The Oakley herald. [volume] (Oakley, Idaho) 1908-1961, 1918-02-15
The Kid Brother in Camp
How Uncle Sam Ha. Organized the Training Camp
Activities to Provide Healhf Outlets for the SOLDIER Energy
By James H. Collins


instructor, for singing is wonderful
co-ordinator in army discipline, and
lightens the hard work of marching
and soldering Immensely. Many COM
mander has said that he does not fear
the outcome when an army goes into |
battle singing. Already it has been |
found that our soldiers are anxious to |
sing under skillful leadership, and we |
know that we must meet on the west |
ern front an army that is not only the |
most highly trained in the world in
military tactics, but also trained in
singing. A German regiment on the
march will sing In a way to make ones
hair stand on end. The men will swing
along to a German song that runs
abruptly for two beats, and sing for
four beats more and then stop four
beats. Every national resource that
we have in the way of ragtime and
college cheers will be needed when we
meet the trained singing soldiers of
the kaiser, and as we learn from them
In trench fighting and bombing, so we
HuSI leuIu lIOlu llltlu Ill Ills
Idle Time Is Organized.
The other day a New York lawyer
who was pacifist until war was de-
clared, but who now understands that
sometimes the best way to get peace Is
to fight for it visited his brother who
is training In an eastern camp. He
found his brother hard and brown,
every inch a soldier, keen for the west
ern front, and glad to be in the army,
but he also found that his brother had
great deal of time upon his hands
which 1t was difficult to use to advan-
tage. In civil life the kid brothers
day can be pretty efficiently planned.
When he gets done at the office or fac
tory he has sports and social interests,
can read or study, and make every half
hour count In a general scheme of
work, play, and self-improvement. In
the training camps there must be Il
different scheme. Surroundings are not
always SO favorable to study, and
many an hour which in civil life would
be utilized to some useful end is idled
away. But this idle time is also being
organized and in ways that not only
make for personal improvement hut
for better citizenship. At some of the
environments it has already been dis
covered that hundreds Of recruits can
not read or write the English language
They come from sections in the coun
try settled by European immigrant'
where the parents language has beer
A<v tor M Wit A ton
has not been sufficient. Glasses in Eng
fish have been started and when thes'
boys come out of the army they vii
, be American in speech and ideals. The
, French language and French geography
are being widely taught because 1T has
been found THAI these studies make the
most direct appeal to recruits.
Then there are the sports. Many {
country boy who has lived far from
, baseball and football and many a city
, boy whose interest in boxing and wrest
ling has found outlet only through
, sporting pages of the newspapers will
| find In camp not only the opportunit.
, to play these games for himself but tt
, learn under competent instructor
college coaches in the country, and thu
, sports will be organized In way t.
) give every recruit his chance to pla.
: the game he likes and to excel in ii
r Can Find CongeniaI Pals.
c There will be other attractions II
camp for the kid brother. Suppose h.
| is farm boy who has had few oppor
f,1n 10 fn or rs
3 when he got there, or suppose he i
: that even more lonely chap, the bo
/ who does not find his sort of pals II
: the gangs around his ;neighborhood
. Turn him loose in city of 10000 fel
: lows his own age, with his play OF
/ ganized as well as work, abundant out
e door exercise, and good food, careful
e medical attendance, supervision, an
e personal hygiene. For the first time i
7 his life he feels the fascination Of tear
: play, and has the benefit of associate
+ that will meet his very idea of wha
+ good pals should be. If he Is rec
e headed, freckled, and Astounding /
rough boyish energy, and likes vigorou:
f harmless deviltry, he will soon fin
III Ouiil MN u SthS VI LIS VNh NIL
larger than he ever hoped to see in hi
: life, and one that will help him develo
l. his every aspiration, whether it be t
G lead or to follow the lead. If he is
It quieter boy with inventive or artist
0 or literary tastes he can soon find col
v genial fellows of his own way of thinl
, ing, pals who probably understan
z what is in him better than anybody h
p has ever met---better than he uDde
e stands himself.
y With all these attractions It migf
h be thought that the kid brother woul
1, never want to leave camp, but he vii
r and the director of training camp a
s. tiyities knows that he Will, and hi
& provided for him intelligently. 1t hi
h been found that soldiers in camp wi
l. go to town whenever they have q
hours free time.
d When Uncle Sam set out to sele'
y sites for his army environments la
x spring. there was excitement in ever
e. community from ocean TO Ocean Chan