Why Colors
Are Carried
I j| | j, Why dies a regiment have colors?
I Jul i;M This question has been asked time
!) Jij ?;j and again by newly enlisted men.
Ill fcji* !'{ Why is there so much solemnity
I Fijfl |; !i about ceremonies in which the colors
ili IJ'1; liy Play the leading part?
Authorities tell us that it is most
probable that as soon as men began
j , to collect for common purposes
i| "some kind of a conspicuous object
was used as the symbol of the coraW-i/V^Vlfl
mon sentl!neat l?r the rallying of the
a/A W.' 'I common forces." The records that
14#/ 'a we have from the beginning of civilin
I ' HI ill ration confirm this view. In Egyp
Ijn JL iJ.I't tian. Syrian or Jewish history the!
inrflL ylj Njl story* is the same?the ensign had its
m! Itrt'ml wi Place and 'ts purpose. So, with the
3 oil il5 i/li l'ersians, the Greeks and the Romans.
(K.in *'?.! Sometimes the ensign took one Torm.
soraotunes another, but always it was
til DTrnlji felt that ther0 was need a con"
I fia IlkSI spicuous object to rally and inspire
W/iH lUi tM Colors Not Mo<lern
Uf ffi wjjjl In tbe song of Solomon (Chap. 6
Hr-jSnll verse 1?' there is H reference to regiKjw
W M mental colors which is very frequentlil
ItlMwi V? *.v quoted and Is as follows: "TerW
jt| iSSjj rible as an army with banners."
V showing that the regimental stand
II ards served a purpose for they mad.
Itrlin li/V? for the cohesion ?f the army.
There is a service in symbolism.
: fl It is a service that has entered largeId
fll iTNrl 'nto tabulations of great railili
'1 ll| tary commanders. Honors that are
1:1 ilita bestowed, whose symbols In field
f i" iiml service are little strips of ribbon of
i^O^T! soldier covets. lie would brave the
supreme sacrifice for the ribbon that
"I 'mm w?>uld tell of his valor, and it is not
il I I) all vanity. It has a reflex that en.!
j 1 '/ ters largely into the soldier's reckon\j'
VA ing The fact that he once dared to
Od y/, die. as the ribbon proclaimed, would
spur him on to nobler effort; would
transform his weakness into strength
11 it> if ever his courage faltered. The
decoration, the ribbon or the medal
till >U<*i ?or both--minister to and reward
fl}| H the individual,
pvij rtj The symbolism of the colors Is
rf M 'afKpr by far and its Influence is of
LLJafSI the highest importance with regard
I 7 ,0 fbe morale of the troops."
In the olden days of more primitive
?I war^arc- commanding generals often
m i"1 se^zo<' lbe colors and rallied their
fj] tro?Ps about them. The Archduke
nH5=Sl jr Charles, at Aspcrn in 1809, led his
JQ^O ? untried troops to their last assault
fl> while carrying the colors in his own
I |R jff] hands. In the first battle of Bull
U 5 9 wr "un- General Joseph Johnston, with
, m raw troops tnat were racing aemoraiH"Ef
0 !n 'za'!0n- rallied his men about him by
n n*Vn 11 taking the colors himself. In the
HIk | jl battle of Prague. Marshal Schwerin
W 1) Ipl W went to his death bearing the colors.
I^BLSLll' American Colors, at the Front
SThe modern practice for a time
was to leave the colors behind so as
to reduce visibility. This dates from
the battle of isandhlwana in 1879
when two gallant young lieutenants
met their death protecting the colors.
But. in the Russo-Japanese war both
armies often went into action with
their colors because of the Influence
of the National emblem on the troops,
and any one who has read closely the
record of the great European conflict
?In which America is now partici\
mv. _ pating?knows of the frenzy of joy
\wlm~~ swept over Paris when capN\yJu
tornl standards were exhibited. Re
\ffh cently an American artillery regi?
ment sent its colors to the main ad
L II fleer to certify in pen and ink on
j I jr" the colors themselves the fact that
k j they had been at the front. The signature
of this French officer and his
Bcertification is a trophy for which
TjR I every American expeditionary unit
I J strove. The influence of the baptized
I j I I ^ colors will be tremendous,
lira 'n ?'('en tiroes. the regimental col,al
, fcfi ors bore the arms of the Knight or
3a Ml Lord who claimed the devotion of the
1^2 ?*?? ^mlividual soldier. No such Knight
or temporal Lord claims the devotion
J ML?n?! of American troops and the regi-|
mental colors bear the National Coatof-Arms
and the designation of the
regiment. i
The Infantry was the first to roplace
its standard with the colors,
for the Cavalry was much later still
commanded by the nobleman, or the
rirfrrrf!3 man of ,Jirth. w^o claimed the,
'm' I- it it | rca,rv or ine individual soldier. The
u't m | i ! Infantry was the first to serve the
Hit j'|! {?! lareer claim?the claim of the whole
||i i,}! HjJI people.
Si ill Hi KHJ PRISON FOR STACKERS
! |j ! tj j| Work is to be started Immediately
I ' ' !y i upon a Prlson cantonment at Leaveni!
pj |y worth. Kan., to accommodate 3,000
j i'-'I |y persons, in which will be lodged
III! J-?,1 Sill slackers, spies, alien enemies, and
other war offenders. The building1
K+Mc&slS will cost $236,000.
I4 ~ . - v - ^
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TRENCH A
GERMANY
CAN
MUST
WILL
nr r>T7 A TTM
DC, DiyilCll
Bishop Luther B. Wilson, who
recently returned from France,
brought this message from General
Pershing:
"There is no ground for the
heresy that Germany cannot be
beaten. GERMANY CAN BE
BEATEN. Germany MUST be
beaten. Germany WILL be beaten.
AMERICAN SOLDIER TELLS
HIS MOTHER HE'S HAVING
GRAND TIME IN FRANCE
"I hope you are not worried about
me. I never was having a better time
in my life and am always seeing and
doing new things."
This is not from the journal of a
school boy's holiday. It is from a
letter written by an American soldier.
i man in the Rainbow Division. He
s Joseph McKinney, Jr., whose father
s a New York Police Captain. Orlgnally
he was enlisted in the 7th New
."ork but was transferred to the new
;65tb, the basis of which is the
Fighting 69th.
His letter also says:
"Dear Mother:?This is the first
opportunity I" have had to write to
you. In the first place, I have been
on the go all of the time since I left
you. Everything and everybody is on
the go all of the time.
"There is no stop to anything, but
I nevertheless have suffered very little
in this long journey. I have not
lost a night's sleep nor one meal, except
when I was seasick. 1 was sick
twice and, believe met some sickness.
"I think you will have to come
over here to live when the war is
over, for I dread that one awful trip
across the ocean back home.
"The only trouble is that I have
money but no cigarettes. The cigarettes
they sell here are terrible.
They are either English or French
make, and nothing like (deleted
by censor).
"1 had a safe and speedy Journey
across and I will write often, I will
close now as l near me mess can
blowing. I
"Your loving son, Joe.
That. Rookie from tl
Courtesy HcCtare Newspaper Sy
ND CAMP
BEST OF CARE WILL BE
GIVEN U. S. SOLDIERS
BY Y. M. C. A. OVER THERE
It is well understood now that the
American army abroad will set a new
standard for the care of other armies.
America does not look upon her soldiers
as mere food for cannon. They
are, as President Wilson so aptly put
it, soldiers of freedom. The thoughtful
consideration for their welfare
will be projected right Into the front
Vfluor will t>l? mBO III OliVE
drab feel that he Is out of touch with
the homeland.
The $50,000,000 subscribed for
the Y. M. C. A. Is the soldiers' own
fund. The Y. M. C. A. is merely the
steward of It.
Every week Trench and Camp
hopes to be able to tell of new plans
for spending this money in the Interest
of the soldiers.
Just glance over this list of things
that are even now on their way to
France as well as to the camps and
cantonments:
Chocolate, candy, syrups, writing
paper, motion picture machines, baseballs
and bats, footballs, volley balls
and quoits, portable electric lighting
outfits, ink, pens, pins.
uay aiter uoj uiiuueo ui
from all over the United States are
?t the Y. M. C. A. purchasing head
quarters. The Y. M. C. A. men are 1
buying at unbelievably low figures.
The whole output of one lemondrop
factory has been contracted for.
It will cost about $120 a month to
ship them to France, but they will be
shipped. This is but one, and a minor
one, of the problems of transport that
must be arranged. The quartermaster
corps of the Y. M. C. A. is
no mean institution. Already hundreds
of tons of Y. M. C. A. supplies
are ready for shipment. It is expected
that a large ship will have to
be placed at the disposal of the association.
With that self-sacrifice that has
characterized the Y. M. C. A. effort
throughout, the secretaries bound for
France have been giving up their
trunk space to supplies for the men.
Much has been transported in that
way.
Headquarters are rapidly being
multiplied in France and when the
larger units of the new army arrive
they will find the Y. M. C. A. ready
to resume the worn so wen none iu
the home training camps.
is 13th Sauad.
ll
iai
IJJFFICER ;s |iOHTfo?e! 6?1
/^\ THAT LITTLE
HAT YOU WW
v ;o much nox
/1A g?C0MINO
Sr^jg
French Give High Praise
To U. S. Engineers at Cambral
Tribute to the gallant conduct
of the American army engineer"
overseas was paid oy mo rn?v.
Government in an official communication
containing the following
paragraph:
"We most remark upon the cowduct
of certain American soldiers,
pioneers and workmen on the military
railroad in the sector of the
German attack west of Cambrai on
November 80. They exchanged
; their picks and shovels for rifles
and cartridges and fought with the
| English. Many died thus bravely,
arms in hand, before the invader.
| All helped to repulse the enemy.
There Is not a single person who |
| saw them at work who does not f
render warm praise to the cool- I
| ness, discipline, and conrage of (
, these improvised combatants.
All hail to the Engineers!
Engaged in the perilous work of
road building and of projecting new
railroad lines right up to the latest 'j
advances of General Byng'a army
they were threatened by a German
turning movement.
Shovels and picks were dropped vvr
and rifles were seized.
The bravery of our American Engineers.
suddenly become combatant j
troops, thrilled even those accustom?
ed by years of observation to deeds
of valor.
The American soldier can fight!
He has won the admiration of his
Allies and, by hard-hitting, by playing
the game according to the rules,
he has shown the people of Potsdam
that he is a tower <jf strength to the
forces of freedom.
There are regiments of stevedores
over there, too. 8trictly speaking .
they are not combatant troops. But
let the need arise and they will ac-4 ' ?
quit themselves like men, like Americans.
Berlin papers please copy.
RE-READING BIBLE
General Allenby. commander of the
British forces In Palestine, is doing
something more than conducting a \
successful military campaign against i
the Turks. He is driving people to reread
their Bibles to refresh their
memories of ^Beersheba. Dan and
Gaza. Like another Samson, he has
pulled down the gates of this last- -
named town. . . By
P. L. Crosby.
(Z0M? "JACKJ q
yHHERe!!!/
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