Carolina watchman. [volume] (Salisbury, N.C.) 1871-1937, 1931-10-22
<<Dugout Dope -
(This column published weekly in the
interest Of the Ex-service men of
Rowan County,.

There is much that would interest
the ex~-service men of the county, to
be told, but, as most of it is for flu
ture consummation the top kick wants
to keep it on ice. Most unfair l calls
it, instead of having a nice little COL
umn all written and ready to insert,
the Lance Jack actually has to write
one of these things. And like the guy
whose night it was to get on his week.
ly drunk, gosh how l dread it.
Didjerever try to write one of these
thingumabobs? Well it's like this, you
grab a typewriter, or a pencil, and roll
up your sleeves, dash madly into the
dern thing with a positive conviction
that in about steen seconds it will be
did. Three words, two of which are
misspelled, and her you roll up your
eyes, which has the same effect as
rolling up your sleeves in the first
place, after that you chew the end of
the pencil, fiddle with the doodads on
the typewriter, roll your eyes to the
northeast, scratch your head and stick
out your tongue, light a cigarette,
scratch the other side of your head,
roll your eyes to the SOU southwest by
west, and the sum total you have
written sounds like that goofy stuff
moon misted sampan rowers gargle
when they are in love. Yes sir, this
writing game is s'awful.
The membership committee reports
almost three quarters of the total 1881
strength have been signed up for 1882.
Come on in, Buddy, the water is fine,
the rest of the gang have jined the
army, why not you? Your member
ship is worth just as much as the 9TH
er fellows, your comradeship is just
as much desired as the other fellows,
SO get on the band wagon now. Pay
those 1892 dues and let's fall in for
some real honest to goodness wa time
work. If you think there isn't as great
a battle to fight now as ever was
fought on the Marine or the Aisne, you
are sadly mistaken. There are some
battles facing the ex-service body to-
day that will make the Argonne the
St. Mihiel and Ypres look like a game
of tag at a girls boarding school of
the gay nineties. How about those
helpless, starving children that our
buddies have been SO thoughtless as
to die and leave? How about those wo-
men that long years of tears, fears
and anxiety, plus lack of food, have
made unable to longer fight the grim
battle now thai. she man they cried
over and sighed over has gone West?
How about those countless men who
were once strong like you and l., but
who are now pain-wrecked skeletons,
shadows that fit here and there for
awhile then flicker out, shadows still,
to join that host of shadows that gath
er in the Vallhalla of warriors? They
call you Buddy. We call you Buddy,
what do you call us? Don't you con-
slider their battle worth the fighting?
Or do you mentally, and v%ocally con-
sign all such matters to that vague
destination that you SO freely request
ed your wartime comrades to visit?
Yes you are concerned, you have got
a battle to fight, either with the rest
of us in and of the Legion, Or with
yourself. Take it from me it is much
easier to fight side by side with your
wartime comrades, much easier to win
a satisfactory battle with them, than
it is to fight and be satisfied with the
battle you wage with self.
NOTICE
The Samuel C. Hart Post No. IA is