The New York herald., 1922-03-12

the kiddies; build them"
The lieutenant did not knew what vol
ley ball looked like, and since he was
bachelor it was quite natural that his ig-
anyhow he got detail of men, secured
some lumber from the quartermaster and
scme ashes from the kitchen and some
cinders from the pile which nobody was
watching. He proceeded to build In four
days he had everything about the play
grounds complete but the slide. He did
not know how to make a slide, but he had
ingenuity and an experimental turn of
mind He made something as nearly like
a slide as he could conceive.
1t was a disproportionate looking thing
1t reared its great gaunt frame about
thirty feet in the air. 1t had two tracks in
which small wheels formerly belonging to
an army truck were calculated to fit nicely
The vehicle was built on wheels. 1t looked
something like a sled which lacked the
grace and lightness Of sled. The wooden
tracks were creased and a volunteer
climbed up to the top of the contraption,
dragging the vehicle with him. He offered
to take the first ride. but it was decided
that bag of potatoes might more safely
take the initial trip on the slide.
Since the lieutenant was a bachelor he
entirely overlooked the law of inertia and
the sled started, gained momentum, and
made as fine glide as ever had been
seen. The sled stopped-the bag of pota-
toes did not stop. 1t kept on at a terrific
speed and crashed through a window OF
the school-that was the psychological
moment for the Colonel to be on hand
and he was
Lieutenant" he said mildly, lis this a
new patent to assure attendance?"
Every possible effort was made to cor
rect the slight deficiency which caused
the slide to function so perilousIy, but the
law OF inertia was persistent. 1t was
finally managed to cut down the jump of
the bag Of potatoes from 10 to 3 feet-but
anyway the slide was rigidly condemned
by official order
And naturally that was all that was
needed to make the contraption thoroughly
popular with the school children or course
the sled was taken off, but that did not
prevent excursions on the slide. Pieces OF
board came in handy as substitutes, and as
they worked ii out the slide became an
established success nor were there any
casualties.
These children were typical of those OF
any army post. There Is OF course no rank
in school-the children Of the officer and
the noncommissioned officer receive the
same instructions. No children are better
behaved than those OF the old noncom of.
fcers First sergeants with several en-
listments as a rule administer their fami-
lies with almost military discipline Many
noncommissioned officers are ambitious
for their sons to go TO West Point-this Is
a somewhat usual ambition. Sons OF sol
diers take to discipline like ducks TO wa
ter. One which the writer has particularly
In mfnd-whenever he met his father he
would stand straight as an arrow and wait
for orders and when the word rest
would he given he would break ranks
with himself and sprawl all over the place
Moreover, he could ride. swim. shoot and
do a perfectly good drill with rife
Family life does not exist in any other
army in the world in the sense in which
such life Is usually construed In the
British army for example. an officers mess
r. a formation-no women attend except
on state occasions and the women and
children eat alone.
In the United States Army usually the
mess hall Is very much like little res
taurant, with small tables az which sit little
groups Of four or six wives. husbands and
kiddies together. The noncommissioned
officers and married prvates eat at home
much as do civilians, responding to the
hugle calls much az civilians respond to
factory whistles or time clocks. And so,
take 1t all in all, the lot Of the "Dinah
Shad" Of the United States army is happy
one--perhaps II Is that So little is needed
to make happiness IN the army or perhaps
il Is that love snatched beneath the sword
is ever sweet