The Monticellonian., 1918-01-04


 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 German song that runs for six beats, and then will stop 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 must learn from them in this.
 Idle Time Is Organized.
 The other day a New York lawyer who was a 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 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 it was difficult to use to advan- tage. In civil life the kid brothers day can be pretty efficiently planned. i 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 general scheme of work, play, and self-improvement. In the training camps there must be 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 but for better citizenship. At some of the eantonments it has already been dis covered that hundreds of recruits can not read or write the English language. They come from sections in the eoun- try settled by European immigrants 1 where the parents language has been retained and contact with Americans has not been sufficient. Classes in Eng fish have been started and when these boys come out of the army they will be American in speech and ideals. The French language and French geography are being widely taught because 1t has been found that 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 opportunity , to play these games for himself but to , learn under competent instructor. Each camp will have one of the best college coaches in the country. and the sports will be organized in way to , give every recruit his chance to play , the game he likes and to excel in it. : Can Find ConqenIal Pals.
 , There will be other attractions in is farm boy who has had few oppor-
 tunities to get to town or few pals !, when he got there, or suppose he Is that even more lonely chap, the boy who does not find his sort of pals iu the gangs around his neighborhood. Turn him loose in city of 10000 fel- lows his own age, with his play or ganized as we'll as work. abundant out , door exercise. and good food, careful , medical attendance, supervision, and , personal hygiene. For the first time in
 his life he feels the fascination of team play, and has the benefit of associates that will meet his very idea of what good pals should be. If he is red , headed, freckled. and abounding in rough boyish energy, and likes vigorous, harmless deviltry, he will soon find
 around him a gang of his own kind
 larger than he ever hoped to see in his life and one that will help him develop his every aspiration, whether it be to , lead or to follow the lead. If he is . quieter boy with inventive or artistic , or literary tastes he can soon find con- genial fellows of his own way of think ing, pals who probably understand what is in him better than anybody he has ever met-better than he under stands himself
 With all these attractions it might be thought that the kid brother would
 never want to leave camp, but he will. and the director of training camp ac-
 tivities knows that he will, and has , provided for him intelligently. It has
 been found that soldiers in camp will go to town whenever they have an hours free time.
 When Uncle Sam set out to select
 sites for his army eantonments last spring, there was excitement in every community from ocean to ocean. Cham
 bers of commerce and citizens leagues brought pressure to bear upon their congressman and senators in Washing : ton In the effort to secure one of these prizes. The prospect of city of 40- : GOO men suddenly set down within q