The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1919-01-17

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getting of .the x. p. duty that ev-
ening ] went TO the orderly room,
and in the absence Of the command
ing Officer secured permission 10,
use a typewriter to write n personal
letter to my wife. In the interim
the officer returned, saw me using
the machine as fast as know how,
and the next morning l was called
to work In the office. protest
ed vociferously for a short while
but after he had been so persuasive
and had told me Of the benefits to
be had by its acceptance for a month
or two, Zone of the promises being
that / would get a rating as SER
geant and would be sent to the Of
ficers' training school in accord
ance with my wishes after / had
been in the military service the re-
quired number of weeks,) gave my
consent. There are two reasons to
be offered for not getting either.
First, / must not have shown suffic-
lent qualifications; second, the re-
quired length Of time had not ex-
pired when my transfer came to
the overseas company. Simmer. it
down and put it in a nutshell; The
fact remains that all / ever got was
a promise. promises are easily made
and promises soon forgotten"
II will not be out Of place to state
that they broke me in at the office
by working me just twenty-seven
hours consecutively getting out a
report that was due at camp head
quarters at a certain hour. Green
horn like worked with great celer-
ity every minute of that twenty
seven hours and when the report
was finally submitted I was almost
dead on my feet from sheer exhaus-
ton. you'll like it." Shakespeare
wrote, "As You Like It." In the ar
my it is Gas You Were" and "As
You Would Like to Be-" mostly the
former. After a month s stay at the
depot brigade the day and night shift
was dispensed with and awas re-
quired to work in the day time only
from seven until six. From $50 D..
m. to- $50 p. m. I attended the en-
listed mems school taking course
in company administration that en-
bodied not few lectures that were
given in the officers school. There
were twenty-seven men in the class, |
among them being twelve or fifteen
non-commissioned officers with the
grade of sergeant and sergeant list
class. We had written examina-
ton once a week and when the
course was completed it was found
that one of the sergeant list class,
from the medical corps and myself
had secured the highest percentage.
| was buck private at the time and
unfortunately have not been adj
vanced. The course we completed
would have been an excellent foun-
dation for the same course in the
officers training school, but all
ever saw of the last mentioned was
the barracks where the various
classes were held. Army paperI
work came as easy to me as pouring
water down a boot for the reason
that administrative work was what
had practised for nearly seven
years. Ninety-five per cent was the
lowest mark / attained. But I con-
Guided that their marks were like
their promises. The first man who
interviewed me at the Personnel
board at Camp Johnston, classified
me as an executive, but when the
final classification was made was
listed as a typist, and, of course,
not an expert in that. Maybe am
fortunate and don't realize it. Who
knows but what I ought to be out on
The docks with the stevedores, heav-
ing freight, quarters of beef, etc.
As an amanuensis, Pm a good steve
dore. As an executive, I'm typist.
Verify, have been rated.