The Waterbury Democrat., 1941-02-18

the plan fallen through again?
 With George Washingt0n's Birthday coming up again, it's a good time to dedicate a few words and little white space to things and to people of his era. Somehow, when George was around, there was less wistful thought and heck of a lot more genuine action. George never scrapped any bugles in favor of buzzers in the tents of his sOl- diers. In the first place, troopers of the Continental Line didn't need to be waked-up. They were awake all the while. As for bugleS or buzzers, just the prompting of an empty tummy was about all that was needed to make one of our military fOrefathers hit the deck and start f0raging rations. There was more fOraging than there was grub, of course, but that didn't keep hungry Minute Men from looking hopefully be- hind every henhouse door just before dawn. It's doubtful if there ever would have been any Reveille at all in WashingtOn's Army, had it not been for for eign military advisors such as Won Steuben and Lafayette.
 And speaking of tents, well, General Washington's folks only had a few tents to have their pictures painted in front of. Mostly, his man took living natural and dug holes in the bank like woodchucks, or maybe got a brush shelter started to keep the North Wind filtered. Air-condi- tioning wasn't popular when George licked Great Britain, and stoves were not in general use. Folks were lucky to have sheep pelt, worn wooley side in, or slightly musty great coat of cow hide.
 But to get back to things in- congruOus, did you know that the grave of a Revolutionary soldier Is stiIl kept fenced-off in the parking lot at United Aircraft's huge East Hartford plant? Fact! One Herman Baker served at the Lexington Alarm, shot himself quite a few redcOats, then came back here to hustle around Con- necticut as best he could. Herman contracted smallpox and died. They buried him in pasture lot to keep the germs away from the civilian population, and nobody has yet got to it to dig him up and put his body in recent graveyard. Trooper Baker died on January 2Ist, l777, one month and a day before his COmmander-in- Chiefs birthday.
 Swirling around the pipe fence that keeps Bakers grave intact, are motor cars of fellows who probably couldn't even tell you what the Lexington Alarm was. Rows and rows of cars from here and from other states line up there like artillery carriages in battery park. Topside, hugging the ceiling, roars an Army ship in for a new motor or to bring brass hat to see what the new Hornet motor will be like. Private Herman Baker would sure be surprised if he could walk in his sleep.
 Over the way from the Baker grave, a keen-eyed peddlar hawks the yellow pulp known far and wide as Hobo News" q dingy school bus has been transformed into . Basket Lunch dog wagon, and several bankers offer "a doz-' en palrs of socks for Q buck!" These camp followers are not Yankees. but just up the road Is Silver Lane, s0.named because French regiments were paid in sll- yer there, and the pedlars os Bakers day garnered their har- vest from another war. Folks are about the same.
 In George WashingtonS day. Inc Y. M. c. A. didn't solicit funds for the entertainment Of single men ln barracks" and onc Of the finest things VIC know about the coming war and the current ....a.fltssa klsssa la Nlaal Nlaa nts Faafl