White Pine news weekly mining review. [volume] (East Ely, Nev.) 1910-1920, 1920-07-18
CONTRASTS OLD
AND new ARMY
General Harbord Tells OF Changes
. Since 1889.
PAY IS MORE THAN DOUBLED
Acted AZ Kitchen Police" for Month
When He First EnlIsted-Educa.
tisnaI Facilities Such ~ Are Now
Offered in No Other Service
Teachers Are Experienced Civilian
instructors.

Offered in No Other Service
Teachers Are Experienced Civilian
instructors.
Contrasting The post-Civil war army
and the new peacetime army, Major
General James G. Harbord, who re-
Gently returned from an allied mis-
sion to Armenia 10 command the Sec
ond division at Camp Travis, Texas
has written an article for the recruit
ing service, describing the changes in
the army since he enlisted thirty years
ago. Permission TO print the article
by Pershing's chief Of staff and or.
ganizer and commander of the service
OF supply In the American expedition
airy forces has been given by the gen
eral recruiting service.
Il Joined the old army General
Hartford writes. "as a recruit at old
Fort Spokane in the then territory
OF Washington In January, 1880. The
last sixty-fye miles of my journey
were made In a sled drawn By horses.
Instead of being met and conducted
TO the barracks that were TO be my
home, the sled stopped In front OF
the post traders store and deposited
me and my scsnty baggage In the
snow. A few soldiers stood around
the front of the suffers establishment,
but no reception committee appeared.
Next morning / went on duty as
kitchen police before l had drawn
my uniform. The services of a re-
cruit to do permanent kitchen police
his recruit drill was impeded instead
of facilitated, in order that, for a
longer time, he might be available
TO monopolize that unpopular duty.
Our commanding officer was one of
the old school. who believed that q
garrison should be awake n consider
able time before the daylight. At
4 o'clock those winter mornings, be-
fore a streak of dawn Redeemed in the
east, the company turned out In the
darkness for reveIlle roll call. As
kitchen police, a recruit had to be up
some time before that in order that
breakfast could be ready Immediately
after reyeille.
Those early hours were enforced
at a time when the snow was five
feet deep on the parade ground. and
IL was impossible to move of the
beaten track. No drills were con-
Quoted during that winter. except for
my benefit In short intervals of the
forenoon when my duty as kitchen
police did not occupy my time. I
was kitchen police for a month with
out interruption.
0ambIsd for Seeks.
Drawing clothing vas q great event
In the life Of o recruit. 1t was the
old blue. beloved OF Civil Wal memory,
and much OF II was old stock left
over and still un~exhausted, though
twenty-five years had elapsed since that
conflict. The shoes were Of the type
known as brogans. The trousers were
the old very light blue, cut long for
short men and short for long ones.
The cap was the old chasseur type. the
nat top of which made the old army
baldheaded. The blouse was dark
blue, but of indefinite size, which
might or might not fit.
DRAW day. when the whole COM
pany drew clothing, was the occasion
for gambling, and the stakes were
reckoned In terms of socks or white
al1-aa 1xo ennn N uA1Ifnu col .p
from a small poker game on the eve
ming OF 'draw-day' with twelve dozen
pairs Of socks, but every n else IN
the squadroom was sockless.p
The soldier fare in those days was
Every simple" General Harbord re-
calls. Breakfast and supper were
generally different varieties OF what
soldiers call "slum."
Fourth OF July, st. patrick's day,
II the sergeant were Irish, Thanksgiy-
ing and Christmas, there was a feast
Of good soldier fare, and everybody
gorged themselves and talked about
II until the next holiday.
1.-The company commanders were
generally veterans of the Civil war
who had, many of them, held higher
rank during the war and had eve
accepted phllosophically the peace
time reduction in grade which fol.
lowed war. The colonel had been a
major general and a division conn
mander. He was always addressed as
general, and had worn never to at
tend a formation Of anything so low
as the regiment OF which he WAS col
onel. There were no examinations for
promotion of officers and no process
~ lirnSnation of doadwood aYccpt nv