v have bod ronanS nf ha-
co--,i,e- cttt-ans without H~'-''7r 70 watt
49, I,-u-f five wears. and +Eov a-e a~-
ei--ad 70 va-'o"s cornnonios IN the
er-,-, a-d their for-oAr SEGREGATED
rrouns IN the largo cities have hear
hrol,ou and thew rrust learn to re
Americans now among ArnAr'"ans II
IT, are Fl have INV aeeo"'ates-
TIE Italians ~ P"ss'1rs. the
Greeks. ard +Ha Poles arr hei-( as.
STIMULATED nv 40 a--,-- Schools are
esta hlished r-ht-N those who cannc'
road or xneaF Tn~1'~l r~o~~+ attend
This is Carried ~ ~ Cav Function "
conjunction with the Y ~ r. n. am
forafrners are heinG taught to read
and speak orr la1~-'aoe-
Customs Discarded.
The custom of the old country
which they brought to this country
with them are gradually being dis.
carded and thew are being made into
Americans. What will the result be
when they return to their homes wher
the war IS won? They will carry
American life into the center of the