;• >°^ c\ .*? •ill:* ^ v % .!••* cv ^5> v .j^L:* v .?* V *I,*,f* ^ »2* * » 5 * * '^ *> V f * * o «5°^ ^n« " 5^ >^itki'. *♦. .« v \v4.'i:..% A +°.iifc.^*. .*^.iii-:..V vv V % •!••• cu a_0* *°/,L% 3°. r^ :M: ^*^ ^ /. ^. .«, .» 4 o ^o. d 1 ?^ ^ ^ '•jr. 0* «°V* ^ .:.-. Major General Harry L. Rogers, U. S. Army, D.S.M., Quartermaster General Director, Purchase 8$ Storage PHOTO BY HARRIS & EWING -Aju^/a-XJUi,.*-- *■*-*- IQI'7 and -S of if)c s ssssamz igi8 $^k JUL -8 3CI.A530113 / ^ ( COMMITTEE Major C. I. Wagner. . . , Chairman Captain C. E. Graves Editor-in-Chief Major H. D. Bargelt Editor Prose Captain Wm. H. Buckley Editor Poetry Lieut. O. T. Weaber Editor Censorship Miss Jesse Dell , Editor Censorship Mr. Garnet W. Jex Editor Art Mr. Aaron Rachofsky Advisory Editor Captain Clarence Lineberger Treasurer Lieut. B. H. Walton Business Manager Miss M. E. H. Dugent Secretary ZONE COMMITTEE Colonel H. B. Grant Boston, Mass. Colonel E. R. Tompkins Philadelphia, Pa. Lt. Colonel K. P. Williams St. Louis, Mo. Major M. L. Gerstle San Francisco, Cal. Major Z. H. Sturman Fort Logan, Colo. Captain A. A. Stewart New York City Captain W. C. Linthicum Baltimore, Md. Captain Chas. W. Ballard Omaha, Nebr. Captain James V. Mackey San Antonio, Tex. Lieut. Harry S. Newirth New Orleans, La. Lieut. H. F. Weckel ; Chicago, 111. Sergeant Michael L. Samson New York Mrs. A. A. Carroll Washington, D. C. The Committee extends its thanks to all those who so cheerfully contributed material, and regrets that limitation of space prohib- ited the inclusion of everything so kindly submitted. FOREWORD Co, little Book, And seek a nook In ev'ry genial heart! The Q. M. C. Has fashioned thee And made thee what thou art. And ev'ry page Of versifiage, Quip, sketch and merry jest, We've culled with care, That debonair And bright thou shouldst be drest. And, as we wrought, We likewise sought To see thy pages bore No rhymes or skit That was not writ Save by the Q. M. Corps. If here we erred, Be it inferred 'Twas done with no intent, Work by the ' ' Corps, " And nothing more, Our aim 'tis to present. Many a taugh, And genial chaff. Within thee will be found; No malice lurks Within thy quirks — Naught tedious or profound. With cheery smile Thou wilt beguile The idle hours away, For those who fought And these who wrought That Right might live this day. So, little Book, Go find a nook In ev'ry genial heart; OUR labor's done — THINE has begun, And thou must do thy part. THE COMMITTEE. NOTE : — On the eve of the departure for "Somewhere in France" of the much beloved Colonel Harry L. Rogers (now Major General) — at that time the Department Quartermaster, Southern Depart- ment, Fort Sam Houston, Mr. James Courtney Challiss, of the Dep. Q. M. C, wrote the following poem and presented it to him as expressing the sentiments of the American people, saying: "Carry the spirit of this to the boys in the trenches." j^jp Mj When the Colonel had finished reading it, he struck his desk with his fist and said: "By God, I will!" He folded it up and placed it in his pocket, stating that he would take it with him as an inspira- tion. OUR BOYS Forth to service — every soldier — every patriotic son ! All humanity is calling — there's a battle to be won, A titanic, sanguine struggle for the freedom of the world — For the safety of democracy. Let all your strength be hurled Into action swift and mighty, making every bullet tell. Blow the enemy to atoms — give 'em hell ! Forth to service, men, with all the strength of body, brain and soul ! Thus to serve is not to sacrifice ; there is no higher goal Than to die contending for a cause for which the whole world fights. For the cause of human liberty — for the cause of human rights. Gird your armor — forward — forward! Mow them down with shot and shell, Hit them hard with sword and saber — give 'em hell ! Forth to service — in the trenches — on the high seas — in the air ! Despotism must be ended — every man must do his share. They have broken every promise, trampled every human right ! Murdered children, men and women, sinking neutral ships on sight ! They have ruthlessly committed deeds too horrible to tell. Snake-boats, undersea assassins — give 'em hell ! Forth to service ! Not for vengeance, not for territorial gain, But to free the world from tyrants — this the one transcendent aim ! Forward — brave and unreluctant ! Help mankind to final peace — To its permanent security. Let not the fighting cease Till the task has been accomplished — till forever you expel From the universe these vipers. Give 'em hell! James Courtney Challiss. Office Dep. Q. M., Fort Sam Houston, Texas. THE GOVERNMENT CLERK How dear to my heart are the scenes of the Office, When the mountains of labor I mournfully view, The papers and files and reports that are endless, And all the punk stuff that I have to wade thru, The folks back home think I am rolling in velvet, How little they know of conditions that are In the job of the clerk there is nothing to covet, However rose-colored when viewed from afar — The old stuffy office, the small crowded office, The place where you bid ambition goodby. I long for the fields and the woods and the streamlets, And pensively heave a deep cavernous sigh, As I think of the farmer girls counting their greenlets, While I mournfully watch the promotions go by. I long for a lawn with big trees growing on it, A garden with flowers and eatables green, Instead I've a hole in the wall near the sidewalk, With a sad little yard that's ashamed to be seen. The old gloomy office, the life tenure office, It cannot compare with a job back at home. Oh these flat chested houses, each just like the other, All along the same street just as far as you can see, You have to stay sober to find your own cover, And identify yours by the fit of the key. joyfully welcome the coming of pay-day When the ghost walks around with the seeds and the bones, But the butcher, the baker, the loan shark and faker, Get the very last sou, not a cent is my own. The old Civil Service, the ossified service, With pay-roll secure, but hopelessly small. 1 would like an auto, at least a tin flivver, To ride around town with companions so dear, But alas for the lot of the Government worker, Only those having pull can afford such things here, So I bend to my work with such grace as is in me, And hope that a better day quickly will dawn, When the long promised pension roll really gets working. And my name in big letters is written thereon. The old stuffy office, the prison cell office, The graveyard of hope for the government clerk. H. Reissman, Q.M.C. THE STENOGRAPHER'S ANSWER TO THE "GOVERN- MENT CLERK'S" WAIL I'm tired of beating and beating and beating I'm tired of dictation and men and spittoons; I'm mad with the click and insane with the filing, They'll carry me soon to the home of the loons. I've broken my finger-nails off on the key-board, I've made myself cross-eyed transcribing my notes; I wish I were out on my father's old homestead A pailin' the cows and a swillin' the shoats. I 'm tired of saving and saving and saving I want fifty cents to blow in as I please; I'd call all my friends for a grand celebration, Then live for six months on rye bread and brick cheese. I want a spring suit and a hat Tipperary, A peek-a-boo waist and a pair of silk hose, And then I'd not need brains nor beauty to have — For beaux, flocks of beaux — ten cent beaux ! I want to go out, miles away in the country, And paddle in mud, and hear the water's low swish; I want to string nice juicy worms on a fish-hook And fish and to fish and to fish. I want to be wrapped in a pink woolly blanket And bury my head on a broad, manly breast ; Of course, for this honor I'd have to support him, — He'd furnish hot air and I'd do all the rest. OH ! I wish I was dead and this legend above me On a pine board befittingly cheap; "Here lies a stenographer TICKLED TO DEATH Just to sleep and to sleep and to sleep." ANSWERING THE ANSWER TO THE GOVERNMENT CLERK If you wonder, my friend, why the clerk came here, Why she gave up home and relatives dear, Why she to this city a stranger should come With wardrobe not crowded, and money, a small sum, To make her home in a city so great And to take up a battle with the iron hand Fate. If you want to know this and want to know too Why she doesn't quit work and leave for you All the work of the grand old Government to do, I'll try to tell you in words of my own Why the clerk came here and why she doesn't go home. It wasn't, as you think, because of the pay That she came here with intentions to stay. No dreams of a fortune e'er bleared her eye When she bid all her folks and her friends good-bye. For the money she draws, without any fears, Goes for room and for board and to profiteers. And for your enlightenment I'll tell you, my friend That when you're a boarder you've got to spend Until your resources come to an end. Oh, this is some life, the life of a clerk From nine 'cil four-thirty we keep at our work. I'm sorry you think, my honorable friend, That when the clerk enters all pleasure should end, That she should endure the dull, dreary routine And be made a mechanical working machine, You must not forget that with the Zone Are human beings of flesh and bone. You are very considerate and kind when you say That the clerks should not want e'en for one day A ride in an auto, or other pleasures as gay, Oh, there are several things you will have to learn In the depths of the soul of the clerk you discern. A lot of your valuable time you have spent In saying the clerk should not keep a cent. I guess you forget the desire of mankind Is to have a few nickels when she's old and blind. Not many gold eagles have we hoarded away With all the room rent and board bills to pay. The clerk is here trying to do her bit, In helping the Government and the Allies.too, Until Bill the Kaiser says he is thru. And that is the reason, bosom friend of my own Why the clerk came here and why she doesn't go home. A MILLION SOLDIERS LIKE YOU As I sit here and think of the world and the war, And our boys so brave and so true, May God bless you all, is the prayer in my heart For a million good soldiers like you. If this war we would win, we must fight with a will As we did back in old '62! For the day has now come when our freedom depends On a million good soldiers like you. There's a spring in your step, there's a smile on your lips And your voice rings out strong and true ; We know dear old France must be proud of the land That produces good soldiers like you. Here's a prayer for your valor, your strength and your fame As you fight 'neath the Red, White and Blue. It's great to be guarded, protected and loved By a million good soldiers like you. So I'm thinking just now, of the glorious day, When we'll gaze o'er the ocean's deep blue And welcome the ships that shall bring back to us A million good soldiers like you. Bessie E. Conger, Q. M. C. c«6" m\ve WAW>W6r off 'WfS>V6-! 10 DEFINITIONS OF FUNCTION ADMINISTRATIVE : — To change the policy every morning at eleven o'clock. STATISTICAL: — To put everyting in writing; then add up the car numbers, divide by the stock on hand on July 4th, and ask the Depot to give the result. STANDARDIZATION : — To devise something requiring special machinery to make and which, when used, must be accompanied by a book of directions and be of as little practical use as possible. REQUIREMENTS: — To guess, then double it, multiply by 3 34 and divide by %; the result is for procurement to decipher. PROCUREMENT: — To guess what are the requirements and to place orders for merchandise, which in the regular routine of procedure may be delivered in time for the next war. CONTRACT: — To prepare lengthy documents which are not to be sent out until goods are made up ; otherwise the manufacturer- might know what was expected of him. PRODUCTION & INSPECTION:— To know more of a con- cern's business than the General Manager himself and to be sure goods are not approved until a proper degree of inconvenience has been occasioned. DISTRIBUTION: — To conduct a game of "Button, Button, who has the Button" with all commodities and if anyone finds any- thing, to prove the finder wrong. EMBARKATION: — To direct deliveries so that essential shall not interfere with the orderly departure of non-essentials, or b\ any chance arrive when wanted. STORAGE: — To arrange so that nothing can be found when wanted and to see how long goods have to be held before being useless. 11 THE MAN WHO WASN'T SENT I 'dreamed a dream the other night, N Oh I wish that the dream were true ; I ^dreamed that the leader in many a fight pb Was dealing out honors due. And seeing me standing among the crowd He bade me at once advance And said, "You have much of which to be proud Though your lot was not cast in France." "Now, never blush for the part you've done — You have surely done your bit, For you've taught the soldiers to shoot the Hun And you should be proud of it. Of all the great legions, no more than a few Could come to hand-grips with the foe, But all had their duty to do And you've done it completely, I know." "No medals I pin on your manly breast, No wreaths do I place on your brow, But the knowledge that always you've done Your best, will be glory enough, anyhow." And he shook my hand with a clasp sincere, While his voice with emotion broke, But just as the spectators started to cheer My hammock gave way and I woke. TAKE THIS ROSE Oh Western Winds that blow to the sea, Take this rose that I hold in my hand — Tell dear laddie it comes straight from me, To lie on his grave in No Man's Land. Linger a moment and talk with him there, Whisper so softly his spirit must hear; Say, 'tis a rose I wore in my hair, And 'stead of a dewdrop, 'tis bathed in a tear. Edith Fulton Q. M. C. 12 GERMANY'S SURRENDERED! (Tune Yankee Doodle) Blow the horn and toot the drum, — we got some dandy news, Sir, Our boys will soon be coming home, — somehow it scarce seems true, sir! But sir, this ain't no idle rhyme, "we got 'em," Woodrow says this time And U. S., sir, spells you and me, cause U. S. stands for LIBERTY ! 'N Germany's surrendered ! — yessirree, — surrendered! Germany's surrendered, — yessirree, surrendered ! Woodrow Wilson says himself that Germany's surrendered! Germany's beat 'n Belgiums' free 'n that's about the size, sir: — We'll have no more iniquity because we have the Kaiser! No such thing as "ME UND GOTT" — no sirree, — it's tommy-rot! Cause Gott he didn't like the "ME" and so he quit the company! 'N Germany's surrendered. Germany's surrendered ! — yessirree — surrendered! Woodrow Wilson says himself that Germany's surrendered. An' now we've beat, 'twixt you and me, what' 11 we do with the Kaiser? Charge a big indemnity, and that's about the size, sir. And put him and his family where they can't do further harm you see And when that's done why should we fret; we'll not forgive the brute, you bet, Cause Germany's surrendered! Germany's surrendered, — yessirree, — surrendered. Woodrow Wilson says himself that Germany's surrendered ' Rose E. Babcock, Q. M. C. SILVER THREADS AMONG THE GOLD Darling, here's your warrior bold Silver stripes instead of gold Shine upon my arm today, 'Cause I never sailed away. But my darling you must know, 'Twas not because I would not go, Simply did what I was told, Put on silver 'stead of gold. 14 WE'RE IN THE ARMY NOW and fed by the Q. M. C. No more ham and eggs or grapefruit When the bugle blows for "chow," No more apple pies or dumplings, For we're in the Army now. And they feed us beans for breakfast, And for lunch we have 'em too; And at night they fill our tummies With a good old Army stew. No more fizzes, beers or highballs, When we've got an awful thirst; If you're thinking of enlisting, Best get used to water first. For the lid's on tight all over And the drilling makes us warm, But we can't cool off with liquor, 'Cause we wear the uniform. No more shirts of silk or linen, We all wear the O. D. stuff; No more nightshirts or pajamas, For our pants are good enough. No more feather ticks or pillows, But we're glad to thank the Lord That we've got a cot and blanket When we might have just a board. For they feed us beans for breakfast, And at noon we have them too; And at night they feed our tummies With a good old Army stew. But, by jinks, we'll lick the Kaiser When the sergeants teach us how, For, hang him, he's the reason That we're in the Army now. 15 STANDING IN LINE What you want to do — in Washington — is to stand in line, and be counselled by friends during that harrowing period of advice-giving which precedes any undertaking in one's life. "That's the way they all get there. Pull is what counts down there, " they sputteringly utter. "You've got to stand in with the right people, with the big guns." I ascertained that was precisely what I was destined to do from the moment I caught sight of Union Station. I was going to stand in with the big guns (and the small guns) in a regular get-together movement. Everybody stands in line. In restaurants I have stood in line, — a long, ravenous, impatient line — with one eye focused covetously upon the last piece of near- lemon-meringue-pie. The other eye warily bent on the clock. Behind me, two callow youths carried on an impassioned argument concerning the relative merits of two waitresses. Finally, just as I was on the verge of a collapse from lack of sustenance and the clock was striking the end of my lunch period, my turn at the lunch counter came. I found that I was in time to discover the "sweet young thing" with the beautiful eye-brows, making off with that piece of lemon meringue. However, a despondent- looking piece of raisin pie remained on the pie counter, and I seized it. After I had guzzled it along with an ancient and venerable-looking cheese sandwich and a feeble cup of hydrated cocoa (sans milk), I really had a repast which the most unscrupulous free-lunch counter in the country would blush to offer. Then I stood in line with my check while the gentleman ahead of me, who had been eating onions — quite a lot of onions, fragrant and powerful — wrangled with the cashier over five cents, five paltry cents, and I was losing a half hour of my annual leave. I have stood in line at Keith's with twenty-eight cents in one hand, and a firm determination to see the Human Nightingale in the other. Darn the language! That is of course grammatically incorrect, unless you follow the old maxim about the bird in the hand. At that moment I struggled to maincain my dignity before a second lieutenant who displayed a ten dollar bill and a box-seat expression. I endeavored, by means of a tolerantly amused look, to create an impression that I, too, usually sat in box seats, accom- panied by dashing young officers, but that I was just then enjoying a lark, a sort of seeing how the-other-half-lives excursion. At last, I did reach the ticket window and the wretch behind its glass airily told me the gallery was sold out. Of course, this, was intensely embarrassing for me, the more so since I am by nature of a shy and shrinking disposition; and at that time, possessed of 16 only a car ticket and twenty-five cents. (It is quite unnecessary to flaunt here my former wealth by mentioning that I had lost fourteen, matching pennies at the office.) I withdrew, almost paralyzed, not only with mortification, but with "Second Floor, Middle TWO " and the crackle of that ten spot smiting my auditory nerves. I have stood in line, or more correctly speaking, in a hushed and hopeless group calm of despair, on a street corner, and watched seven jammed cars rock drunkenly by. Then, after a perfect triumph in gymnastic gyrations, I regained my balance on the second step of the eighth and was dragged up to the platform by a sympathetic passenger, just in time to have the car door close violently on my coat-tail. I have stood in line with my laundry, at the post-office, with my tooth brush at the wash bowl, with my bath towel on Saturday night, with my liberty bond blank before the bank, with my pass before the gate. And, "by gravy," I have stood in line even in front of a church on the Sabbath, yes, and been turned away from the entrance. The only line I actually enjoyed standing in is the payroll line. That bi-monthly occasion breaks up the office grouch. 17 SOLDIERIN' 'War's over! Ain't I gladl" "Fightin's over, and we licked the Hun!" "Aw — you get me sore and mad! WE!! What' ve / done? What do I know of -the bloomin' war, When all I did was push a pen ! Was that what I enlisted for? Gave me a uniform and then Put in with girls — to write Of what the soldiers do 'Out There;' When my bloomin' heart just ached to fight — To fight the Hun ! To do and dare, To live in dugout or in mud — To hear the rifle crack, or bursting shell, But — War's over! Honest, 'Bud,' Sherman said it, 'War's Hell.' Hell ! When you long for the thick of the fight And you don't give a damn if you're hurt, And they gave me a PEN — and then told me to WRITE, It's a wonder I didn't desert, — And smuggle across with the rest o' the boys Towards the deep blood-soaked field of France. 'Mid the whirr of the planes, and the din and the noise, I'd have died — to have gotten the chance, To show I'm a man — and there's blood in my veins, I'd have given a limb for a Hun — I'd a laughed at the hardships, the aches and the pains, And now it's too late — for they're done. 'Course I did what I could and answered the call When the Flag cried "I want you to fight." Enlisted! Accepted! Got outfit and all — — And then, d— n them ! They told me to W-R-I-T-E' '!!!!! Sgt. M. M. Wanderman There was a young man from Seicheprey Who slept without sifting the hay; He got quite a batch Of young cooties, — and scratch ? He's at it all night and all day. 18 SINCE THOU HAST WENT AWAY I ain't got nothin' much no more, An* nothin' ain't no use to me, Alone I pace the lonely shore, 'Cause I have saw the last of thee. I seen a ship out on the deep, While singing this sad lay — I ain't done nothin' much but weep, Since thou hast went away. I uster like the picture shows, Don't like 'em any more, Can't find a man who int' rests me, And everything's a bore. I uster look as beautiful As 'twas possible for me — Now — I don't even powder, Cause you ain't here to see. So, I'll just stay around and mope And have no fun at all, 'Less you decide to come right back, I wanna die, — That's all. The tears they keep a-comin', Tho* I try to make them stay — There ain't no use to nothin' Since thou hast went away. WILHELM'S FINISH I have in mind a floral piece To grace the Kaiser's tomb, Of bleeding hearts and poisoned darts, To keep his soul in gloom. Those bleeding hearts afrid poisoned darts Will be red, white, and blue, And they will spell, "He's gone to Hell," When Pershing's men get through. 19 THE PEN AND PENCIL SOLDIER We are pen and pencil soldiers in the "Service of the Rear." We never heard a cannon and we never tasted beer; We are needful model soldiers in the eyes of Uncle Sam, But you cannot be a hero, far from "No Man's Land." We came into the army to cross to sunny France ; We never saw the ocean and we never got a chance. We were K. P.'s in the kitchen, we were Corporals of the Guard, And at daylight every morning we were policing up the yard. When one day we went on shipboard and we hoped to go across, We were loaded on the Reo which was covered with the frost. Our joy was soon forgot though, as we left the Reo Four, For we found ourselves a member of the Quartermaster Corps. So we are pen and pencil soldiers in the Service of the Rear, Although we've never smelled of powder (face?), but we all expect to hear, Someone calling us a slacker in no uncertain tone. But we surely pushed our pencils and we've met the "LIBERTY LOAN." FAIR Me«8Efl <* \ 20 WHEN A FELLER NEEDS A FRIEND. "FLY" PAPER Oh where, oh where, will my little pay go? And oh ! How long will it last ? With its "5" cut short and its "0" cut long, It's bound to go mighty fast. M. Jones 21 THE PUZZLING PERSONNEL I can calmly face a Gen'ral when I meet him on my way, And with Colonels and with Majors, I can pass the time of day; Nonchalantly I can enter any Branch-head's office door, Saving one I pass by quickly — I shall never enter more. "Personnel Administrative" — that's the name that it goes by; When you see it on the door-pane, you had better quickly fly, For the Goblins sure will get you, as they got me once before, If you carelessly meander 'round about their haunted door. Oh, the minds of men are many, and their ways are just the same ; And to guess at all their motives is an interesting game; But there sure is no solution (howsoe'er on it you dwell) To the modus operandi of the puzzling "Personnel." They're the fellows who assign us to the jobs we have to do; How they reach their sad conclusions, I can't reason, nor can you. Guess they throw our names together, all well shaken, in a hat, And draw one for each position, and just let it go at that. A gents' furnisher from Gotham is distributing hardware, While a hardware guy from Omaha is buying underwear. Raw materials are handled by a teacher from Duluth, While a coal man's buying desks and chairs and station'ry, forsooth. A lawyer's buying butter, and an undertaker cheese, While a produce man's distributing machines for gassing fleas; A cigar man's looking after goods for chemical warfare — An abstainer is procuring all the "smokes" for "Over There." A hosiery manufacturer is purchasing canned foods, While a grocer's wildly striving to assemble cotton goods; An attorney is endeavoring camp kitchens to equip, While an innkeeper is "jugging" all the boys who try to skip. A racing stud proprietor buys motor trucks and tools, While an auto salesman's looking round for horses and for mules. A "spirits" manufacturer gives lectures on morale — A prohibitionist's engaged in buying alcohol. An undertaker's now procuring every instrument That's needed by the band of each and every regiment; While a witty traveling salesman's ruddy cheeks were seen to blanch When he found that he was buried in the Cemeterial Branch. 22 A banker s running salvage, while a junkman's in "Finance " A guy who never saw a boat totes messages to France- A tango lizard runs the post exchange at Camp Uno And army etiquette's denned by a jay from Kokom'o. A chemist buys typewriting and stenotype machines- A salesman of typewriters is procuring pork and beans- w a ftlSt ^ d uty 'tis to see that sausages don't spoil While a Chicago stockyards gink is buying paint and oil. A farmer's in statistics, many records there to keep- An accountant buys all cattle on the hoof and also sheep- A baker handles blankets and mattresses and cots While an upholsterer procures bake-ovens, pans, and pots. And so it goes— such cases could well be multiplied Where talents of a multitude have thus been misapplied ix>, whate er be your ambition, let fears your hopes dispel— hor the Goblins sure will get you— which means the "Personnel. * * * And since the war is over, now, my wonder grows apace u?u u each PersonneI "misfit" made good in ev'ry case— Which goes to prove the marvellous adaptability Of each and ev'ry member of the busy Q. M. C. C. E. Graves, Capt., Q. M. C AN ILLUSION A match in my hand, A pipe between my lips — A light— and the smoke softly upwards slips; And ever and anon in the hazy mist I see the face of the girl who is, I wist, Dearest to me in this wide universe, With its good, its bad, its better and worse, And, as each little puff encircles my head,' It brings back fond memories I once thought dead — bhe puckers her lips— for a kiss, no doubt, And then— why then— my pipe goes out. Florence M. Conner y, Q. M. C. 23 (In the Confederate Reunion parade at Washington, June 7, 1917, two thousand men from the Officers' Reserve Training Camp, at Fort Myer, acted as rear guard to the veterans). IN HEROES' WAKE THEY FOLLOW Two thousand strong, they march along, Their virile presence sending To every heart a thrill of joy, With love of country blending. Their sturdy ranks present no show Of splendors, vain and hollow; For loved Columbia's high ideals In heroes' wake they follow. They come from patriotic sires And more heroic mothers, Who built on that eternal rock That all shall live as brothers. In Freedom's air they breathe the truth That monarchs' claims are hollow; For human liberty they stand — In heroes' wake they follow. Before that sturdy host there walk The remnants of those legions, That went with honor to defeat In Dixie's sunny regions; And as the boys in khaki march Behind Gray ranks, now hollow, Their brave, young hearts are filled with pride — In heroes' wake they follow. William L. K. Barrett, 1st. Lt., Q. M. C. Colored soldier who was to be presented the following day with the Croix de Guerre, said to his fellow squad- man: "Well Henry, tomorrow I'se to be presented with the cross de gear." Henry (woefully) — "Well so far as I 'se concerned, you can have your old cross de gear, all I wants is a cross de ocean." 24 FINANCE While the melancholy taps Are blowing soldier boys to bed, And the Barrack lights are blinking Like the stars up over head. All the camp is wrapped in silence, Soon each one is sleeping hard, As a sentry breaks the stillness Calling "Corporal of the Guard." There's a light that still is burning; There's a clinking of the keys, Typists' fingers nimbly plunking Noisy sounds upon the breeze. Do not wonder who is waking, Tisn't worth your while to peep. It is only Lordly Finance A-working while you sleep. Frank C. Doblin, Corp., Q. M. C. AN INCIDENT Lanes of barracks, Gray-white and rain-drenched, Where ambulances, Sag-end and mud-slathered, Slosh their way past soldiers, Venturing new health, And the faded green band stand — An island in a sea of cement. Through the propped shutter Of the information shack, An orderly's voice saying : "You wanted the dope on Sergeant Canfield? He died this morning at seven-thirty." John Pierre Roche, Lt., Q. M. C. 25 ELEGY WRITTEN IN OUR COUNTRY'S MUNITION BUILDING, SIX P. M. (With apologies to Gray) The whistle sounds the knell of parting day. Stenographers go slowly home to tea. The watchman trudges on his weary way, And leaves the room to darkness and to me. Now fade the purchase orders on the sight, And down to quietness the building tones. Save when an airship wheels its droning flight, And drowsy tinklings come from distant phones. Within those cheap oak desks, those files arrayed, Where papers heave in many a towering heap. Each in forgotten place forever laid, The office circulars and orders sleep. To them no more young officers shall turn, Or busy secretaries give them care, No messengers their special rush will spurn, And cause the chiefs to fume and softly swear. Far from the madding clerks ignimble hands, Their mimeographed pages learned to stray. Where loosely held in clips and rubber bands, They sleep the endless hours tucked safe away. Let not ambition mock their humble style, Their homely works and sentences obscure, Nor grandeur hear with disdainful smile Their composition and their English poor. Full many a sheet of purest thought serene, Their dark unfathomed desk recesses bear, Full many a page is born to blush unseen, And waste its wisdom in a file case there. No farther seek their merits to disclose Nor draw those papers from their dead abode, There they abide in unthought-of repose, Sweet calm eternal sleep on them bestowed. ' 'Hard wear Mettles' ' 26 \% #v cV > H m H PI 8 D C I 8 § o n pi pj c 5 FROM A WAR WORKER'S DICTIONARY APARTMENT: — An imaginary unit of rooms surrounded by- landlords, sub-leases and outrageous rentals. APPETITE: — An undesirable attribute which takes nearly all of one's pay check to satisfy. BREAD : — A more or less — mostly less — palatable mixture of rice, oats, cornmeal and wheat, the virtues of which lie in bulk, weight and relative cheapness. DINING ROOM: — Any old residence between the Treasury and your office, masquerading as a restaurant. The mustier the more atmosphere. CHIVALRY: — Something you brought with you to Washington and used about two weeks in jammed street cars. CAFETERIA: — The best place to eat if you draw three thou- sand dollars per annum. Called by some officer friends the "Jesse James" because it is such a hold-up. CLERK, GOVERNMENT :— The ambitious girl from out West, down South or up North arriving daily in Washington to help win the war. CAR SYSTEM: — There is none. No such animal. FOOD ADMINISTRATION:— Where Hoover eats. Where any one else who can bluff the door keeper can get a decent lunch- eon for thirty-five cents. HUNGER : — That gaunt feeling more indulged in at Washing- ton than ever during the comfortable days back home. LINE, STANDING: — That column of impatient Government clerks and civilians prefacing all goals worth while; seen at lunch rooms, movies, church parties, swimming pools, glove counters and ten cent stores. Q. M. C. OFFICERS: — Popular synonyms, typewriter heroes, swivelian officers, desk cooties. In reality men who are spending more than their incomes, jostled, ridiculed and overcharged, for the privilege of performing prosaic and essential routine. PAPER BAG: — Defined by a foreign diplomat as the most striking feature of the daily procession of war workers. Contains the inevitable sandwich, an orange and cookie. POTOMAC PARK: — Facing War College, the cleverest strat- egic spot in the world for lovers in motors. ROOMS : — Next to impossible to locate, and impossible to exist in when discovered. UNIFORM : — Any sort of a tailored garment which can be worn in this blase Capital without attracting a second glance. WASHINGTON : — The melting pot of the United States. Head- quarters of the world. 28 SINCE YOU WENT AWAY Since you went away, every gay sailor lad, Every khaki-clad soldier I see Has a place in my heart and a share in my thoughts And belongs, just a little to me. He's a comrade of yours, and is bearing his share Of the burden that rests upon you ; Both are doing the work that a nation has set For its glorious manhood to do. Since you went away, every fold in the flag Has a message that's tender and true; It has always meant Liberty, Freedom and Right; It now means my country — and you. Your honor is part of the deep azure field, Your courage of each crimson bar, And the soul of you, shining, resplendent and clear, Is a part of each beautiful star. Wives and Sweethearts A COMPLAINT Arrah, Eddie O'Connell ! An' what have I done to you That you won't write to me, never a word? Many's the kind thoughts of mine that have run to you Since I became a Q. M. C. bird. Sure, an* the war is over — an' thanks to me. Just thirty days since I entered the fight. When Wilhelm discovered that I'd joined the ranks, sez he: "Gott can't be mitt uns. I guess it's good-night!" But, tho' the war now is ended, I've got to be Right on the job here, while Woodrow's away. Otherwise everything'd go right to pot, you see, With McAdoo out, and him over the say. Write me, you divil, an' tell me the news you have. How is the bowling? What's left of the beer? Divil the tiniest bit of excuse you have Not to raymimber me since I came here. C. E. Graves, Capt., Q. M. C. HEROES Oh, the Col. or the Maj. or the Lieut. Or the Gen. or the Adj. or the Cap. May be proud of the spur on his foot Or his badge and his braid and his strap; Of his coat that is neat and is right, Of his look that is brisk and alive; But the men who will count in the fight Are the Serg. and the Corp. and the Priv. Oh, the Cap. and the Adj. and the Gen. Oh, the Lieut, and the Col. and the Maj., They will live through the might of the pen, They will shine in the lore of the age. In the tale of the war that is won, In the song of the trench and the charge; But the men who will do what is done Are the Priv. and the Corp. and the Serg. MY LESSON From the Q. M. C. I have this lesson learned : Success doesn't come by chance — it's earned By pounding away. For good hard knocks Will make stepping stones of the stumbling blocks. I don't expect by a single stride To jump to the front. I am satisfied To do each day my level best; And let the future take care of the rest. I heard the voice of the Q. M. C. Say: "You can make yourself what you want to be If you're willing to work. So pitch right in, For the person who STICKS can't help but win!" (Original) Lutiant La Voye. What did the proprietors of the downtown men's shop mean when they displayed this sign: — "Men in Uniform— 10% Off" WlNTHROP P. ROSS, Q. M. C. 30 PRIVATE INDey VVlCrOrtV CHAIR, |N A SORTIE AFTER THr wtkamarine PWIP TO F|U_ fEN HISAUNT $t^r HW WE PAY THE ARWtfTKE Wail from the Subsistence Division Oh ! that some inventive man Would patent, make and sell An onion with an onion taste — But with a violet smell. 31 THE AMERICAN LEGION There was one time in France when the rigid discipline of the American Expeditionary Force was relaxed, when generals forgot their stars in the presence of privates, when corporals engaged in heated debates with colonels and when sergeants greeted majors with terms of affection, and where everybody slapped everybody else on the back in a boylike spirit of fraternity and equality. And this took place in the American Officers' Club too! That place in Paris where every one with a bar on his shoulder had to stand up almost every time a general shifted his shoulder on the bar ! This amusing situation arose during the formation abroad of the American Legion, the new organization for veterans of the army, navy and marine corps, according to Lieutenant Colonel Eric Fisher Wood, temporary secretary. He told of the difficulties of getting the enlisted men to Paris, first on account of stringent rules against granting leaves outside a specified leave area assigned to each divi- sion and then also on account of the expense of travel. All the officer delegates brought private delegates as orderlies and as many en- listed men as possible were ordered to Paris on one pretext or another, he said. As a result of this method 200 enlisted delegates were present. It was agreed that all rank should be laid aside in the meeting room. "A most interesting example of American adapt- ability and one of the type which always caused the French and British officers to marvel, was observed at the noon hour, " Colonel Wood continued. "Just at that time a brigadier general and a corporal were having a most heated discussion. Then came the call for mess. A minute later in the street outside the same corporal came to attention, clicked his heels together and rendered a per- fect salute at the approach of this same brigadier from whom he received a command which he acknowledged with a respectful ' yes sir. Lieutenant Colonels Theodore Roosevelt and Bennett Clark are temporary chairman and vice chairman respectively of the legion. There are also state chairmen and secretaries in every state in the union. A letter addressed to the Temporary Committee, American Legion, No. 19 West 44th Street, New York City, will be forwarded to the secretary residing in the state of the writer and full in- formation will be furnished. Remember, the Legion is primarily an organization of enlisted men, at least sixty per cent of them being on all committees while a similar percentage maintained at the first National Caucus of the Legion, May 8, 9 and 10, at St. Louis. (Lt.) G. S. Wheat, Ass't. Sect'y American Legion. 32 PHOTO BY PEARL GRACE LOEHR, NEW YORK Brigadier General Robert E. Wood, U. S. Army, D.S.M., Acting Quar- termaster General, Director of Purchase & Storage THEY ALSO SERVE There's another group of soldiers, Not the ones in khaki dressed, Who responded to the colors When the need for workers pressed. They poured in from town and country, All urged by their country's call, Came in thousands to the city, — Uncle Sam had need for all. Now we trust that the war is over For the Armistice is signed, And the thousands of War Workers Still work on or have resigned. Theirs is not the wreath of victory Nor the people's loud hurrahs, Yet they feel a glow of glory For they, too, worked for the cause. CAMOUFLAGE A natty little velvet hat, An aching head held high, A whisk of pink on cheeks too pale, Sad eyes kept strangely dry. The "latest" scarf to cover quite A throat which throbs and throbs; A voice that chatters foolishness, (The way to keep down sobs). A heart that scarcely beats behind A sweater bravely bright. And trembling fingers fluttering An unused 'kerchief white. All this as khaki ranks pass by In last farewell parade; Then — leaden feet for long home ways, Dear little soldier maid! 33 HUH-UH NOT ME! Co'se Ah hain't sayin' Ah won'tfdo Jes whut mah country want me^to; But dey's one job ah fo'see Ain't gwine to teach itself to me — Huh-uh! not me! Dat's dis heah ahplane stuff — No boss, Ah' 11 beah some othah kin' ob cross Lak drive a mule, or tote a gun — But ah ain't flirtin' wif de sun — Huh-uh! not me! Ef ah mus' do a loop de loop Let mine be roun' some chicken coop. It ain't gwine be up whar de crows Kin say ah's trampin' on dair toes — Huh-uh! not me! It sho' look sweet, ah don't deny, To be copin' round de sky, But dat's fo' folks dat's in de mood To pass up luv, an' gin, and food — Huh-uh! not me! Down heah ah first saw light ob day, Down heah am whah ah's gwine to stay; Folks, ah don't keer to have ma feet Get too proud to walk de street — Huh-uh! not me! An' ah am sayin' tain't no use Flirtin' wif dis balloon juice; S'posin dat ingin' die up in de sky, Git out and crank 'er up, oh me, oh my— Huh-uh! not me! So, ah' 11 jes wait till Gabriel brings Dem good ole fashion' angel wings; Den, as ah pass de ahplanes by In pity, ah'll look down and sigh — Huh-uh! not me! I'se for the Q. M. C. 34 These two young ladies, fanatics on STYLE and the WALK TO WORK fad, land at their desks about an hour late every morning, and then have the nerve to tell the Chief Clerk, " I leave the house at eight o'clock every morning, and I don't see why I should be late." 35 HE COULDN'T BUY A BOND He couldn't buy a bond to help His country win the war. Said he, "I'm much in favor of The cause we're fighting for, But I've no money I can spare To lend the Government ; The cost of living's up so high It calls for every cent." And, having made this little speech, He tossed out on the bar, A ten, inviting all the boys, To have a good cigar. With that he bought a round of drinks, And left in his machine To dine at Grabitall's Cafe With Mae, a chorus queen. He couldn't buy a bond to help His country in its plight, — And yet he squandered fifty bones For food and wine that night. He couldn't buy a bond because — Oh, golly what's the use? A man like this should spend his days Inside a calaboose. A PROTEST 'Tis nicotine pollutes the air, Some one is smoking over there — Stogies, you know, five cents a pair — And puffs away without a care. What cares he if eyes do smart Until, perchance, the tears may start, Or if my nausea, in part Is due to smoke? Oh, have a heart! Sometimes their best intentions go astray — When smoke goes drifting the ladies' way. Now why, Oh man! do you linger longer? Just step outside and smoke the stronger. A Man Lover. 36 "PUSHING" THE BOOK From: The Undersigned. To: Every Worker, Q. M. Corps, Zone Ten. Subject: "Quips and Memoirs of the Corps." 1 . Your attention is invited, to the phrases that are cited in the "New Prospectus" that's herewith enclosed. Therein it is re- quested, that your wit and brain be tested, and your power as an author be disclosed. 2. Anything you may have written that you now consider "fitten" — any rhyme, or story; quip or jest or prose, that will do for publication, send "Care Editor, this station," whom the Lord have mercy on in all his woes. 3. There's a blank for your subscription, which contains a brief description, of the book we know that you'll appreciate. So get busy, every worker, don't "procrast" or be a shirker. Mail the undersigned your bid, ere it's too late. 4. Your true co-operation is solicited; this station wants to make as good showing as the rest. So beg, or swipe, or borrow, story, verse, of joy or sorrow, and help this plan with interest and with zest. Joseph V. Mackey, Captain, Q. M. Corps. THE BATTLE OF NINETEENTH AND B The Army of the Q. M. C. who kept this country free, Were stationed in their swivel chairs at the battle of Nineteenth and B. Their pens were pushed with vigor and their hearts Were filled with glee, And the Government gave them service stripes for Their wonderful brav-e-ry. Typists to the right of them, Spurs on the heels of them, Heels on the desks of them, At the battle of Nineteenth and B. Colonels, Majors, Captains, Lieutenants, "Hully Gee" The rank and file were out of it at the battle of Nineteenth and B. Anon. 37 THE FIRST NIGHT AT FORT MYER I'm here with two thin blankets, As thin as a slice of ham, A German spy was likely the guy Who made 'em for Uncle Sam. How did I sleep? Don't kid me! My bedtick is filled with straw, And lumps, and humps and big fat bumps That punched me 'till I was raw. Me and my two thin blankets As thin as the last thin dime — As thin, I guess, as a chorus girl's dress — Well, I had one "Hell of a Time." I'd pull 'em up from the bottom, My nightie's were B. V. D's., A couple of yanks to cover my shanks, And then my dogs'd freeze. You could use 'em for porous plasters, Or maybe to strain the soup; My pillow's my shoes when I tried to snooze — And I've chilblains, cough, and croup. Me, and my two thin blankets, bundled up under my chin, — Yes, a German spy was likely the guy, And gosh! but he made 'em thin. Now the very same two blankets How snug and warm they seem. I'm full of life and full of pep — Their thinness was only a dream. Private John F. Tracy. Yankee soldier returning on a transport, gazing directly at the fast approaching Goddess of Liberty, said in enthusiastic voice, — "Old lady, if you ever see me again, you'll sure have to turn around." 38 ? To this maiden most rare, Just what does she care — If a glimpse of her face, we are missing? Is she blonde or brunette? Are her curls gold or jet? Is her mouth made for smiles and for kissing? Jessie Dell. 40 THE Q. M, C. (As it looked the day after the Armistice) In all my travel around the world, Thru four score years or more, I've never seen a business place, Just like this one before. At nine o'clock the clerks come in Take off their coat and hat, Sit down and as they fix their hair Converse on this and that. At ten the officers arrive, To smoke a pipe or two, At 10:30 cocoa is served, There is nothing else to do. Between that time and eleven o'clock, They talk about the war And whether this law will be passed, And who they voted for. From eleven, until half past They visit to and fro, And then they all go out to lunch— The work fatigues them so. By two o'clock most all are back; Ah, to the grind again, Another pipeful they must have, Or they will work in vain. Till three o'clock they talk about The places they have been And how their overcoats are cut, And of the price of tin. By four o'clock they have discussed The best shows in the town, And where the best dinners are served In hotels of renown. Then 4 :30 arrives at length, And home at last they run To rest and to amuse themselves — A HARD DAY'S WORK IS DONE. Annette Fisher, Q.M. 41 RULES AND REGULATIONS 1 . Conserve air by eliminating some of the unnecessary conver- sation. 2. Conserve shoe leather by remaining at your desk; remember you are supposed to be a draftsman — not a floor walker. 3. If you are hungry, go out and get something to eat — don't stand around chewing the rag — you'll make us all hungry. 4. We have wheatless, meatless and eatless days, let us have feet- less days — keep your feet on the floor — not on the desk. 5. Don't acquire the habit of saving to such an extent that you go home every night with a pocket full of paper clips ; just because you write shorthand — don't think you have to get light-handed. 6. If you feel that you must whistle during office hours, please whistle something German, so that the rest of the office will have an excuse for dropping a typewriter on your head. 7. Any person or persons having as a part of their lunch, limberger cheese, will kindly adjourn to the roof until the ordeal is over; there is a strong reason for this. 8 If you feel that you must take home a typewriter now and then, please leave the desk; we can get new typewriters, but desks are scarce and hard to get. 9. Just because they are using a lot of ammunition in Europe, don't think that you have to powder your nose every minute. 10. As Abraham Lincoln said in his famous Gettysburg speech* "Eight hours a day for the man who works, Seven hours a day for the Government clerks." 11. Make the world safe for Democracy — stop throwing milk bottles out of the windows. 12. Save a loaf a week. Just because you are a crust, don't say you can loaf around this office, even if you are well bred. 13. Don't come in here with a bun, either. By "Statistical Division." SMILES We have smiles for General Pershing, We have smiles for General Foch, We have smiles for the Allied Nations Who have fought and set this old world free ; We have smiles for all our soldier laddies, And for sailors of the dark blue sea, But the smiles we have for Woodrow Wilson, Are the smiles of Democracy. 42 WHEN THE WAR WILL END Absolute knowledge have I none But my aunt's sister's washerwoman's son Heard a policeman on his beat Say to a laborer in the street That he had a letter just last week That was written in the finest Greek From a Chinese coolie in Timbuctoo Who said that the negroes in Cuba knew Of a colored man in a Texas town Who got it straight from a circus clown That a man in the Klondike heard the news From a couple of South American Jews That they knew a man in Borneo Who heard of a man who claimed to know Of a swell society female fake Whose mother-in-law would undertake To prove that her seventh husband's niece Has stated in a printed piece That she has a son who has a friend Who certainly knows when the war will end. OUR LAST LIEUT. We shall meet, but we shall miss him — At his desk, the vacant place Will remind us of his pleasant Winking, twinkling, grinning face. Out into the world he'll wander While we sit amidst our tears And upon his fate we'll ponder And our grief will age us years. On the sea of matrimony He'll set sail his fragile bark With no fear of alimony While he heeds the foghorn's "Hark!' May good luck his footsteps follow — And kind Fate her gifts bestow And though we shall weep tomorrow- Here's our blessing ere he go. 43 MEMORANDUM FROM : Claims Board, Office Director of Purchase. TO: War Department Claims Board. SUBJECT: Allowance to Contractors. 1 . The Claims Board, Office Director of Purchase, has received a contractor's statement, setting forth his claim for compensation for cancellation of his contract for tubular boilers. The claim for overhead is carefully itemized and includes the following: "Attention to speeches, $40.51." This Board is in considerable doubt as to whether, under the regulations, it may properly allow this item but is unanimously of the opinion that it should be allowed. The individual members of the Board have all their lives suffered from speeches and their ser- vice to the Government has been rendered more onerous by the fact that from time to time they have been called upon to attend committees, boards, conferences, etc., and listen to speeches which consumed their time and reduced their efficiency. They have no doubt that this contractor has had the same experience and that he should be compensated, particularly in view of the fact that he swears that he actually gave attention to the speeches. 2. Possibly, the Board should require the contractor to itemize the charge more clearly, setting forth the names of the speakers and the amount of time consumed but the Board believes that this is not necessary in view of the small amount charged and feels that if any further inquiry is made of the contractor, he may be led to brood over the speeches to which he has listened and to increase his claim to a more substantial figure. 3. The Board, however, has noted with great interest the fact that the claim is for the odd amount of $40.51. It appears from the claim that the contractor gave attention to more than one speech and it is a fair conclusion that the 51c is the charge for listening to one particular speech. This Board believes that it is its public duty to ascertain and publish the name of the speaker who could so charm a man of this contractor's evident discrimina- tion as to result in his making a charge of only 51c for the time consumed in listening to the speech. 4. Assuming that the claim should be allowed, under which of the general headings authorized by Supply Circular No. 1 1 1 should it be charged? The contractor has called it "overhead." Possibly this is correct but if it should appear that the speeches were made during business hours, there is danger that the Auditor for the War 44 Department would not pass the item on the ground that it was already charged under the item "Salaries of Executives." 5. This Board believes that all doubt will be removed by in- cluding the item as part of the "Inward handling charges on raw materials" and recommends that this course may be pursued. There may be a slight question as to whether the speeches were material but, that they were raw, there can be no shadow of a doubt. 6. The action of the War Department Claims Board on this matter is awaited with great interest, this Board believing as it does that the issue involved is one of national importance. Claims Board, Office Director of Purchase. By W. W. Pickard, Chairman- WWP/LG. ALLOTMENT EXTRACTS I ain't received no pay since my husband gone away from nowhere. My husband at Brystal Beach. He has got a Furlo and has been away on a mine sweeper. We have your letter I am his grandfather and grand- mother. He was born and brought up according to your instructions. You have changed my boy to a little girl. Will it make any difference? Will you please send my money as soon as possible. I am walking around Boston like a bloody pauper. If I don't receive my husbands pay will be compelled to live an immortal life. Please let me know if John has put in an application for a wife and child. You have taken my man away to " fit " and he was the best I ever had. Now you will have to keep me, or who in the will if you don't? My Bill has been put in charge of a spittoon (platoon). Will I get any more money? 45 ALLOTMENT EXTRACTS I'm left with a child seven months old and she is a baby and can't work. Please send me a wife's form. Please send me money as I have a little baby and I kneed it evey day. Your relationship to the enlisted man — I am still his beloved wife. I ain't got no book learnin' and I am a writtin' you for inflammation. She is stayed at a dissapated house. War Wrists Insurance. Just a line to let you know I am a widow and four children. He was inducted into the surface. I have a four months old baby and he is my only support. I remain and obliged. A lond woman parsely dependent. To pay off my depths. Date of birth — Not yet but soon. I did not know my husband had a moddle name and if he has I don't believe it is none. As I need his assistance to keep me enclosed. Caring to my condition which I haven't walkedjin for months from a broken leg. Your relationship to him — Just a mere aunt and a few cousins. He left me with materially nothing to live on. He beat me with no reason whatever. Both sides of our parents are old and poor. It is improbable for me to make a living without his sport. To whom it may consume. As he was my best supported. Kind sir or she. I enclose lovingly yours. 46 ALLOTMENT EXTRACTS Hello Mr. War Risk Bureau, how are you I am well and hope you are the same. Dear Press : Don't put this letter down until you have read it to the end. How do you expose me to live? My husband was my sole support. Long live the war of Loberty, Long die Germany. I have not received my sons allotment and there are no symptoms of the money. Date of discharge — I don't know. Reason — Thats what I want to know. My son was discharged for physical abilities. I have received no pay since my husband was con- fined to a constipation camp in Germany. When he was drafted he was in the employment of 18 per week. This letter was written on oceans of love with every waive a kiss. Dear President please send me money or my husband. Someone tole me to write to you and tell you of my family history. WEEK! WEEK! We are out for work and not for fun, And rise each morning with the We'll get the Germans, everyone, Take his life and use his And just to drive away the blues, We take our Huns in ones and When it is over, enough is said, Then we, our own Sweetheart will That is, if nothing should occur, And she will only say, yeth, And as each Hun lays down to die, We hope that he in H — L will After the war as we sit and chat, We'll know that we've in honor 47 SUN. MON. TUES. WED. THUR. FRI. SAT. THE "BEVOS" There's a drink in arid districts that they try to put across I o make up for the real thing, of which we feel the loss Bevo, the substitute is called, and that is why, you see The tantalizing name "Bevos" is giv'n the Q. M. C. \v J?ar .?o er "~" Ne f Soldiers!'— do you get the application, now? We re % Bevos, and that fancy name we will not disavow hpr we re near them where'er they are— God bless each fighting bov' Near soldiers are we all the time, and that's our proudest joy. Near them we were on fighting line, amid the battle's heat: Near them along the proud advance, and in the grim retreat • And on the journey Overseas our hearts here just as gay— ' And sorrowful as theirs were, when forced at home to stay. We worked and toiled and slaved for them, with joyfulness and pride: We gloried in their victories, and grieved for those who died ; We fed them and we clothed them, here at home and over sea- Just Dad and Mother, rolled in one, was what we tried to be. That they can fight, the "Bevo" lads have shown what they can do hor, when the Huns near Amiens had all but broken thru- Arid grim disaster seemed to set its seal on ev'ry soul Twas bloomin" British "Bevos" stood, and stopt the bally 'ole. S? -iPu^. kt t £ em cal1 us ' then — and "Bevos" we'll remain- well hold it as affection s mark— not given in disdain* And ev ry man whose throat is dry will add this to our score- 1 hat those who couldn't get "0'erseas,"did not get "half-seas o'er.' C. E. Graves, Capt., Q. M. C. (One of the "Bevos".) WHY? Why do we come to Washington? Why, for a change and a rest. We give the change to the street car conductor, And the rest to the landlady. 49 AT THE BATTLE OF WASHINGTON We were entrenched at Potomac Park, We drilled and marched till it was dark, At the Battle of Washington. We were Christian Scientists and then some And how we beat the dirty Hun, At the Battle of Washington. We backed the boys up over there, Wearing itchy woolen underwear, At the Battle of Washington. We learned to sew, we learned to knit, We ate our lunch at the Greasy Mit, At the Battle of Washington. The Pen is mightier than the Sword, We pushed it hard and were not bored, At the battle of Washington. All day we listed to the pound Of typewriters, played by some Cocoa Hound, At the Battle of Washington. We filled pink papers every day And were ashamed to take our pay, At the Battle of Washington. We had them fat, we had them lean, And many cripples I had seen, At the battle of Washington. We never had a roll in bed, But had roll call each morn instead, At the Battle of Washington. We carried papers by the score, That would decide the bloody War, At the Battle of Washington. We smoked all day till we were told, To cut it out or the chief would scold, At the Battle of Washington. We had recess time each day To drive the Spanish Flu away, At the Battle of Washington. We never threw a hand grenade But drank pink tea and lemonade, At the Battle of Washington. 50 We saluted day and night, When an officer hove in sight, At the Battle of Washington. We never saw a murderous Hun, We didn't even have a gun, At the Battle of Washington. When we have children and grow old, Of our fighting we'll be told, At the Battle of Washington. Had we but known this thing before, They'd never have seen us in the War At the Battle of Washington. But I have heard it won't be long Before we sing another song. At the Battle of Washington. Peace is coming I have heard, And soon we hope to get the word, At the Battle of Washington. You'll soon be going home again, And leave behind your fighting pen, At the Battle of Washington. Private H. Scharmann HOW TO TREAT THE KAISER When we punish old Bill Kaiser, Don't you think it would be wiser Just to stop awhile and think a lot Before we try a plan? It would be humane to lynch him, And 'twould never do to pinch him, And no self-respecting tree would Stand for hanging such a man; But I'll make a wee suggestion, As in answer to your question, And I wish it might be tried on him Before we seal his doom; Here to Washington express him, And in petticoats let's dress him, Make a girl "War Worker" of him. And then make him find a room. 51 ORDNANCE PROPERTY "Ordnance Property," Am I — That's the name all know me by In 0. P. R., where'er Men are. My accountability And my responsibility Are most exacting. Careful, careful, thou must be Of paper work in handling me. On my paper never an erasure make, But use red ink for correction's sake. "Accountability" evokes return eighteen, Or similar forms pertaining; "Responsibility" demands return of me, A. R. six-fifty-seven, sustaining. He that persistently passeth the buck Eventually findeth himself "out of luck" — So, pass it not. Procure me by whatever rule outlined At the station where you've been assigned. Request me always on three-eight-six, Or you'll find yourself in a sad fix. Inspect me, certify me, receipt for me. On ten-sixty-six W. D. Pay for me on three-thirty- (a) On which two signatures must agree, With ten-sixty-six in similarity. Transfer me, Invoice me, likewise receive me On Six hundred A. G. O. (old multiplicity). Let but this paper your signature bear, Accountable and responsible thou wilt be For such as thou didst sign for — so, beware! Lend me on four-forty-eight. Of that responsibility Relieved thou art Which the signer doth undertake. 52 Four-forty-eight, good old M. R. Could we do without you? Perdu ! Tonnere ! Parbleu ! A soldier with me equip, Six-thirty-seven, never skip. Should he lose me, old or new, Charge me on six-hundred-and-two. Ship me on one-fifty-three, four and six B/L of the Q. M. C— Full five copies must agree. If Perchance, I'm lost, strayed, stolen, Destroyed by fire or river swollen, Am I obsolete or of no use, Worn out in service, not by abuse, Survey me on one-ninety-six Then "I. & I" me on one I. G. D. And maybe you'll get rid of me. Spoil me in test, use or shoot me up, Six-hundred-and-one me— That's the stuff!— Tis Expendability. Drop me, take me up, find me Change my name or reclassify, On abstract of transfer two-seventy-five Remorselessly I still survive. Sell me on one-forty-seven And three-twenty-two, According to A. R.— and There you are' Then — When all is done, My balance noted, Thou shouldst remember Last day of June and of December, Fixed dated to me devoted In red tape and proper seal Return me on eighteen, remembering that You must not fold me, but return me FLAT! Wm. F. Mahony Capt. Ord. Dept., U. S. A. Supply Officer, Eng. Div. 53 / DON'T My mama told me not to smoke — I don't. Nor listen to a naughty joke — I don't. They made it clear I must not wink At handsome men nor even think About intoxicating drink — I don't. To dance and flirt is very wrong — I don't. Wild girls chase men, wine and song — I don't. I kiss no boys, not even one. I do not know how it is done. You wouldn't think I'd have much fun- I don't. Answer from the Q. M. C. BUT— I DOUBT IT When a pair of red lips are upturned to your own, With none to gossip about it; Do you pray for endurance and — leave them alone; Well, maybe you do— BUT— I DOUBT IT. When a shy little hand you're permitted to seize, With a velvety softness about it; Do you think you can drop it, with never a squeeze; Well, maybe you do— BUT— I DOUBT IT. When a tapering waist is in reach of your arm, With a wonderful plumpness about it; Do you argue the point 'twixt the good and the harm; Well, maybe you do— BUT— I DOUBT IT. 55 IN THE MESS HALL You know how it is in the Mess Hall When Daly says "Get in line Don't run — just walk — and cut that talk This mob must learn to DINE." You know how it is in the Mess Hall When the bunch sit down to "Chow;" It's quite a trick to be real quick; You'll starve if you don't know how. You know how it is in the Mess Hall When Schmitty comes in to speak "Attention, men" — awhile and then — The noisy "Chow" they seek. You know how it is in the Mess Hall, When Schmitty lays down the law; You "Besser" do what he tells you to Or you get a pass no more. You know how it is in the Mess Hall On Monday "Weenie Day." The doggies, hark ! I hear them bark As they lie there in the "hay." You know how it is in the Mess Hall Each Saturday noon I mean — The pickles, pie, and onions lie, To say nothing of the beans. You know kow it is in the Mess Hall Our "Every Friday Deal." Those cakes of fish — we love that dish That IS a "Hell of a meal." You know how it is in the Mess Hall When you have to do K. P. You wipe and wish on every dish For the time when you'll be free. Frank C. Doblin, Corp., Q. M. C. 56 THE END OF A PERFECT ROLL When you come to the end of a perfect roll, And you sit all alone with your thoughts,' And you see in the bank nothing but the hole That your trip to Washington wrought; Do you think of all the "Fives " and the "Tens " And wish for the sight once more Of your vanished "Green-back" leaves you broke When you're glad the WAR is o'er? Well, this is the end of a Perfect Roll- Near the end of a journey, too; And it leaves a thought that is big' and strong For the coin that so quickly flew. Now memory has painted this perfect roll In colors that never fade, And we find at the end we will need that dough For the bills that are still unpaid. 57 THE INCOMERS Oh, some called us the "incomers" And they criticised our walk; They criticised our manners, Our dress and our talk. And when they sallied forth to town Upon a crowded car They blamed the poor "war-worker" For every extra jar. They thought we drawled our "r" too much Or not enough our "o" And remarks like these Would greet our ears No matter where we'd go. "Oh, it's simply something awful, since these workers came to town" (My dear, don't fear, the price of rooms will never be put down.) "And it's so hard to live. — And everything's so dear!" (Last month, by renting my four rooms — Two hundred dollars clear.) "The shops are now so jammed — One can't get in at all ! (Yes, I get fifty dollars for that room off the hall !) And what cared we? Perhaps some time When they have thought it o'er, They'll realize that often Our lonely hearts were sore. But we just smiled, for we all had A mighty task to do And in spite of all, 'twas up to us To stay and see it through — To help the Quartermaster Corps With our best from day to day — To make the Hun respect and fear Our good old "U. S. A." WHILE FILLING OUT QUESTIONNAIRE Conscript No. 680121 — "No, Captain, I can't go to war — I promised my mother I'd never join the Army. " Captain — "That's all right, young man; I'll fix that; I'll make you a private on the General Staff. " 58 A. W. 0. L. Gee, but we were scared that day — Surely did expect some fray. When we landed — boss just smiled ; Looked as if he wasn't riled — Sweet as flowers in May. Say, you ought to know our boss. Telegrams? They make him cross. But just give him time to cool — You'll see he's no April Fool; Says our absence was no loss. Wouldn't that just get your goat After we had missed the boat? Excuses? Had 'em by the peck; But the boss just smiled, by heck — Never thought him such a sport. You can never, never tell. Why — we thought we knew him well ; Thought that he with wrath had b'iled, But instead of frowns — he smiled ; When we thought he'd give us (deleted). E. Hall. WHEN GENERAL LORD COMES IN When General Lord comes in, It sure is a funny sight To see the clerks fly to their seats And work with all their might. Now he's a very great person, But it surely would make you grin To take a peek all over the room When General Lord comes in. We clerks are all a noisy bunch, Altho we work with a vim. But silence reigns supreme When General Lord comes in. Elizabeth P. Angle, Q. M. C. 60 BE WIDE AWAKE, AMERICA! Be wide awake, America, lapse not into repose, That made thee but an easy prey to wiles of cunning foes ; Remember German treachery within thine arms did creep, And struck its poisoned fangs into thy friendly bosom deep. That viper liveth still today, with deadly venom filled, And on the misplaced trust of men its strength will subtly build; It liveth in its old retreats, its spawn infests the world, And though it may seem harmless now, to strike again 'tis curled. Aye, even in thy nurturing breast those serpents still abide, And in their base disloyalty they have a secret pride, But ill concealed, awaiting till thy vigilance relax Ere they renew upon thy life their venomous attacks. And in the open, ranting dogs, with alien dogma crazed, To fill our land with discontent the crimson flag have raised. Oh, make that law-defying mob of ingrates understand That, though he's patient, Uncle Sam can strike with iron hand. The German heart is just as black as it has ever been, It has no pity for distress, no sorrow for its sin; Within that bitter heart there is no feeling of remorse, Its sole regret is for defeat of its unholy force. It thrilled with rapturous delight, when souls in anguish cried, And beat with fiendish, cruel joy, when tortured victims died ; It never knew what honor was, or burned with honest shame, When face to face with infamy was brought the German name. Beware of contrite attitude assumed by those who fail To catch the meaning of their fate, save through the fist of mail, For insolence and arrogance can never form a part Of that true spirit, which pervades the really contrite heart. The Hun must learn that turpitude and German arms went down Together 'neath the force of right that wears the victors' crown, And that the Power, who rules the world with love and justice broad, Hath plunged into Lethean depths their strange Teutonic god. Pernicious doctrines of the Hun, which freemen all abhor, Shall not the seeds of discord sow upon Columbia's shore, Nor shall a blind and servile race, by teachers false misled, Impose its vicious heresies on men in Freedom bred. Two million Yanks have crossed the sea to battle in strange lands, And countless legions ready stand to join those valiant bands; The Yankee hosts are eager still for Liberty to fight — The dead shall not have died in vain, for Right is ever Right. William L. K. Barrett, 1st. Lieut., Q. M. C. 62 THE SOCIETY MAN "K. P." Sitting here in the kitchen peeling a bucket of spuds Wearing a dirty apron to cover my khaki duds ; A hundred thousand in the bank, "Society man" that's me- Just because I was late at roll-call, they gave me a week's K. P. Sitting here in the kitchen with a slip-all over my jeans Picking rock and splinters out of a barrel of beans My thoughts have gone to wandering to what I used to be Before I missed the Post Car, that gave me a week's K. P. I think of the nights I have squandered, doing the barroom stunt Uee what a sissy I was, what a helpless, hopeless runt • Oh I was there with the girls, boys, and they called me a lady's man What would they say, if they saw me now, scraping a greasy pan. The Mess Sergeant's a slaver, he gives no man a rest ■ 1 he first cook s a villain, but I have the second best On, sure, boys, I enlisted to march away and fight But they ve got me here in the kitchen, scrubbing from morn till night. A week policing the kitchen, watching the biscuits brown Me, who used to boss two thousand men around I wonder what that bunch would say, if they could see me now Washing up hundreds of dishes, ready for six o'clock chow. ' Two months ago in a green-house, I held Anita's hand I old her that I had enlisted to fight for my native land bhe leaned her head on my shoulder; said she was proud of me She d be proud, all right, if she saw me now, doing a week's K.P. Dumping the slush in the swill pan, scrubbing the kitchen'floor • Swabbing the slimy mush-can, until my hands are sore • - a IX ?5 u {3? sn for su PP er > putting the ice in tea- Archibald Percival Knutty, "Society man,"— that's me. LORRAINE LIMERICKS There was a young fellow from Toul Who trained his mustache on a spool; It kept out of his way, When he drank his cafe, But it made him look more of a fool. 63 THE STEEN HUNDRED Foot-sore from searches vain Pet corns that creak with pain, "Renting Rooms" the one refrain, Of the "Steen Hundred." Houses to the right of them, Houses to the left of them, Cheap rooms in none of them, For the "Steen Hundred." Trolleys that will not speed, Ads, far from what they read, Tables that do not feed, Vex the "Steen Hundred." Flight after flight of stair To see rooms almost bare, Heated with outside air, Greet the "Steen Hundred." 'Phones to the right of them, 'Phones to the left of them, Service in none of them, Moan the "Steen Hundred." Theirs not to reason why, Theirs not to simply die, Then pay the prices high, Helpless "Steen Hundred. WHAT ARE "JERKINS?" (Taken from the files) May 10th, Domestic Distribution Division to the Zone Supply Officer, Boston: "Pack for oversea shipment, 150,000 jerkins." May 1 1th, the following telegram from the Zone Supply Officer, Boston, was directed to the Director of Purchase and Storage : "Retel tenth, How many jerkins packed to the bale." (This telegram instead of being delivered by the mailing depart- ment to the Domestic Distribution Dvision, was erroneously delivered to the Subsistence Division.) May 12th, the Subsistence Division telegraphed to the zone Supply Officer, Boston : "Retel eleventh, Jerkins is pickels. They are barreled, not baled." 64 ^M^^^J^' ^,;-",": ":;;>;; :v PHOTO BY HARRIS & EWING Major General George W. Goethals, U. S. Army, D.S.M., Assistant Chief of Staff, Director of Purchase, Storage & Traffic THE "OUT-O -LUCKS" O, lucky comrades, leaning on your crutch and limping by, And you with empty coat-sleeve that's fastened to your breast — Our hearts flame forth to greet you ; fond envy marks the eye Of ev'ry mother's son of us — elated, yet depressed. O, lucky comrades (chosen from our Country's volunteers To free the world from thraldom, and Liberty sustain) To bear the marks of sacrifice, and live thro' all your years ' — While, restive, ev'ry "Out-o'-Luck "longed for his chance, in vain. For you the glory and the cheers — for us the silence grim ; The lowly silver stripes for us — for you the blue and gold. Naught can deprive you of your meed ; no cloud your valor dim — The shadowed places we must seek, when deeds of War are told. O, lucky comrades, maimed and scarred, no sympathy you need : There's not an "Out-o'-Luck" your place who wouldn't gladly fill. The luck was yours — to us denied, and bitter is our meed; So give the " Out-o'-Lucks " a smile of friendship and good will. C. E. Graves, Capt. Q. M. C. THE FLU When your back is broke and your eyes are blurred, And your shin bones knock and your tongue is furred, And your tonsils squeak and your hair is dry, And you're doggone sure that you're goin' to die, But you're skeered you won't and you're 'fraid you will — Just drag to bed and have your chill, And pray the Lord to see you through, Because, dear boy, you've got the Flu. When your toes turn up and your belt goes flat, And you're twice as mean as a Tom Cat, And life is long and a dismal curse, And your food all tastes like a hard boiled hearse, When your lattice aches and your head's a-buzz, And nothing is as it ever was, Here are my sad regrets to you — You've got the Flu — boy, you've got the Flu. What is it like, this Spanish Flu? Ask me brothers, for I've been through; It is but misery out of despair; It pulls your teeth and curls your hair; It thins your blood and breaks your bones, And fills your craw with moans and groans ; And sometimes maybe, you get well — Some call it Flu — I call it H — L ! 65 TILL PEACE SHALL FILL THE EARTH When Liberty on restless wings Found refuge in the west, She planted justice, truth and love Within Columbia's breast; She dedicated to herself This land of noble birth, To serve humanity and God Till peace shall fill the earth. In devastated, war-cursed lands, Loud cries of bitter woe Ring o'er the deep from lips of men, Crushed by a brutal foe. Columbia, stretch thy powerful arms Around the world's wide girth, And let no perils loose thy grasp Till peace shall fill the earth. Arise, thou slumbering, mighty giant, Protected by wide seas, Thou wast not born to live alone In selfish joy and ease; Thy service in thy Maker's cause Must equal thy great worth; Thou shalt not rest or turn aside Till peace shall fill the earth. William K. L. Barrett, 1st. Lt., Q. M. C. A Q. M. C. PENCIL I know not where thou art. I only know that thou wert on my desk Peaceful and contented — a moment back, And as I turned my head Some heartless_wretch Went South with thee ; I know not who he was, Nor shall I investigate. Perchance it may have been The guy I stole thee from. 66 HIAWATHA ON THE GENERAL STAFF Hiawatha from Dakotah, Best of all the mighty hunters, Got the dandruff on his Coco; Doctor says "Disease contagious, Fit for only special service, Heap big cripple with the dandruff, Never fight the dirty Boche." Me, big strong man from Dakotah, Join the General Staff Detachment, Wallop Underwood and Woodstock, Run the errands for the Major, Second Loot and nifty Colonel. Polish off the plate-glass desk top, Get all in from heap much labor. Use up all um pep in right arm, Have to go to Dis-pen-sary. Holy Mackerel ! Me, big tough guy, Only fit for special service. Drill three nights each week on crutches, Like the rest of the detachment, Do squads left, squads right and so forth, With the famous Staff Detachment; Just because I have the dandruff And not fit for general service. Drill at night and trip on cobbles, Stumble over man in front ; Heap big mix-up over nothing. Air is full of heap big curses, Drill is jazzed up all to nothing. And me, warrior from Dakotah, Best of all the mighty hunters, Just because I've got the dandruff, And not fit for general service, I must live in Washington In that big unconscious city, Pride of heap big hi-yu Nation Where a crap game is the only, Good time that a guy can have. So said Hiawatha, warrior, From the land of the Dakotah, As he stumbled broken hearted, To his little room on H street. 67 [Note: — Inspired by the fact that as cocoa was served for the girls only, the privates were compelled to depend upon the girls for their supply and were not always successful. COCOA-IT IS You've heard of Pneumonia, Of Grippe and Tonsilitis. But did you ever hear, Of the disease called Cocoa-itis? It comes from drinking cocoa, That sweet and girlish drink, Sometimes it looks like chocolate, Sometimes it looks like ink. We get it in the morning, And, at recess time, You can see the pretty girlies, With their cups, they stand in line. They sip their cup of cocoa, So sweet and daintily, Their eyes begin to sparkle, And brighten up with glee. They hurry to the building, For now they're full of pep. And the forced animation, Can be noticed in their step. And when they're in the office, You can hear the pound, Of an Underwood or Woodstock, Played by some cocoa-hound. Perhaps you see some girlie, No expression on her face. She seems to be so far away, She's gazing into space. And as you look around you, You see some other dame, Who fell asleep, poor darling, But she is not to blame. (Continued on page 70) 68 So take it from me, fellows, Lay off that cocoa stuff, Stick to your pipe and cigars, And Copenhagen Snuff. I've met a lot of lizards, In this old fashioned town; But never let them tell you That you're a cocoa-hound. They cut out your appendix, To cure appendicitis; So you cut out your cocoa, And cure your cocoa-itis. Private H. Scharmann. THE "BULLET PROOFERS" Hail to the bullet proof soldiers — The Quartermaster Corps ; The fellows who stay behind the lines And help to win the war. But what would you do, you fighters If you didn't get your pay, Your clothes, or your equipment, Or your three meals every day? Somebody has to do it — The taking care of you ; And there is no glory to it, What the Q. M. fellows do. THE NIGHT BEFORE PAY DAY 'Twas the night before pay-day and all thru my jeans I searched but in vain for the price of some beans. Not a quarter was stirring — not even a jit; The coin was off duty — milled edges had quit. Move forward ! move forward ! oh time in your flight, Make it tomorrow — just for tonight ! 70 THE WAR WORKER'S LOT I rise each morning when seven bells Ring out from my alarm; I wait in line to wash my face With a towel upon my arm. I stand in line to comb my hair, (Of room-mates I have three) By the time I get to breakfast, There is no room for me. I wait in line outside the door For the second table served I reach the corner just to see My car swing round the curve. I chase a block to catch that car And nearly break my neck; Climb through the crowd, upon the step, And gain the upper deck. I "step forward in the aisle, please" Till I see my skip-stop stand, But by the time I reach the door, 'Tis a block beyond I land. I wait in line at our building The tardy list to sign, And I weep for that "Efficiency" Which never can be mine. And when the shades of night descend, In line I say my prayers; I bet some time I'll wait in line To climb the golden stairs. I^wait in line for a doctor, I wait in line for a nurse And I suppose if I should die of the "flu" I'd wait in line for the hearse. And now that the war is over And the war work badly mired They expect me to hang around here And wait in line to be fired. • 71 MIT KAISERISM IN HELL Ach, Gott, vat for you do dis ting ? I thought you understoodt Dot I should run die universe, Vile you slept soundt und goodt. But now you vent und bust mein plans, Vich I haf laidt so veil, Und venn I tink die vorld is mein, Plunge Kaiserism in hell. I tought you gafe mein U-boats power To sweep die vaters clean; I guess you yust vas foolin' me Mit vat dey call "Pipe dream;" For many ein Fritz und Heinie lies Beneath die ocean's swell; Dere souls haf gone to be at home Mit Kaiserism in hell. Now yust because ve sink some ships, Dot Unkel Sam butt in Und sent his soldiers cross die sea To stay here till dey vin. I didn't tought dot dey could fight Or face mein shot und shell, But efer since you let dem come, Poor Kaiserism's in hell. Mein soldiers glorified mein race Mit bloody, ruthless arts; Dey hadt no honor in dere souls, No mercy in dere hearts ; To put die Hohenzollerns up, Ein million lifes dey'd sell; But now dey shove dere ruler down Mit Kaiserism in hell. Yes, efen mighty Hindenburg Und udders who don't stop At any kindt of deeds to put Die Vaterland on top — So long as tings vent our vay, Dey did mein business veil — Dey're trying to be anchels now, Mit Kaiserism in hell. 72 Mein dynasty is going now Vere it can better vork, Und don't need you or Austrians, Bulgarians or Turk. I've done mein tamdtest here on earth I bid you now farevell, To serve mein own, true Master dere Mit Kaiserism in hell. I vunder if you efer vill Be sorry, Gott, because You gafe die Hohenzollerns up Und smashed dere iron laws. I couldn't feel dot I vas wrong Or under evil spell ; So I'll forgif you, though I sink Mit Kaiserism in hell. November 14, 1918. William L. K. Barrett, Lieut., Q. M. C. 73 A FOOL THERE WAS A fool there was, and she got a job, even as you and I — As a Government Clerk in Washington; She thought the work would be lots of fun, But she didn't realize what she had done — even as you and I . A fool there was and her wage she spent — even as you and I. She didn't know how, but somehow it went For three meals a day, and carfare and rent ; But for her clothes she had not a cent — even as you and I. The fool moved her room on each pay-day, even as you and I. But each landlady would always say "For patriotism' I let you stay!" Though marvelous prices they made her pay — even as you and I. And so she was cheated on every side — even as you and I. In cafes her patience was sorely tried; From the cars she was shoved so the "darkies" could ride; So some of her lived but the most of her died — even as you and I. But it wasn't the fact that she spent her all, That hurt like a white hot brand; It was knowing the Government never would know, And Washingtonians never could know and never would under- stand. "Lady Baltimore" OUR PERSONAL FRIENDS Truth is stranger than fiction, so do not doubt these statements. In the "Personal Files" we find such celebrities as Marc Anthony, Oliver Johnson, a King and a Queen and Charles Lamb. We even have Samples and a Toy. Nature's musicians, the Hummingbird, Finch and Crowe enter- tain us with their melodious tones. Everyone has his Up's and Down's even the O. Q. M. G. filers. Why should we worry about tired aching feet, when a Shoemaker is near and we always have our Sandels with us. The younger members enjoy the menagerie; here we find such animals as the Wolfe, Fox, Bear, Fish and Minck. We often suffer from the cold, but there's a very good reason, we have a Mrs. Shivers with us. To make a long story short we will add a few more easy names which we find in the files; Celichowski, Bjorgo, Boette, Aagaard, Wiltse, Wlenklinske, Marcinkiewicz, Quggle, Kiviotkocoski, Hotz, and Sheetz. 74 LOST! As I passed through the building this morning, A though occurred to me, As I glanced upon the "Bill-Board" The words up there to see. In the center and near the top of the board, On a black field traced in white, Telling the fate of some article dear "Lost" from the owner's sight. Lost ! A little green handbag With a powder-puff and handkerchief or two; Lost sometime, somewhere, somehow, Please return to "Mary" or "Sue." Lost, a good umbrella; Will someone please bring it back? The handle was bent and a rib was gone, Just notify "Jim" or "Jack." Lost, sixty golden seconds That make a minute so dear, Lost right here in the building In room (Nineteen-five) somewhere. The Captain says I ran them off, While the Major says "Nay, not so, I was watching you all the while, my boy, You just sat and let them go." Lost, a chance for promotion By idling away the time; Always leaving a few minutes early And reporting later than nine. By never obeying orders Just as they are given to do, Then trying to charge others for failure When the guilt lies only in you. Lost, a chance to make good in life, By a lack of knowledge, by fear, Which means you'll never have, my boy, The things you hold so dear. Lost, the chance to reach the high goal, The aim of your life's endeavor, Because you left off the things you should do, And did the things you should never. A. J. Goodson., Q. M. C. (Alabama) 75 "THAT BOMB PROOF JOB, Q. M. C." "Mother, take down your service flag Your boy is in the Q. M. C." Tis a song composed I understand In our homes across the sea. When first I heard this war-time song I thought it struck the note, But since that time my mind has changed And those words "get my goat." My views were changed somewhere in France Just where I cannot say. I drive a truck for the A. E. F. And the good old U. S. A. Now all the cars, you understand, Are run by the Q. M. C. Which is the Corps that some suppose Is safe as safe can be. The railhead where supplies are stored, Whence starts the auto train, Is shelled or gassed most every day By gun or aeroplane. And twice the bursting shrapnel Rained 'round about my truck Both times it clearly missed me — Thank Heaven for my luck. Each night we're bombed by aeroplanes, And flee to dugouts deep, And many a dark and rainy night We're wakened from our sleep. We hear the Sergeant's voice ring out In accents far from happy, "Wake up you Rookie ! Autos out, Be quick now, make it snappy." So toward the land of "kultur," With no lights to guide the way, We splash through mud and shell hole To prepare the coming day. The thundering guns grow nearer, And the rookies' blood runs cold, As the C. O. halts the detail, The orders to unfold. 76 Soon every truck is loaded With khakied men who know That death will stare them in the face Where they are now to go. Again enroute the lines we near The job to string barbed wire, When suddenly the Boche awakes And opens with shell fire. The shells burst all around us For drivers at the wheel. No dugouts now for safety — Just one plain hat of steel. The thrilling sirens warn us Piercing loud through all the noise That gas adds to the pleasure That the Q. M. C. enjoys. We have driven day and night my friend, Through conditions such as told, And many mealless days we had To help us face the cold. We hauled supplies on every front, And ammunition, too. On roads swept by machine-gun fire, But the Q. M. C. went through. Our hats are off to the Infantry, Artillery, and the rest, That make the U. S. Army The bravest and the best. They say our boys will cross the Rhine. That fact is plain to me. But last to cross the river wide Won't be the Q. M. C. We may be non-combatants Or bomb-proof, just as well, But if I am blown to pieces, Or plainer words, to "Hell" Look up the man who wrote this And tell him this for me : "Mother, keep up your service flag, For your son's in the Q. M. C." Sergeant Cote. A. E. F. 77 SONG OF THE FILES There's a brook in Merry England, That bickers down a valley, And does a lot of turns and things, And many a sudden sally; But it couldbicker on a million years, And just as many miles, And then turn green with envy At the story of the files. Tennyson was a wise old guy, And more than passing clever, But he only had a faint idea Of things going on forever; For clerks may come, and clerks may go, But filing never ceases, And a clerk should be an Amazon, Or is it a Nemesis ? Limbs may ache, and backs may break, And feet grow tired and weary, Arms get weak, and necks get stiff, And eyes grow dim and teary ; But on and on, forever on Just like the babbling bickerr, And all the while the stacks to file Are getting thick and thicker. When Gabriel blows his horn of doom To wake the silent sleepers, And all the earth around about Is filled with anguished weepers; The file clerks of the Q. M. C. Will be on hand and smiling, For if records are kept in heaven, They'll get the job of filing. Edith Fulton, (Files Section) Requisitions Division. 79 A WAIL FROM NINETEENTH AND "B" Today I got a letter from my "Buddy" over there, And the things that I read in it would fairly raise your hair. He's a "Looey" with the "Heavies," and he sure has seen some war, Fightin' straight for thirty days, and he's a-lookin' for some more. Thirty days without a let-up, fightin' — movin' — on the run, Thirty days without his clothes off, thirty days behind his gun. Not complainin' — says he's happy, sleepin' eight feet in the ground, 'Leven fellows share his dug-out, so there's comp'ny all around. But, with all my "Buddy's" scraps, he hasn't got a thing on me — I'm a veteran of the combat fought at Nineteenth Street and B. Talk of battles! Boy! I've had 'em, battles dense with smoke and gore, ' Fought as only man can fight to keep the old wolf from the door. Gas attacks? I've had a dozen, they don't scare me any more — I've survived the jitney "Cremo's" of contractors by the score. I've been trampled, cursed, and wounded by the enemy at dark As I've tried to board a trolley from this old Potomac Park; And as for mass formation, I deserve the Croix de Guerre, The soup line at our lunch room's where they teach it, I declare. Oh, my "Buddy" with his dug-out has his troubles, I opine, But the "third floor back" I share with six is not so gosh darn fine. Our machine guns are all Underwoods, they tattoo all the day, A nerve-destroying drumming that awakes me from my hay; And when I rise at dawn again, I wish that I were dead, This war in Washington is all that Old Man Sherman said. L. G. P. LUCK AND PLUCK Who talks of "Luck"?— Tis HE, with PLUCK, Who plucks the luck, that's lucky. The duffer ducks — The plugger plucks: And Luck comes to the plucky. C. E. Graves, Capt. Q. M. C. 80 SALUTE Another song for the brave old flag, As full-staff-high it flies Whether a shot-torn, smoke-grimed rag Or bright as the wintry skies. We watched from the slips as the transport ships Come plunging through the foam, And mothers and dads hail the glorious lads That bring the old flag home. They bore it away in the morn's dim light, With never a good-bye cheer, For they stole to sea like a thief in the night Lest the Hun of their course should hear. But now in the breeze o'er the ransomed seas The proud ships make their track, And the sirens sing and the great bells ring As they bring the old flag back. There are stripes more red where our heroes bled; Their memory gilds the stars; But thanks we give for the lads that live For the "doughboys" and the tars. Oh, let them brag of their well served flag Wherever their glad feet roam! And let none be mute in the high salute As they bring "Old Glory" home. War Worker — (calling up Casualty Section) — "Have you any official casualty report on Harry Warren of the 331st?" Casualty (sympathetically) : — "Why, yes, our records show he was blown up by a mine on November 15th, killed on December 8th and died on December 12th." War Worker: — "Oh, thank you so much. Do you suppose he'll be back by Christmas time?" L. M. Esch. 81 "AFTER THE BALL' Things ain't what they used to be — Changes ev'ry day ; People movin', others leavin' — Taint nice this-a-way. Just get so you like someone — Know him a wee bit — Then he gets the movin' bug, Up and packs his kit. Things ain't what they used to be, Interest's on the wane, People are a-losin' pep — Days are dreadful tame. Course we're glad the war has stopt — Glad that peace has come ; But the spirit ought to live In war work at home. Things ain't what they used to be — Everything's so slow; Lots of work, but not much vim — Monotonous, you know. Gee, we wish that something great Would happen right away; Make things move with the old hum, And hustle of last May. Bernice Patterson, Washington, D. C. JOKE ON A Q. M. IN FRANCE A Near Geo. Washington A private of the Q. M. C. located somewhere in France with a few of his comrades had been granted four days leave, and as usual, wired for extension. But no hack- neyed excuse was his, only the plain unvarnished truth. It ran as follows: "Nobody dead, nobody ill; still going strong, having good time, and got plenty of money. Please grant extension." Needless to say he got it. 82 IF! If you can sit still while all about you Are working hard and not thinking much of you If you can return their looks askance, too, If you have no work, but look as if you're working, Or writing letters, don't fill the letters with lies; Or studying faces, don't give way to studying And look alive, to fool some guys. If you can exist and not make your landlady your master If you can eat and not make indigestion your aim, If you can meet your bills without disaster, And get "trust" from profiteers just the same, If you can bear to see the clothes you've set your soul on Torn by laundresses and burned by some fool, Or have the things you'd give your life for, stolen, And let it go as the exception, not the rule. If you can save enough of your earnings, To buy some shoes you've needed all the year, Just forget a lot of other yearnings, You have for frills that cost too dear. If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew To pass up things that used to be And so just prove what kind of stuff is in you Although the price is greater than the fee. If you can fight through crowds and keep your virtue Or be alone, yet keep your spirits up, If neither words, nor slighting looks can hurt you, If you don't care what 'tis that fills your cup, If you can fill the after-dinner minutes With dance, and song in one mad whirl Yours is Washington, and everything that's in it, And what is more — you'll be a war worker, my girl. IF! IF!! If you can hold your head up while the others Are drooping theirs from marches and fatigue; If you can drill in dust that clouds and smothers, And still be fit to hike another league; If you can stand the greasy food and dishes, The long black night, the lonesome road, the blues; If you can choke back all the gloomy wishes For home, that seem to spring right from your shoes ; 84 If you can laugh at sick call and the pill boys, When all the other lads are checking in; If you can kid and jolly all the killjoys, Whose faces long ago forgot to grin; If at parade you stand fast at attention, When every muscle shrieks aloud with pain; If you can grin and snicker at the mention Of some bone play connected with your name; If you succeed to keep your knees from knocking, At the thoughts of all the bullets you may stop , If you can do these things and really like 'em, You'll be a reg'lar soldier yet, old top! IF! IF!! IF!!! If you can be a government clerk And keep a pleasant face, If you can do the petty tasks You find in every place — If you can keep on smiling Thru all the long routine And never lose your kindly tone And keep a look serene — If you relieve monotony By patient, faithful work, And try to be what you are not — Because you will not shirk, — If you can act so busy That people think you're rushed And never lose a minute's time, But just pretend you're pushed — If you can sit at your wee desk All day — and keep quite mum, And then be sweet at evening time To your room-mate or your chum, — Then you're a hero, sure enough You'll wear a crown of gold, You'll reap a harvest rich and rare, For patience pays ten-fold. But — if you like this sort of life, If you enjoy its pace; Ah, me! You're lost I truly fear, — You'd better change your place. Bernice Patterson, Q. M. C. 85 AIN'T IT A GLORIOUS FEELING? Ain't it a glorious feelin' When you've made a special date, But in spite of all your tryin' You are half an hour late, And you worry and you hustle, Till you think you sure will burst And you find on your arrival You're the one who got there first? Ain't it a glorious feelin' When you meet a jolly friend, And your conscience quick reminds you That it is your turn to spend Cash enough to buy his dinner, But you hear the fellow say, As he slaps you on the shoulder, "Bill, the feed's on me to-day." Ain't it a glorious feelin' When you've won a maiden's heart, And you've got to ask her father, And you hate to do the part 'Cause the old man looks so solemn, And your heart feels like a ton, Till he grasps your trembling fingers As he says, "God bless you, son." TO THE SOUTH WINDS Oh, winds that are so dear to me Oh, winds a-roving down the lea, I hear your voice just as of old And my heart's joy could not be told If I could come just for to-day And rove with you the same old way O'er sunny meads, by sparkling streams — Away — away, to lands of dreams — And yet my heart still sad must be I'm working in the Q. M. C. Amy M. Longest, Q. M. C. 86 WHEN YOU JOIN THE Q. M. C. (Dedicated to the Q. M. C. "boys," Fort Sam Houston) When a decent, well-raised human, who has been "brought up" somewhere And had known the benediction of a loving mother's prayer — Seeks a Government position where it's "soft" as it can be, Let him make investigation ere he joins the Q. M. C. You may be a fine bookkeeper, an expert stenographer, Take the swiftest of dictations, and typewrite two thousand per ; You may think you're up on business — know the game from A to Z, But you'll find you don't 'know nothing" when you join the Q. M. C. " Departmental work is different from the work you used to do, Ev'ry bloomin' thing's a puzzle, ev'ry form is new to you ; Business letters have no "Dear Sir" — no "Yours truly" at the end — Are so very stiff and formal that the paper'll hardly bend. And the cold abbreviations of the Government you'll see- S. S. T., F. Y., and so forth; O. D. Q. M. and S. D. ; Hos., Amb., Eng., S. C., F. A. C., C. A. C — they stand arrayed, Till you think the whole d n alphabet is out on dress parade i M. G. Tp., 1st Bn. 3d; Co. A of 1st; 3d Sq. of Cav., Till you feel that your gray matter is a hopeless mass of salve; That you've struck a Chinese puzzle which upsets your very spleen, For two seconds after writing them you don't know what they mean] You'll get tangled up on "Leases," "Contract Forms" will make you whine, "Forage Abstracts" simply tie a double bow-knot in your spine! You'll make blunders, and more blunders — all too numerous to tell, Till you're half inclined to let the blasted job go straight to — well] There's no earthly use in swearing, but I want to say to you (In parentheses, and softly), that the air is often blue, For the Q. M. Clerk at "cussing" has acquired eternal fame; He can make a canal driver blush with everlasting shame ! But no matter. Toil with patience, letting naught your progress block, Do your work by a speedometer, and never by a clock; Grit your teeth and say you'll do it — solve the problem, get it right, And remember, there's no victory without a determined fight. REFLECTION: I can see no first-class reason why Q. M. Clerks fill the air With anathemas — / never (that is, seldom ever) swear ; But I want to say in passing — and I trust you'll pardon me — That you'll strike some damn'd good fellows when you join the "■ M- ^" James Courtney Challiss, ( One if the "Blunderers'' 87 THE WAR WORKERS' CHRISTMAS Our clothes are rather shabby; We really want some new, But we couldn't pay installments On our bonds and buy clothes, too. One might get a pretty shirt waist, Quite a good one, for a five; But then the only spare bills Went to help the war work drive. Coats our friends admired as stylish In the days before the war Still protect us from the weather — Isn't that what coats are for? Our skirts are sadly shiny Where they press the office chair, But they're better than the tatters That the poor Armenians wear. Last year's hats are somewhat faded; Brims are dragging, feathers droop, But the price of many a new one Went to buy the Belgians soup. Used to pride ourselves on being Neatly gloved and shod, but then — Cigarettes were quite expensive That we sent to soldier men. For the dainty georgette collar, And the other little frills, We must wait till we get thrift stamps For the book that slowly fills. There were plans that we had cherished, And we might have put them through With success and satisfaction If we hadn't had the "flu." Just a little Christmas shopping Very modestly we planned, Then the Red Cross "Heart and Dollar" Rang its summons through the land. When we celebrated Christmas At a merry yuletide dance We longed for new kid slippers, But we bought "Free milk for France. Never mind the coat outdated, Nor the old, moth-eaten muff; Our boys came home victorious, And isn't that enough? SILVER STRIPES AND STRIPES OF GOLD Dear! I must be growing old, Silver threads that once were gold Shine upon my brow of care — I was not sent "over there." Uncle Sam said I must stay Here to work as best I may, Tho' I wanted much to go Over there to meet the foe. Glory was denied to me On battle front, on land or sea ; Duty's call I must obey, Of dull routine from day to day. Silver stripes adorn my sleeve, That is why my heart doth grieve; Golden stripes for "over there" I shall never, never wear! Do not think that I complain When you hear this sad refrain: Golden stripes as you'll surmise Were not won without "Supplies." Silver stripes, or stripes of gold, What a story they unfold, — But you'll find, when I go home, Silver threads upon my "dome!" A. G. Marsden, Copyright 1919 by the Author 1st Lieut., Signal Corps. Washington, D. C. 89 I WANT TO KNOW Do ships have eyes when they go to (sea) ? Are there springs in the ocean's (bed) ? Does Jolly Tar flow from a (tree) ? Can a river lose its (head) ? Are fishes crazy when they go (in seine) ? Can an old hen sing her (lay) ? Can you bring relief to a window (pane) ? Or mend a (break) of day? What kind of vegetable is a policeman's (beat) ? Is a newspaper white when it's (read) ? Is a baker broke when he's making (dough) ? Is an undertaker's business (dead) ? Would a wall paper store make a good hotel Because of its (borders) there? Would you paint a rabbit on a bald man's head? Just to give him a little (hare) ? If you ate a (square) meal would the corners hurt? Can you dig with the ace of (spades) ? Would you throw a rope to a drowning lemon? Just to give a (lemonade)? By Helen A. Linscott, Q. M. C. Fort Sam Houston, Texas. THE QUESTION 1919 Now that we don't have to move any more (?) Now that the Germans no longer are sore ( ?) Now that rooms can be had for a song ( ?) Now that the Kaiser admits he was wrong (?) Now that the high-cost-of-living has dropped ( ?) Now that the sale of old booze has been stopped ( ?) Now that good board costs three per week ( ?) Now that Bill Bryan refuses to speak (?) The Question that's sending me almost dippy Is, who in the devil is Bolsheviki? John W. Bruce, C. & 91 A TRAGEDY OF THE WAR A man there was of talents rare, and capable beyond compare, an expert at the finance game, accounting was his middle name, a "P. A." duly certified, and figures were his joy and pride. So, when the country went to war, he smelled the smoke afar, and mindful of his country's weal, inspired by patriotic zeal, he sacrificed a good position, and blossomed out with a commission as Captain in the Q. M. C, as pert and nifty as could be. The army's urgent need, thought he, is keen and active men like me; I'll show this Quartermaster Corps, some tricks they never knew before. Their standards I will elevate, and bring their methods up to date; I'll be to them a shining light, and show them how to do things right. He studied up a month or so, to learn where each report should go, and oft regaled his eyes with charts of most prodigious size, by which he was supposed to trace each paper to its proper place; he followed up each square line (much like stockyards in design). At length he grasped with fine precision, each branch and section and division; he learned to pierce the darksome haze, and penetrate the mystic maze, through which no common eye could see, that girdled round the "Q. M. C." It grieved his systematic mind, quite unexpectedly to find, through some inscrutable mishap, the Q. M. C. wiped off the map ; of all authority bereft, and practically nothing left, under this new made set of rules, except, the graveyards and the mules. This was a rude and startling jolt, for an officer just taking holt; but our new- made Captain still- was game, like all who would aspire to fame. He fixed his papers up in style, a huge and formidable pile, about the size of a bale of hay, and mailed them merrily away; and as the time went slowly by — month by month with no reply, he fell into complacent mood, quite satisfied that he'd made good; he grew conceited in his ways, and threw himself a few bouquets; he told himself in manner breezy, "This Quartermaster game is easy," "such crude accounting work is pie, for such an able man as I." But oh ! the shock this man received, and oh ! how deeply he was peeved, when he received a letter back, as pointed as a carpet tack ; all his accounting scientific, was treated in a way terrific; it men- tioned documents galore, he'd never heard about before; and Bulletins of 1907, and Notice 7-come-ll, and circulars of ancient date, and G. O's. fierce to contemplate; and divers other publica- tions that added to his tribulations; the "List of Differences" took as long to read as Chinese book; but the longest-winded kick of all, on "Form 150" seemed to fall. This form whatever its intent, has caused some sulphurous comment. No living man, however bright 92 has ever made it half way right. But when this letter courtly ended, by marking his account "suspended," for just about a half a million, he wished he were a mere civilian. While this experience was bitter, he didn't like to be a quitter; and so with somewhat saddened heart, the Captain made another start. He squandered barrels of midnight oil, in unremunerative toil. Each line and paragraph obscure, he read with patience slow and sure; though still he entertained some doubt, on what-the-hell 'twas all about; and in his mind the doubt still grew, for the more he read the less he knew. When he arrived at one conclusion, he often found, to his confusion, some later data on the point that knocked his findings out of joint, and what he gained from all this dope was waste of time and loss of hope. Defeat at last he must admit, so he threw up his hands and quit. When he had worked along to this, one cylinder began to miss ; his mental equipoise had fled, and something slipped inside his head; his mind no longer seemed so clear, and his remarks got rather queer. His temper then became erratic; in fact, the bats got in his attic. He fell into a mournful rut, and ever since, he's been a nut. Yep, Dippy! I saw his guard the other day, and this is what he had to say: "This guy's the most peculiar case we've ever handled in the place; for days and days, he's pretty fair, then he goes straight up in the air, and cuts up most fantastic capers at merest sight of certain papers. His worst vexation seems to be a "Form 150, Q. M. C." He writes it full of names and places, then looks it over and erases ; but as he works, his ire increases — he ends by tearing it to pieces. He shows the utmost apprehension, if he but hears the word "suspension," and starts all kinds of funny ructions at mention of the word "deductions." He swears with weird ejaculations, if someone says "appropriations;" and if he hears "allotment" said, this guy will crawl behind the bed; and "mileage" — say — don't mention it, or he will likely throw a fit." If the Army makes a man like that, I 'm glad I stayed where I was at. In time, perhaps he may get well, but I still claim that War is Hell. J. McG. 93 THE Q. M. C. SWIVEL-CHAIR SOLDIER Over the top with a morning report A bottle of ink and a pen For some of us fellows can't shoulder a gun And fight like real soldier men. We've never a chance to fight the foe And take a whack at the Hun, Never a chance to charge a trench And make the Germans run. For somebody has to stay behind, Three thousand miles or more, Where bullets never go whistling by And the big guns never roar. Someone must sit behind a desk Heaped high with stacks and piles Of guard reports and rations returns Pay rolls and document files. Someone must keep the mess account And see that the army is fed Someone must keep the council book Someone must work with his head. Someone must keep the record books And see that the muster's right Someone must sit in an office chair While others get out and fight. Some must get all covered with gore, And others all covered with ink; Some are soldiers, and others are clerks So the civilians all think. So, over the top with the morning report, A bottle of ink and a pen, For some of us fellows can't shoulder a gun And fight like real soldier men. -pfciVPfre eraser/ DOING- MANUAL- 1 OF ARM& ! 94 THE LAST PARADE I've dug a million trenches and cleared ten miles of ground, And meaner jobs than I' ve performed — my boy, they can't be found. I've washed a million mess kits and peeled a million spuds, I've rolled a million blankets and washed a million duds. And the number of parades I've made, I ain't a-going to tell, But I'll do my bit in heaven as I've done my hitch in hell. When the final taps are sounded and I lay aside my cares, To my last parade a-climbing I'll climb the golden stairs. When the angels greet my howdy and the harps begin to play, I'll draw a million canteen checks to pass the time away. Lieut. Andrew Veenstra, Detachment Commander, Q. M. C, Camp Meade, Md. THAT SCHAUFFLER QUESTIONNAIRE Where did you come from Baby dear? "From Minnesota — Way out here." Where did you get that skirt so tight? "Made two out of one — sewed all night." Where did you get that curly hair? "Oh, it's natural — to that I swear. At least it was when I was real small ; I now use electrics — or it won't curl at all." Where did you get that dimpled chin? "By using my thumb nail — poking it in." Where did you get those heels of state? "At Cohen & Bentz's — four ninety-eight." And about your color — what is that from? "Ma's fruit coloring and powdering some!" Where did you get those hands so white? "Soaked 'em in buttermilk over night." And now you are here — what can you do? "Just anything you ask me to." And have you as yet engaged your room? "No — if I can't, I will sleep in a tomb." Where's your appointment — where' 11 you work? "At 19th and B, as a filing clerk." I suppose you came from patriotism? "Partly for money to cure Pa's rheumatism." 95 PHOTO BY HARRIS & EW1NG Major General George W. Burr, U. S. Army, Assistant Chief of Staff, Director Purchase, Storage & Traffic PASSING THE BUCK A National Pastime PASSING THE BUCK is a game in which a piece of work, a duty or any other disagreeable thing is passed from one officer or employee to another in such a manner that the smallest possible portion of the work or duty is accomplished, and the identity of the person whose duty it is to do it is hidden from the person interested in having it done. The variations and the possibilities of the game are limited only by the size of the organization in which it is played, and by the initiative and the skill of the players. Its pinnacle of refinement is reached when the player will work harder to pass the buck than would be necessary to perform the task itself. The claim often advanced by American enthusiasts that the game originated in the United States is not founded on fact. The game is as old as history, and as wide-spread as geography. It is a certainty that Pontius Pilate found it a pleasant as well as con- venient pastime, and there is reason to believe that it was not un- known to the ancients. It is stated by some authorities that Adam started it. Others say that Adam's game was too shoddy to be worth the name. Wherever and whenever it originated, its devel- opment and perfection in the United States has made it, to all intents and purposes, an American game, as inseparable as Ameri- can chewing gum itself. Introduced into America in early Colonial times, the game won immediate and lasting popularity among all classes, but its greatest impetus came from its semi-official adoption in Government circles as the National Indoor Sport. Its growth has been as steady and as rapid as the increase in population, except in the District of Columbia, where the population hasn't been able to keep up. In no other country in the world is the game played by so many people or with such great skill and daring. Army Regulations and the Quartermaster's Manual are the two principal rule books of the game. A careful study of them will give the beginner a fairly good understanding of the fascinating sport. Besides these there are numerous forms used in the game, but most of which have never been printed . New rules are being made every day to comply with the new duties and labors that come with the war. The official umpires are the Auditor for the War Department and the Comptroller of the Treasury. They are seldom appealed to except to umpire big league games, but their services are available to all players, from the newest beginner to the most skilled. Noth- ing is too trivial for their attention. They sometimes volunteer information that hasn't been asked for. In order to preserve the integrity of the game, there is no appeal from the Comptroller's rulings. It was the Comptroller's proficiency in the game that 97 gave him the right to spell controller with an "M" and a "P." This spelling also serves to distinguish him from a controller in the ordinary sense of the word. The "Comptroller" controls in a negative sense, much as an inexperienced chauffeur might control an automobile by shutting off the gasoline. It is impossible to give, in this short space, anything like a com- plete description of the game, or even a comprehensive summary of the rules. There are, however, certain general principles and a few rules that must be observed in counting points, and which may be profitably mentioned here. First of all, the new employees should bear well in mind that rendering services to the public, or trying in any way to please it, is not a part of the game. New employees entering the service from civil life often bring with them a fund of enthusiasm of this nature that is difficult to control. This enthusiasm takes the form of an insane desire on their part to make themselves useful and aggreeable to the general public with which they come into contact, and to their fellow employees. This is a thing that must be studi- ously avoided. Its harmful effects are three-fold. It counts against the player and it stores up trouble for the new player against the time when constant floundering in the meshes of red tape will have choked from him the last gasp of whatever splendid enthus- iasms he may once have had. A few samples of the methods of counting points are given here to show the beginner the general scheme. There are many others ; and new ones can be invented at any time, so long as they do not interfere with the general purpose. If an officer or employee to whom work is given passes it on to another and the other does the work, that counts plus one for the first man, and minus one for the second. If, though the second man man passes it on to the third, and third man does the work, that counts plus 2 for the first, plus 2 for the second and minus 4 for the third. If the work goes on to a fourth man before being done, and the fourth man does it, that counts plus 3 for the first three men, and minus nine for the fourth. This progression continues indefi- nitely and the game when so played is called "Passing the Buck," Simple and Direct. It is the game's simplest form, and is espe- cially recommended to the beginner for teaching him the value of team work. Suppose now that the fourth man doesn't do the work, but passes it back to the third, and the third man is forced to do it. The fourth man gets plus 6 and the third man minus 6. The first two players get the same as though the third man had done it in the first place. If the fourth man makes the work go back to the first man, through the third and second, and the first man is forced to do the work, 98 that counts eighteen for the fourth man and minus six for each of the other three. When there are ten or more players in the game, and the "Buck" is passed to each by each, in turn, until it makes a complete circle, and then is thrown aside without any actual work having been ac- complished, a perfect score is said to have been made, and every body gets a hundred. Although there are many notable cases of new players having been conspicuously successful from the start, the finished players are, for the most part, men who have been long in the service and grown up with the game. The present generation owes them a great deal. The skill of some of them is such that they count per- fect scores by dozens, and even by hundreds. It is said that the man who compiled the Quartermaster Manual was voted a Life Cham- pionship certificate, and then permanently disqualified for further competition in amateur games on the grounds that he had become professional. It was feared that if he continued to compete in amateur games his phenomenal success might discourage other players from putting forth their best efforts. This would cause a lagging of interest that might bring about the death of the game and drag Government work down to the level of ordinary business procedure. The beginner should not allow himself to be discouraged by his own clumsiness for the first few weeks, or by the amazing skill of older players. Unless his fore-fathers have been Government employees or master plumbers, it is very likely that he will lose heavily at first. A new player is often made the victim of concerted action to wipe out some of their minus scores. Let the new player sit tight, do as little as possible, study the game and watch his chance. If he is made of the right stuff he will soon have nothing more to learn. Finally it should be remembered that the first rule is that the "BUCK" is always "passed down" but never "up." — Selected. 99 COMPENSATION And the. pkizcs we«£ O IS T/?_/e U TE.D PEN VS. SWORD Welcome Hone HOW A MAJOR fiHO 0-0-OH LOOK & "It's beans again for chow." 169 ME The Colonel tells the Major When he wants something done, The Major tells the Captain, And gets him on the run. The Captain thinks it over, And to be sure to suit, Passes the buck and baggage, To some shave-tail "Lieut." The Lieutenant ponders deeply, As he strokes his downy jaw, Then he calls his trusty sergeant, And to him lays down the law. The Sergeant gets the Corporal, To see what he can see, The Coporal gets the Private, And that poor private's me. ME (As it is in the New Orleans Depot) The Colonel tells the Major, When he wants something done, The Major tells the Chief Clerk, And gets him on the run. The Chief Clerk thinks it over, And thinks he'll take a chance, And passes the buck and baggage, To the Distribution Branch. The Lieutenant ponders deeply As he stares at empty space, Then his small electric buzzer Puts the messenger in the race. Then we all get the shivers, When we hear the fuss, 'Cause the messenger spies the Service Branch And that poor Branch is us. 170 EMBERS By Sergeant J. Clarence Edwards, Hq. 1st. Army, A. E. F. Yes, the time is hanging heavy For the boats are hauling home; — When you look into the embers, 'Stead o' fire you see the foam Of a swaying, spraying ocean, And the miles on miles of blue That are waltzing with the distance That's between your folks and you. And you maybe take the bellows That the Poilus use to blow, Up the lazy, backward blazes Or the coals that "loaf" below. And you're apt to keep on pumping When the fire is under way, For the embers are your ocean And your dream-boat's on the way! In the clinky crink of embers There is sound of childish glee, And the curling smoke is laden With a joyous jubilee. Sweeter still the vision tempers And a blue flame simmers low, Where a white one mingles with it And a mother smiles at you ! But the fagots soon are cinders And your dream is doomed to naught, When a fuming fire-log flounders On the hearth to break your thought. And the ocean, realistic, With it's ever-churning foam, Stretches in again between you And the folks that wait at home. Feb. 2, 1919. France. 171 JUST FOLKS (By Edgar A. Guest, Q. M. C.) THE SILVER STRIPES When we've honored the heroes returning from France And we've mourned for the heroes who fell, When we've done all we can for the home-coming man Who stood to the shot and the shell, Let us keep in mind those who lingered behind — The thousands who waited to go — The brave and the true, who did all they could do, Yet have only the silver to show. They went from their homes at the summons for men, They drilled in the heat of the sun, They fell into line with a pluck that was fine ; Each cheerfully shouldered a gun ; They were ready to die, for Old Glory on high, They were eager to meet with the foe ; They were just like the rest of our bravest and best. Though they've only the silver to show. Their bodies stayed here, but their spirits were there; And the boys who looked death in the face, For the cause, had no fear — for they knew, waiting here, There were many to fill up each place. Oh, the ships came and went, till the battle was spent, And the tyrant went down with the blow ! But he still might have regained but for those who remained And have only the silver to show. So here's to the soldiers who never saw France, And here's to the boys unafraid ! Let us give them their due ; they were glorious, too, And it isn't their fault that they stayed. They were eager to share in the sacrifice there ; Let them share in the peace that we know. For we know they were brave, by the service they gave, Though they've only the silver to show. 172 THE LITTLE GIRL FROM THE WEST A little steno from 'way out West Was sent to the Q. M. C. ; Her knowledge of food stuffs was not the best, That you could plainly see. But failures are rare when the heart is young, And so, in her happiest mood, She took her place with the rest of them And started in juggling food. Dried, evaporated, compressed and condensed; (Oh, what terrible phrases !) Powdered, dehydrated, refined and fresh, Why did she write "can" for "cases" ? Memos, telegrams, papers and ink, Letters with numbers confusing; New forms, new methods, manners, speech, "Yes sah," it was quite amusing. Officers, privates and second lieuts Were here and there constantly flitting; Her thoughts were chasing butterflies But her typewriter kept a-clicking. She heard that the fellows over the seas Were living and sleeping in dumps; She didn't think they had the best of her When she saw her own hard bunk. She didn't have to advance nor retreat But she did have to stand in line, And she found she had some march to make To get to work by nine. She read in the papers our armies gained ground ; They were fighters, brave, dauntless and shrewd; Ground was all right, but it did seem to her Their greatest objective was Food. 174 Miracles were performed right under her eyes, It was rank, not man, who held sway, And yet she had known them as second lieuts — How did they get that way? As days went by as days will do, Our little girl from the West Found many happy moments 'twixt working and at rest. Why not? Life's but a checker game at best No matter what you do. How did she know that "over there" would really be true to blue? She knew the depths of dancing, dark eyes, Red lips and hair slightly curling; She knew there were other dangers in France Than ammunition Germans were hurling. So she worked and she laughed, she sang and she danced. There were so many places to roam, But they counted for naught, all were forgot When a message read — "We're coming home." Good-by, majors and captains, good-by, second lieuts, Good-by life with a uniform-ruling. Couldn't you imagine, couldn't you guess That perhaps someone else was "just fooling" ? And you waited with her; you expected to see A vision of youth in its splendor; Not so. You exclaimed in surprise, e'en though you Knew 'twould offend her. What — that limping creature, with a crutch in his hand, Whose paleness is almost uncanny! But she didn't hear you. Her eyes were aflame. She's answered the call of her "Sammy." 175 MOVIES! (The following memorandum was received by Major Wagner, designated as Officer in Charge of Moving, at the Munitions Building.) We've been moving in and we've been moving out; We've been juggled and jostled and tossed about ; We've been given room and some to spare, We've been crowded like hogs at a country fair; We've been in Section Five and Section Four; We've been on the first and second floor; We've been in Group "A" and Group "B"; We've been all over the lot and all at sea; And now we ask in questioning fear — WHERE IN H— L DO WE GO FROM HERE? ♦I« ♦> ♦!« ANSWER TO "MOVIES" Our friend above, in accent bold, Requests an answer quickly told, As to why, and when, and where we go, Aseekin' space — I'll tell you, "Bo:" To find a place where lines of files Are filled with naught but lover's wiles, Where "From" and "To" are things of past, Where war's alarms can never last, Where typists type of moon and stars, And Sergeants always wear gold bars : If such a place there is, my dear, Then why in H — L don't we move from HERE? 176 Moving Day MOVIES (Who Blundered?) Books to the right of us Chairs to the left of us Boxes in front of us All tagged for moving ; Work in confusion, Noise in profusion Caused by the allusion That we are moving. Miss Sherwood was not fretting, But Hager was sweating, Catalogues getting Ready for moving; "Rush," we heard Russel say, "There can be no delay, We must be packed up today, Packed up for moving." Everyone working, Nobody shirking, Forgetting the clerking, For we are moving, Packing unquestioning, Speed never lessening, No thought of resting — Resting from moving. 178 Signed memorandum, For all abandon The building a-standing Near the Y. M. C. A. Though all was altered Nobody faltered, Lambs being slaughtered No gentler than they. Then some sudden hush — Stopped was the steady rush; Cheeks pale that once were flushed, What is the matter! Officers furious, Stenographers curious The order was spurious, Then what a chatter ! Now they had packed, and well, 'Til they were out of breath Til they had longed for death To free them from moving — Then — oh, what an awful sell, Ring out the moving knell, Somebody said "Do tell! — Oh H — L We're not moving." 179 OUR "PEPPY" LOOT. He's younger than the most of us — Far younger than the Top, And, bein' young, he's full of pep, And keeps us on the hop; He hasn't been in long enough To sour on the game; He's tickled as a kid with it, That's why we bless his name. He puts us through all sorts of stunts To liven up the drill, He laughs when he turns corners sharp And takes a muddy spill ; It's up and in it all the time, He never seems to tire, And doesn't know what duckin' means In face of Fritzy's fire. He always calls us "fellows," Never pulls the line, "my men," He likes to think he's one of us ; And back in billets, when He has to make inspections, He'll sit and chin awhile; And as to all this "yes, sir" stuff, "Oh, can it!" that's his style. At shows he plays his "uke" for us, And sings his college glees, And if there's a piano, wow! He sure can pound the keys. On hikes he always starts a song, Or sends along a laugh — And those are things you darn well know That help us stand the gaff. I never cared for college guys When I was in the States ; I thought they were a messy lot, A bunch of underweights; But if our Loot's a sample, Why I've got to change my mind — He's got the sand, the bean, and go To pull us through the grind. 180 A FEW PAGES FROM "THE CLINIC (Written by Lt. A. Harding, Jr., at Walter Reed Hospital) FROM "A CHILD'S CHAPLET OF POISON IVY" On U-Boats they get up at night And work by artificial light; With me it's just the other way I sleep at night and work by day. I have to pick up chips and see The U-Boats slipping out to sea. It almost makes me weep to think Of neutral ships I can't help sink. And does it not seem hard to you Where there is so much work to do And I would like to sink those ships I have to stay and pick up chips. TO MY BED For many peaceful happy hours With pain and trouble fled When hopes and dreams of future joys Have hurried through my head, For refuge from the stress and strain And toilsome life I've led, For much of what is good in me I have to thank my bed. Oh, there were times when I was sore Because, although I plead For leave to go and play, I was Confined to you instead. But when I leave this hospital And my "Good-byes" are said, To none will they be more sincere Than to my little bed. 182 A FEW PAGES FROM "THE CLINIC" (Continued) THE NIGHT NURSE Who is it when I'm coming in, Oh Night Nurse, Discovers just where I have been? The Night Nurse. And when I'm crawling in my cot Descends on me with gargles hot And makes me take 'em on the spot? The Night Nurse. Who is it wakes me up at six? Miss Night Nurse; To find out if my pulse still ticks ? The Night Nurse. Yet though at her I aim my jest, I must admit that in the test I find I like by far the best — My Night Nurse. TO MY NURSES To all my gentle, gracious friends Whose kindly thoughtful ways; Have helped to smooth the Roughened Path Of pain-filled nights and days: If I have ever caused regret By word or act of mine, It was through thoughtless accident And never by design. And if I fail to mention names, Perhaps I do not dare, To claim a preference for One Where all are kind and fair. 183 ADVERTISEMENTS (From "The Clinic') COFFIN & BERRY Expert Undertakers 'You will never regret a ride in our hearse." DAILY & KNIGHTLY Tailors Extraordinary Every Doctor and Nurse should wear our Hand Tailored Surgical Dressings. What if the Hairs of your Head are number edl BALDO Will put an end to your troubles Why wear your original Arms and Legs? THE WHOLESALE SUPPLY COMPANY Will furnish you with Arti- ficial Parts "Never Tired" "Easily Replaced" Let our Representative Demonstrate 184 Reducing (Sparrow Cop) Arrests 50 Per Cent Ready to Cross the Grass on the Ellipse THE KEEPERS OF THE HOME FIRE The Country has laughed, The Country has danced, And care-free hours has whiled away ; No thots of sorrow, No thots of tomorrow, Ever clouded her perfect day. She was content with her stars And proud of her bars In the flag that floated on high; But, why should she worry? Nor did she hurry When the Soldiers came passing by. She had a small army, She had a small navy, And naught did she dream of more; She rested content, With her eyes ever bent On "Liberty" guarding her shore. And sweetly she slept While the Viper crept Into the heart of her land Across and across, From Texas to Maine, The Monster spread out his band. 186 The foundation made And his plots all laid, "Kamerad," he whispered, "God speed! Go burn and kill, Do whatever you will, For 'tis so that we shall succeed." When morning broke And the Country awoke To the menace within her midst, She called out her army And reviewed her navy And sent out the cry: "Enlist!" And now she heeded The men whom she needed, And she caught to her breast. The flag on high; 'Twas suddenly endeared, And loudly she cheered, When the Soldiers came marching by ! The Veterans this year Saved the Country her bier, And an army they trained in a day; The Country's not done it Tho she's done her bit To "God speed" the boys on their way. And they will win out, And loudly will shout: "Down with the Boche, the Hun! Tho we're a peace-loving Nation, We can beat Creation! — Come, Comrades, let's go on a run." Harriet C. Evans, Q. M. C. San Antonio, Texas. 187 OFFICE BULLETIN NO. 123456 Subject: Organization of Disorganization Section. 1. There is constituted within the Leather-Rubber Branch a whole section that don't understand bulletins numbered 1 to 123456 inclusive. 2. For this reason, a reorganization of the re-organizers is about co be made. 3. Anyone in this Section who feels that he or she knows enough to sign a letter correctly this week will kindly report to the head office boy and receive a Victoria Cross. 4. Any member of this section who has read all the bulletins issued will be buried with full military honors the coming Saturday, as their minds by reason of such fidelity to duty are no doubt in such a condition that death would relieve them of further suffering. 5. The purpose of the re-organizations effected have been carried out with such strict attention that orders, requisitions, etc. are received within thirty-six days after issuance as compared with seven days under the obsolete system formerly used. 6. While the work of this division was formerly handled with an office force of approximately fifty people, it now provides work for one hundred and seventy-six voters. This shows how efficiently a scientifically built up system can expedite business. 7. It has been necessary to put into operation seventy new machines to dash off the bulletins showing how diligently we are working to keep every one misinformed. 8. While seven months ago about 14.334% of the employees did not understand the system used in expediting public business, through our re-organization bureau this high total has been cut down to 99.998%. 9. The new systems are working out very nicely, as no one understands them but myself and I am a little muddled at times but I hope to hold my position indefinitely until things are unmuddled. 10. Any enlisted man working in this Section who desires to remain after being discharged will report to Room 666 and have his head examined. By order of the printing press. R. I. Muddled, Chief Dis-Organizer. PLATITUDES 1 . Believe in Truth. 2. There is only one truth about any one thing; that is, two truths cannot be conflicting or one of them is not a truth. Both may be true from the point of view of people who believe them, but his does not make them intrinsically true. 3. Nobody knows what the truth is. 4. The nearest approach we can make is to believe what we seem to have proved. Always with the understanding that we may prove it is wrong. But, in any case this process leads toward the truth. THEREFORE We should worry. Because, if one or more should finally arrive at any truth, they have only to wait in order to have all other seekers agree. COROLLARY Any inadequate or defective solution of a problem cannot be a settlement of the question involved. Donated by Lt. Col. A. H. Doig. A certain Sergeant who was attached to the Quartermaster Corps at Camp A. A. Humphreys, Va., was visiting Baltimore a short time ago and while walking along the main street, an officer approached him. The Sergeant not seeing the officer, neglected to salute and was stopped with, "Where are your arms?" The Sergeant, not quite getting the officer's meaning, answered: "I was never issued any," Sergeant Nelson Erhart, Camp A. A. Humphreys, Va. 189 MUNITIONS "MEMORI-YAMS" In sad, but loving memory of E. N. C, who departed from D-DIS- DIV November 21, 1918, and now lies interned in Surplus Prop. Div. Munitions Cemetery. The loss was bitter, the pain severe. When "Manny" quit his labors here; For, oh, above all else on earth, He was a source of endless mirth, No more around here is he lurking — His jaunty figure ever jerking : For (dark, relentless fate pursuing) Jerkins, alas, proved his undoing. Lonely! Oh, so, lonely! Uncle Han. In sad, but loving memory of H. S. J., who departed from S. P. Division January 1919, and now lies sleeping in Philadelphia. Of toil a pleasure did he make, As onward each day crept; We thought him sleeping when awake; And working, when he slept. We did not know the load you bore, Nor did we reason why; We only know you went away, And never said good-bye. We often sit and talk of you, Since you have gone away; Delightful memories arise — Refreshened every day. C. E. Graves, Capt., Q. M. C. 190 SACRED TO THE MEMORY of MR. SMITH IN SORROW we wallow, in grief we sniff, Our 'earts sail with 'im o'er the seas, Though H'English in manner and 'ead of light oak, 'is dinners and girls e'er did please, Regulations and orders 'e made somewhat of a joke, With 'is 'at cocked sideways and the air full of smoke, 'e'd talk to a major with no sign of a stroke. 'is idea of a chicken was not on 'is shoulder, Though no doubt 'e'd 'ave 'ad one, 'ad the war grown older, But you cannot tell when in England 'e gets, 'e may bloom forth arrayed in gold epaulettes. But whatever 'e wears in H'England to swank 'e'll jolly well testify he not always was rank. L'Envoi So good-bye dear Lieutenant — Marcus Heber, To you we dedicate this sad vers libre, As in grief we wallow and sorrow we sniff, Though "Lieutenant" is dead — Long live "MR. SMITH." 191 TREAT ME ROUGH, KID! Listen, Sweetheart, to my plea, Cut this highly cultured game, All this fine gentility, Grows to be exceedingly tame. What I want is low brow love, Can the soft and gentle stuff, I'm no cooing turtle dove, — Treat me rough, kid; treat me rough. Cut the soft and weepy sighs, Stop the meek and humble pose, I'm no fragile litttle rose; Grab me with a python grip; If I struggle call my bluff, Want my love? Then take a tip — Treat me rough, kid; treat me rough. I don't want my cheek caressed, With a nice respectful peck ; Yank me wildly to your chest; If I fight you, break my neck. Please don't be a gentle dub, Spilling mushy soft soap stuff, Woo and win me with a club — Treat me rough, kid; treat me rough. ENTER CAPTAIN (?) There's a crash like the breaking of china, And a smash like the falling of tin; And a loud detonation Which shakes all creation When that Q. M. C. CAPTAIN (?) walks in. Jessamine Mellor, Q. M. C. 192 Mr. Robert J. Thorne, D.S.M., Assistant to Acting Quartermaster General, Assistant Director of Purchase 8f Storage PHOTO BY HARRIS & EWING How do \Y)Z(jj do it ? just out of bed dt \)zr deSk a few foours | a te r ITS A GOOD WORLD AFTER ALL Every cloud has a silver lining, So the cracked ones always sing — What's the use of feeling peevish When you bite on everything. If you have a dreamy nature, Dream July's not due 'til fall — And take the boot-leg special eastward — It's a good world after all. Every swallow has an ending, So the "Good Book's" verses say, What's the use of being gloomy, Even dogs all have their day. Though the signing of that paper, Sent ye poor clerks to the wall — There'll be others walking with you — It's a good world after all. "Tartar' THE SALUTE By M. E. Buhler of the Vigilantes When a soldier meets another Higher in command, Up, in instant recognition, Goes his hand — Gives salute in silent greeting; 'Tis the way That he says at every meeting — "I'll obey!" When an officer, in passing, Has salute, Quick his heart and hand responsive ! Grave and mute. On the sea or on the earth he Pledges as they meet, By his rank, "I shall be worthy" — So they greet. 194 HELP! There are cooties in France, there may be some here, But frankly a cootie is not what we fear; There's a terrible insect which stings like a bee, Spreading disease thru the P. S. & T. There must be a Jingle Bug somewhere around, It flies in the air or it crawls on the ground; We never have seen one but it's easy to see That we are all victims, one must have bit me. Once bitten, in prose you no longer can think, You reach for your pen and you grab for the ink; And these are my symptoms, my mind is afire, Of jingles and rhymes it seems never to tire. My friends all don't know what to make of the change, One and all seem to think that my conduct is strange; Of course I could tell them but would they believe? I doubt it, so silently, I sit and grieve. All work is beyond me, I can't count to ten, When I try to add numbers verse flows from my pen; If I take out my check book to pay off my debts, No pay but a couplet my creditor gets. A terrible state to be in you'll agree, So if you're kindhearted just hark to my plea ; Go visit your doctor, describe my disease — Ask him if he'll try to put my mind at ease. I'm at my wits end, I don't know what to do. That's why I am writing, appealing to you; Please don't forget me, or our casualty list Will soon show one name that the Heinies have missed. Private R. A. Gans. 195 THE FIGHTING Q. M. C. I belong to the fighting Q. M. C. The bravest of the brave. From morn till night we're full of fight — Doggone it, how we slave! We sit at our desks around the stoves And we fight with jaw and brain. We get to our desks about eight o'clock, And at four we go home again. Just keep your eye on the Q. M. boys — The cuff and collar brigade; For the story cold will never be told Of patting my face with a spade. 'Tis tiddle-de-winks and chewing gum, Cold-cream, bay-rum and stuff; Cigarettes and playing cards — Doggone it, ain't we rough? Sgt. G. H. O'Brien, Q. M. C, Camp Devens. 1% The Fighting Q. M. C. THE SERVICE OF THE REAR When this cruel war is over And the boys come marching home, I'm afraid I'll be an outcast And forever have to roam : When they show their wound chevrons And their service stripes of gold, And tell admiring lasses Of valorous deeds and bold, I'll be missing from the circle, And no one there will hear How I nearly was a hero In the SERVICE OF THE REAR. I am an S. O. R. boy, also an S. O. L. ; I never pulled a trigger, or sent a Boche to hell ; I never saw a dugout, in fact, was never near, For I performed my duty in the SERVICE OF THE REAR. When we passed that glorious statue That our liberties uphold, We looked forward to the future With ardent spirit bold; We prated of democracy, And freedom of the seas, And how we'd get the Kaiser, And bring him to his knees; How we'd face the German legions, Without a trace of fear — But alas ! we had not reckoned With the SERVICE OF THE REAR. For I'm an S. O. R. boy, also an S. 0. L. ; I never saw a battle, or a heard screaming shell. The only Hun I ever saw was Prisonnier de Guerre, A-working just like I was in the SERVICE OF THE REAR. 198 I've done some M. P. duty, Took a turn in "Warehouse A"; Hit up the docks at midnight, When the front was short of hay. I've set up locomotives, Then built a mile of track; Chopped wood and dug some ditches, Just to keep from getting slack; But though I ' ve done my duty As I saw it true and clear, I will never get a medal For my SERVICE IN THE REAR. For I'm an S. O. R. boy, also an S. O. L. ; But I ' ve always done my duty, and I ' ve tried to do it well ; So I hope that at the "Finis," they will grant my wish so dear, AND LET ME KICK THE KAISER IN HIS SERVICE OF THE REAR! THE Q. M. C. AND THE RED CROSS One of the best stories I have ever heard on the Q. M. C, which reflects the average layman's knowledge of what the Q. M. C. actually is, was told to me on my way South last winter. A Q. M. C. captain and a civilian were sitting in the smoking room of a Pullman, headed for N. Y. They got very friendly and finally civilian said — "By the way, Captain, what branch of the service are you in?" and the Captain replied, "Why, I'm in the Q. M. C., Sir." The civilian looked at him a minute and said, "Well, is'nt that nice, you know I have a sister in the Red Cross." W. K. R. Moses, Q. M. C. 199 COBLENZ VERSION OF "SILVER THREADS" (By a Doughboy in the Army of Occupation) Darling, I am coming back; Silver threads among the black, Now that Peace in Europe nears I'll be back in seven years. I'll drop in on you some night, With my whiskers long and white ; Yes, the WAR is over, dear, And — we're going home (I hear). Home again with you once more, Say, by nineteen twenty-four; Once I thot by now I'd be Sailing back across the sea. Back to where you sit and pine, But I'm stuck here on the Rhine; You can hear the gang all curse, "War is Hell" but— Peace is WORSE. RIGHT 0! How beautiful it is to see all these noble women doing things! Awhile back, during the war, they were all doing their bit ; numbers of them are doing society, still others are doing their hair and their fingernails. Of course there are many doing their duty and their utmost. However, after all, the thing that women do best of all is men. Jessamine Meller, Q. M. C. CHICAGO There are many little battles that we wage and come out victor, Battles over scraps of paper, each one fighting as he can, At the Quartermaster Depot, in the City of Chicago, Where there's lots of folks a-workin for their dear old Uncle Sam. Esther Freese, Q. M. Depot, Chicago, 111. 200 AT THE FRONT— IN WASHINGTON When war was declared on Germany, I said "It's up to me To get into the Army and fight for liberty." I tried the Aviation first, and sought a chance to fly, I yearned to be a famous Ace, and perhaps a hero die. Then I tried the Army, the Navy and Marines, Although I knew I might be forced to eat spoiled pork and beans. Physicians looked me over and took a standing vote, That as a fighting soldier little me would be a joke, My eyes were bad, I was under weight, my feet were far too flat, I had a touch of leprosy and little of this and that. Disgusted I came to Washington, where they treat war workers fine They sell you a dollar's worth of goods and only charge you nine. The conveniences are wonderful, the rooms are simply Heaven, Sometimes you get one four by six, but mostly three by seven. Of course, there are no electric lights, nor carpets on the floor, And to tell the truth my room doesn't even have a door. No steam heat, hot water, nor things so handsome, And when I want to leave the room I simply use the transom. The folks are very friendly here, especially the ladies, You just attempt a glance at one, and you hear "Aw, go to — -." In fact you feel as joyful when going down the street, As one imagines the Kaiser would, if the Allies he should meet. However, I'll not grumble, though I may be here for years, And just the very thought of such a fate brings forth the tears. But when the Crown Prince is whipped, and I start back home to stay, I'll surely smile a big, broad smile at the start of that Perfect day. 201 CARS There are cars that start for Brookland, There are cars full to the door There are cars that run by all the corners When they think they can't hold any more. There are cars that have a jerky motion, Just to mix the human freight inside But the cars that die at Dupont Circle, Are the cars that I like (?) to ride. enty of foam on **t£ neti car 202 A GENERAL TRUTH SELDOM ACKNOWLEDGED Contributed by Major H. F. French Stationed at a Southern camp where large detachments of casuals were being sent to a Port of Embarkation, questions of what was the authorized overseas equipment proved a source of constant worry. After numerous complaints had been received that detach- ments were improperly equipped in this and that particular, and in the desperation caused by conflicting orders from Washington, a personal letter was dispatched to the Chief Inspector at Port of Embarkation asking just what equipment was proper. The answer came promptly and to this effect : "1. The correct equipment for medical overseas casuals is con- tained in G. O. 411, as amended by G. O. 693, as amended by Bulletin 841, as corrected by M. M. D. Par. 86, as changed by letter S. G. O. December 1 5th, as altered by Regulations Port of Embarkation 943, as revised by Overseas Cables to date. "2. I don't know a damn thing more than you do." FROM A WAR WORKER'S DICTIONARY BUREAU OF FINANCE & ACCOUNTS:— It lives in such a sanctity of isolation that the rest of the bureaus are overwhelmed by such awe as not to dare to question any of its decisions or as to inquire as to just how and why it is operated. OVERSEAS OPERATIONS:— To add to and direct the distri- bution of stocks overseas by means of an exchange of apparently coded cablegrams, the secret key of which the personnel have lost. ZONE SUPPLY OFFICER :— The originator of the only method of "How not to do it" and the only officer having the right of veto- ing the instructions of his superiors. ARMY CATALOG NO. 1 :— A list of articles, devised with cun- ning, so as to render procurement impossible. 203 THE MEN BEHIND THE MEN BEHIND THE GUNS. We don't pack no gat, or rifle, we don't juggle pick or spade, Nor go stunning peevish Germans in no dashin* midnight raid ; But we hit the warehouse early and we quit the warehouse late, And there ain't no G. O. limits on the speed we truck the freight. We don't hike along the roadway in them iron derby hats While the shrapnel punctuates the breeze and gas floats o'ver the flats; We just dodge the fallin' cases and we slap them back on high, For it's just a pile o' pilin' in the Service of Supply. No, we ain't no snappy soldiers, and our daily round of drills Includes a lot of movements minus military thrills; But we drill them bloomin' boxcars, double timin' on the bends, And we slam them full of boxes till they're bulgin' at the ends. We ain't sniped no Fritzie, and we ain't wrecked no tanks, And we don't go dashin' forward with the ever-thinnin' ranks. But some nights we gets an order for a shipment on the fly, Then we plug right through till mornin', in the Service of Supply. We ain't had no dugout movies, nor a Charlie Chaplin laugh; We ain't got no handsome colonel with his neat and nifty staff, Nor a brave and fearless captain with a flashing sword and gun, To yell, "Now, up and at 'em, boys, We've got 'em on the run. " We ain't soaring round in biplanes punching holes in Boche balloons Nor corralling frightened Fritzies by battalions and platoons, But when they yell, "Rush order, " then we get around right spry; For the boys are up there waitin' on the Service of Supply. From "Stars and Stripes," A. E. F., France. 204 RATS Base Hospital From : Medical Property Officer To : Camp Supply Officer Subject : Rats. February 1, 1919. 1. Inform you that on account of the rapid multiplication of rats which are used for laboratory purposes, this hospital has an excess of about eight hundred (800). 2. Request information as to the disposition of these rats. 2nd Lieut., Sanitary Corps, U.S.A. 1st. Indorsement. Office of Camp Supply Officer, Operating Division, Feb. 2, 1919 — To Surplus Property Officer. 1. Forwarded for your information and guidance. 2. Disposition, kind and gentle, we hope. By authority of the Camp Supply Officer, Chief Operating Officer. By Asst. Chief Operating Officer. 2nd. Indorsement. O. Z. S. O. New Orleans, La. Feb. 5, 1919 To Surplus Property Division. 1 . Forwarded, inviting attention to the preceding correspond- ence and requesting that the Medical Supply Section furnish dis- position on the above mentioned rats. By authority of the Zone Supply Officer, Zone Supply Officer. By Zone Storage Officer. 3rd. Indorsement. From : Surplus Property Division, Medical and Hospital Branch To: Zone Supply Officer 1. Drown 'em. Surplus Property Division, Medical and Hospital Branch. By Medical and Hospital Branch. 205 GENERAL GOETHALS (An Anecdote) On my way down town this morning I encountered a man who dominated the crowd journeying into the Subway and even the unobservant could not but realize that he was of the "Empire Builder type," — a man who did things. Following the eyes of the crowd I observed it to be General Goethals and accordingly joined him in a chat over "the battle of Washington" and the various associates in the big work there. In contrast to this most pleasant and care-free meeting comes vividly to my mind a certain meeting in one of the first floor offices of the then new Munitions Building which occurred in the stren- uous days in October, 1918. General Pershing had cabled his famous C 1739, Oct. 3, stating the immediate need for motor trucks without which the American Army could not advance. This came just as the responsibility for getting automotive equipment to the A. E. F. was transferred from the ML T. C. to the office of General Goethals as Director of P. S. & T. and directly to General Wood, as his operating head and Director of Purchase and Storage. The word had come down in no uncertain terms that 10,000 trucks had to be loaded on ships during October. Every human effort was being made to locate trucks all over the country and to get these rushed to the Ports either by rail or M. T. C. convoys. And to move 10,000 trucks in one month taxed all the energies of everyone concerned, as well as transportation facilities of the country way beyond the theoretical breaking point. To add to the difficulties of this herculean problem the apportionment of freight to the various ports was changed, probably unavoidably, not once but several times, each change involving diversions of freight, loss of trains and nearly crazy men in all departments concerned. 206 One night about Oct. 18, General Wood, Colonel Wells, Director of Storage and myself in charge of the Overseas Distribution Division, were in session poring over the confused reports which told the tale of the movement of the trucks Pershing had to have. To make matters worse Col. Nicholson, Col. Wells' able assistant, who was personally keeping tab on the Big Job had been called to Chicago on important business. To state the case mildly the air was charged with the electricity of human emotion. All knew the requisite 10,000 trucks were on the move, but where they actually were after the seemingly endless diversions no one could discover. They certainly were not at the Ports and when they would arrive it seemed God only knew. The door opened and in walked a man who to me seemed to immediately throw us all into insignificance. A uniform; red face set off by silver white hair was the picture recorded by my tired brain as I managed to get to my feet. He walked direct to our table and towering over us all grated out the words I shall never forget: "I've had to eat dirt. I told March I would get 10,000 trucks on the ships this month and your figures show it can't be done. I've had to eat dirt!" That was all, and just as he had marched into the room he turned and made direct for the door and left us. Of the miracle by which those 10,000 trucks did reach the ports and did get on the ships none of us know the full details. But the impossible was achieved; we did carry out those orders and prob- ably yardmasters, trainmen, clerks, telegraph dispatchers, truck drivers and thousands of others in the big supply organization, if their stories could be gathered together, could tell the full details. The fact will stand out in history that the job was done and Gen. Goethals never really had to eat dirt, as his hale, hearty appear- ance of today testifies. Lt. Col. John Tyssowski, Q. M. C. 207 THE GUARDIAN ANGEL He yells, and in his yelling shows His vocalistic strength. "Heads up" he cries, in tones that reach The thoroughfare's full length; He puts real ginger in the throngs, That pass Nineteenth and B, And makes them hustle 'cross the streets In perfect safety. By signs which everyone must note, That faithful, husky guy Controls the streets from morn till night, With dext'rous arms raised high; He guides a dozen groups at once, But all now like that cop, For when he shoves the crowd along, He makes the motors stop. He has the happy faculty Of hastening the gait Of laggards, who, without his aid, Would many a time be late. That howling gink, with windmill arms, Is moved by kind design, For, when the clocks point to "nine-ten," His watch shows only "nine." William L. K. Barrett, 1st. Lieut., Q. M. C 208 "IF" After Kipling — About two miles and with due credit to Helen Rowland. If you can love an officer without trying, And make him think he's the prize for you If you can trust him when you know he's lying, And never let him know you knew; If you can wait, and wait, and keep on waiting, And greet him when he comes with smiling eyes, And listen to the old equivocating, And never say too much, or look too wise. If you can make one heap of your illusions, And risk them on one man — to stand or fall — And find all your fairest dreams delusions, Can still declare that he was worth it all ; If you can love him, minus shave or collar, If you can cook, when cooking's not your aim, If you can help him save each single dollar, And go on being "grateful" just the same. If you can have your "say" — and then keep quiet, And never lose your gentle little "touch," If you can hide his weakness, or deny it, And other men don't interest you much; If you can spend each day and hour and minute In pleasing him, and never make a blunder; Well, hapiness is yours — for what there's in it, And which is more — my dear, you'll be a wonder — And SOME GIRL! 209 INSTRUCTIONS FOR MAKING OUT YOUR INCOME TAX REPORT: There need be but little trouble to figure out your income tax. In the first place it may be worked out by algebra, astronomy, trigonometry or syntax — and then your answer may be correct and it may not be. If your income is $2400 a year and you have a diamond ring and an automobile and you are married to a bru- nette girl — 26 years of age — you take the amount of the income and add your personal property — substract your street number — multiply by your wife's height and divide by your telephone num- ber. If you have a child in the family — you substract $200 from your income — add your collar size, and the child's age, multiply by your waist measure — substract the amount of funds you have given the church during the year, and then divide by the number of your automobile license tag. If there is a second child you deduct $400 from your income tax — add the weight and age of each child — and divide by the date of your birth — multiply by the size of your hat and substract the weight of your Mother- in-Law. After you have it all figured out you won't have to pay any tax of any nature — for they will have you in a "Booby Hatch" and strapped down. RECEIPT FOR NUT COOKIES Strain a cupful of ordinary soup-stock through an unbrella case. Tie four eggs to a leg of the kitchen table and beat them unmerci- fully. Add a teasponful of selected raccoon fur, and roll out the dough with perfect nonchalance. Go down to the First National Bank and ask for some nuts. If they are all out, try all the other shops on Main Street. On the following Tuesday, when you have found the nuts place them in a row on the floor. Lead the cookies in single file in front of the nuts, and when you have a cookie standing in front of every nut and their minds are far away, sud- denly push them backward with a fishing pole and they will all sit down on a nut. Then there is no alternative, they have to be nut cookies. Finance Service, Omaha. 210 At Camp A. A. Humphreys, Va., a certain Captain was noted for being a chronic bore, but one day he went "out of bounds" with the following: "When I was a Quartermaster Sergeant in the regular Army stationed on the Border there were times it was so warm that the rain, when it did rain, was boiling hot before it hit the ground." This was more than human mind could stand, so his best friend (?) retaliated in kind. "That is nothing. Why, when I was stationed at Manila there were times when it was so hot it was necessary to sprinkle Manila Bay to keep the battleships from raising dust." (And a calm, sweet silence prevailed). One day while on an inspection tour of the camp the General, in his car, met a newly-appointed Major who failed to salute. Stopping his car the General asked the reason for this breach of military etiquette. The Major apologized and said that he failed to see the General. "Well, you could at least see the flag with the two stars and you are to salute it even though I am not in the car.^ The reply was, "Oh Hell, I thought you had two sons in the army." IvanK. Lanman, Sergeant 1st. Class, Q. M. C. Camp A. A. Humphreys, Va. A SONG There are bills that make us happy, There are bills that make us blue There are green and yellow "10s" and "20s", There are ugly bills we call "bills due;" There are bills that have a potent meaning, That our eyes alone, we hope, will see But the bills that fill my heart with madness Are the bills my wife sends to me. Finance Service, Omaha. 211 WHAT IS TIME?!!!! (An examination paper at Camp Meigs) Time is Opportunity's "Reveille" and Procrastinations' "Taps" Time's temperature is normally torrid ("a hot time"— "the hell of a time"— "the devil's own time" &c.) We sh'd take advantage of Time— but in a fair way only. How often we hear of men's ' 'doing time' ' ? This is reprehensible and should be barred. C. E. Graves, Capt., Q. M. C. LITTLE GIRLIE Little girlie, I adore you — You are such a little fairy, But, my dear one, I implore you, Do not try to be so wary. H In your velvet, satin, crepe, With your shining golden hair Done up in the latest drape — "Chic" enough you are, I swear. Little girlie — now why do you — Rouge your little face so charming, So'that strangers here who view you Think your color quite alarming? With your lip-stick and your swagger, Your impressions are in vain; For no captain bold you'll stagger — You'll just catch a country swain. Mick, Q. M. C. 213 S3I A PRAYER For discharged Members of Finance Division. Building, Munition Q. M. C. P. S. & T. D. C. 0/i/ Lord (Gen. Herbert M.) Lettest thou our services Which departed with peace, Be remembered, pleasantly, If work accord, Amen Oh! Lord. J. Van Rensselaer, Major, Q. M. C. 214 His iAund rV to J>j5TUK^1> "COOTS' CA06IK&- OVER THE TOP OF MY SHIRT They go wild, simply wild over me, Every night, how they crawl over me. They are small, gray and flat, And no matter where I 'm at, The small ones, the tall ones, They run right up my back. The seams of my shirt where I can't see, Is the place where they all seem to be. Every night they come to dine On that undershirt of mine, They go wild, simply wild over me. Finance Service, Omaha. 215 BONDS, JUST BONDS. (Dedicated to the Liberty Loans) 'Twas Mrs. Jones that did it But "dear old Bill" helped too In cutting out expenses To buy a bond or two. They'd bought of every issue, As much as any man Till they really had to answer "I don't see how I can." "Old Bill" was getting seedy, For "worn" were all his clothes And the Mrs. too was needy Of "duds" from head to toes. Yet, still no one was ragged, And neither wore a patch So Mrs. J. decided She'd rejuvenate their batch. "Jonesey" swore he'd wear them, So she mended every shirt, And darned his socks and patched his pants- Jones sported all but dirt ! 'Twasn't just for Jones she mended, Her own clothes came in too For patches, darns, and dyes, and trims — There was a lot to do. 216 Now here's what they accomplished — A thing most all can do; Folks laughed at Jonesey's "patches But "Jonesey" Ha, Ha'd too. While Mrs. J's swell neighbors Would snicker at her gowns And hats from other seasons; They looked in vain for frowns. For frowns were not forth-coming From "Jonesey" nor his wife Who both kept gaily humming "Let's save our nation's life." "We'll wear our rags and tatters, And lend our cash for guns; For 'tis'nt style that matters Till our boys have licked the Huns." And the Joneses, (bless their patches), Had two extra hundred "bones!" So it's the neighbor now that scratches "Just to keep up with the Jones'." Gordon Lyle, Q. M. C. \»v 217 THE QUARTERMASTER'S DREAM:— The Camp Quartermaster, with duties far vaster Than any K. O. in the Camp. Retired to his tent on a restful sleep bent; The night was quite dreary and damp. -U^HflH i WW t tltl^ He thought of the morrow, and much to his sorrow Remembered a duty undone; Ten carloads of Hay, with demurrage to pay, Unloading had not yet begun. An interrogation on Truck Transportation, By telegraph coming in late, Unanswered telegrams bringing him curses and damns, The Q. M. G.'s Office won't wait. He rolled and he tumbled, he groaned and he mumbled He cursed when the bugler blew taps. At midnight he wept, then he finally slept, With his brain on the verge of collapse. 218 His sleep was a nightmare, (that kind causing white hair) As a hodge-podge of visions arose; Subsistence Form Numbers, Beef Fresh, and Cucumbers, And Property, price list of Clothes. Tents Pyramidal, shoes quite damnable, Flour Issue, and Cheese Full — cream; Butter Sales, Print, and Lard without stint, All mixed in the Q. M.'S Dream. Breeches, Wool mounted, and Stockings uncounted, Moccasins, Moosehide and Gum, Eggs, Desiccated, (to old hens related) Belts, for Breeches or Saddle or Drum. Soup, Canned, Clam Chowder, and Tea, Green, Gunpowder, Prunes that would make you smile, Canned 'Lasses, Tayters and Aprons for Waiters, Sausages, Vienna Style. {ifr^^^ ^on u fw^ — ^wr^yy^y^y^j^K Envelopes, Letter and Writing Pads better, Polish, Shoe, Russet and Paste, — Mince Meat, Can or Crock, Brushes, Nail out of stock, Bedding Rolls, buttoned or laced. 219 Food, Fuel, and Forage — inadequate storage, Quarters of Horses and Mules, Guidons and Goggles, and all kinds of toggles, Shoes, Horse and Horseshoers tools. Fish, Dried, Cod, in cans, Office Electric Fans, Undershirts, Fleece-lined and warm, Soap, Toilet, Glycerine, bottles of Listerine, Slickers to stand any storm. Needles, Sailmakers and Tools for the Bakers, Coats, White, for waiters and cooks, Water Effervescent, Cigars evanescent, Pick Axes, Pillows and Hooks. >i W 3 ^* i MMM^7^f^ jtUirrfl ^—i ift Buttons, Bone (Large enough), Mutton, Fresh, (Very tough) Towels, Huckaback that are good, Potatoes in gunny sacks, Onions spread out on racks, Tent fixtures, Cordage and Wood. Coat-cars and Water tanks, Balance in local banks, Whirled through his mind in a maze ; Potatoes to Survey, enough of condemned Hay, To Plague him the rest of his days. 220 New regulations that bring forth damnations, From Officers, Muleteers and Men, Savings on rations, mistakes of all fashions, On Property Voucher Two Ten. Shave-tails with notions of early promotions, The unit all yelling for Ice, He saw cars on the siding, and nurses out riding, And Mess waiters gambling with Dice. He tossed and he twisted like a Rookie enlisted, He woke with a yell and a scream, But when he discovered his feet were uncovered, He knew it was only a dream. liH^wjffhhTUA^*^^*^?-- ■*wrflflillnw < Mi^w«^^ H. G. Coyne, Capt. Q. M. C. 22: A Q. M. C. CLERK'S DREAM One night a Q. M. Clerk dreamed a dream, and dreaming, dreamed he died, Then straightway to the Pearly Gates his sin-stained spirit hied. And there before the Saints he stood with down-cast head hung low, "My record's pretty rank" he said, "I guess I'm bound below. I've smoked a lot and drank a lot, confess it all I must, I've flirted too, and then besides, Great Heaven, how I've cussed" ! The good Saint Peter looked at him with kindly smiling eyes, Then shook his head. "Don't ask" he said, "a mansion in the skies But let me ask some questions, sir — are you a Q. M. Clerk?" The sinner bowed, then in this strain the good old saint did quirk. "Civil Service — you had to face it with puzzling questions galore, Forced to toe the mark at seventy or they wouldn't want you any more. The Quartermaster looked o'er the Manual and started you to work at eight, And warned you very forcibly, 'You're fired! if a minute late.' You had to get up at five A. M. to market within your means, And though you would have liked a steak, you were forced to eat rice and beans. You hiked around to Thompson's for a cheap and nourishing bite, Then back to the office in thirty minutes — you sure did 'expedite' Your desk piled high with papers ('bucks' that were passed to you) Almost caused your mind to wander — a regular Irish stew. And twice a month you got your little dough: now tell me is that so?" "It is," replied the Q. M. Clerk as he took his hat to go, Depressed by this recital of his Q. M. days below. "Ah, well," said good Saint Peter, as he opened the portals wide, "I'm very glad to meet you sir, just kindly step inside. We'll try to make you happy here, we see you have no "jerk" You've served your time in 'Hades' — you've been a Q. M. Clerk." Geo. B. Rice, Transportation, New Orleans, La. 222 THE GIRL FROM THE U. S. A. Oh the maidens of France are certainly fine, And I think every fellow will state That the "what-you-may-call-it" coiffured way They put up their hair is great! And they know how to dress, and they wear their clothes In a Frenchy, fetching way, And yet to me, there is just one girl, The girl from the U. S. A. I like to listen when French girls talk Though I'm weak in the ' paries- vous" game; But the language of youth in every land Is somehow about the same, And I've learned a regular code of shrugs, And they seem to know what I say ! But the voice of a girl, that goes straight to my heart, Is the girl from the U. S. A. Oh, I haven't a word but words of praise, For these dear little girls of France, And I will confess that I've felt a thrill, As I faced their line of advance, But I haven't been taken prisoner yet, And I won't be, until the day When I carry my colors to lay at the feet Of the girl of the U. S. A. 223 THE WAIL OF THE WAITING DOUGHBOY Broke, broke, broke, In a foreign distant clime, Will someone kindly listen And loan me just a dime. Oh well for the Limited Service Man Entertained by the maidens fair, Oh well for the Hero Bold Who rides in his swivel chair. And the boys of the U. S. Nation Go sailing out the bay, While I sit and ponder sadly, "Will my ship come in some day?" Broke, broke, broke, Without a dollar to spend, While my ambitions to Kan the Kaiser, Will never come again. 224 Colonel F. B. Wells, U. S. Army, Director of Storage PHOTO BY PEARL GRACE LOEHR. NEW YORK INTERCEPTED Dear Maude: I've been in Washington Six weeks, a-typing letters; Good pay, but not a bit of fun; A slave in fancy fetters. High wages are a simple sham Where prices make one dizzy; "How generous is Uncle Sam" I thought; I now ask, "Is he!" I live with Sue and Isabelle, The room is twelve by twenty ; We pay $10 each, and, well, Our food is not too plenty. The streets are jammed, the cars are, too, Each tongue is heard but German; This, this is war; I own to you I quite agree with Sherman. So, Maude, you'd better stay away ; You couldn't save a penny; There's nothing more that I can say, Your loving classmate, Jennie Overheard in Finance — Typist Mabel : — ' 'Tonight, I 'm going out in my Chalmers." Clerk Charley: — "What are Chalmers?" 226 /~\ A PLAY (in four acts) Act, first ; scene, back home, in June, The beach, Soft music. Crescent moon. Hero, Lieutenant, browned with tan — Sweet heroine, — American. Flirtation. Kindred spirits. Bliss. Eyes meet. Impassioned words. A KISS. Curtain falls upon act one. Act, second: scene, — Washington, in fall. "Shave-tail" now a Captain — tall. While heroine types, routes, files and batches And wears EFFICIENCY to shreds and patches. A call, "For France." Most glorious rage. Heroics, sobbing, pacing stage. "I go — but I'll return to you" — Curtain falls upon act two. Act, third : a lapse,— not quite a year's While dashing Captain disappears. "Did French girl nab him?" Grief untold. Admirer: bald-fat — rich and old. A declaration. Tears unpent, PURSE-suasion. Ultimate c-o-n-s-e-n-t. They wed. A note from oversea. — A swoon. — Curtain falls on act three. Act, fourth. SHE'S widowed: nurse in France- In time for the Allies' great Victory dance. With crashing bomb, with gas and shell, We've sent the infernal Hun to HELL. When suddenly from out the madd'ning glee, A General steps. 'TIS HE. 'TIS HE. Embrace. Reunion. Both ADORE Curtain falls upon act four. 22S "THE GREATEST DADDY OF THEM ALL" I've a dad down East in the Old Bay State, A daddy tried and true. You've a dad out West by the Golden Gate, Who's all the world to you. But there's a daddy for us all From Maine to Alabam', He's the Greatest Daddy of them all — OUR daddy, Uncle Sam! Chorus He's the Greatest Daddy of them all, Yes, the Greatest Daddy of them all. For he always has the "Pep" So always watch your step! Wherever we be on land or sea, He guards us, day and night. When Uncle Sam said, "Boys, come on"! We came from every state. And to the world our flag unfurled To seal the tyrant's fate. They knew what Sherman said was true When Uncle Sam broke loose, For he fought like — well, he gave them — well — He cooked the Kaiser's goose! We're always gay in the U. S. A. For our daddy has the "punch", Whenever his foes tread on his toes, He eats them for his lunch ! From Chateau Thierry to Argonne, We gave Kaiser Bill the "hunch" That Uncle Sam could whip Potsdam And all the Pots-dam bunch ! George R. Laird, Q. M. C., Copyright 1919 by George R. Laird Engineer Prop. Div. 229 THE WALLOP With Foch, the great contriver, With Haig, the big Hun driver, Pershing as chief adviser, And God as rebaptizer, We've walloped the Kaiser. Thru glacier and thru geyser, Down rathole and up riser, Where flow the Rhine and Isar Danube and old Budweiser, We've walloped the Kaiser. In spite of slack and miser, Plus alien sympathizer, O'er Bill and Ebenizer, Helmet, mustache and visor, We've walloped the Kaiser. So take his goat and slice her, Then ram it thru a dicer, With sauerkraut for a spicer, Limburg to tone it nicer, We've walloped the Kaiser. All hands on decks ! aye, aye, sir ! Come quaff an appetizer — Make it a paralyzer, By Caesar's ghost capsize'r, We've walloped the Kaise'r. 230 X) HE FOUND IT A well-known Indiana man, One dark night last week Went to the cellar with a match In search of a gas leak. (He found it) . John Welch, by curiosity Despatches state, was goaded ; He squinted in his old shot-gun To see if it was loaded. (It was). A man in Macon stopped to watch A patent cigar-clipper; He wondered if his finger was Not quicker than the nipper. (It wasn't). A Maine man read that human eyes Of hypnotism were full ; He went to see if it would work Upon an angry bull. (It wouldn't). WOW! The Quartermaster, Work him faster Don't give him any rest! If he hollers, Take his dollars, And send him over to Brest ! 232 VALE! There's a certain strain of sadness, which I cannot help but feel, When I see you folks all leaving, one by one, You have done your work with zest and you've done your work with zeal, And I'll miss you now that all is said and done. The Quartermaster Corps has a sector in my heart, And a sacred little spot it's going to be; We have finished up our labors and the time has come to part, But the memory, you shall never take from me. You took your five or ten spot from your meagre little pay, And you put it on the bond to pay the bill. You were lots more patriotic in your humble little way, Than the man who put two profits in his till. I know what you have put up with, and you bore it with a smile, And the glory of your deed will be unsung; But you hold the recollection that you did some things worth while, And deserved unstinted praise from every tongue. You won't wear a Croix de Guerre; you won't have a D. S. C. But you ought to have a medal on your chest, For no matter what has happened, it's plain as it can be, You have fought some tough old battles like the rest. Anon. 233 The Army Supply Service An Outline of Major General Goethals' Division of Purchase, Storage and Traffic THE officers of the organization of the Depot Quartermaster at Baltimore entertained at dinner October 25th, Brigadier General R. E. Wood, Mr. R. J. Thorne, General Wood's Assistant, and Col. L. M. Nicolson, Assistant Director of Storage. General Wood spoke briefly on the necessity of not permitting the newspaper talk of peace to lessen our efforts to procure and distribute supplies for the Army. He also stated that it was his policy to transfer men for overseas service, but would only send those over who had done most competent work on this side. Gen- eral Wood was obliged to leave the dinner early in order to catch a train and requested Mr. Thorne to outline the organization of the Purchase, Storage and Traffic Division for the information and guidance of those present. Mr. Thorne took the subject up in general terms and said : Two Classes of Supplies "The supply system of the Army has been in the observation ward of the authorities at Washington for many months, and it has gradually come about that supplies have been placed in two general classes: first, those supplies which require a great deal of special designing, experimental work and heavy factory pro- duction, such as Air Craft, heavy Ordnance ammunition and explosives, and especially designed construction projects for Engineers or the Construction Division; and Class 2, all standard supplies whose design and specifications had been determined as satisfactory for military use. "Under the new organization now being set up, the especially designed class will remain with the present bureau which pur- chases these supplies, and all other supplies, embraced in Class 2, will be consolidated in the Division of Purchase, Storage and Traffic, under General Goethals, Assistant Chief of Staff. Also under the new organization, the storage and distribution of all supplies in Class 1 and Class 2 mentioned will be consolidated under General Goethals. Reasons for Unification "The underlying reasons for these changes are to overcome the limitations of shipping, transportation, and storage facilities, and from the procurement side, the limitations of production, caused by shortage of labor and of raw material. 234 "Dealing first with the transportation limitations, these consist of the capacity of the French railways, the debarking facilities at the French ports, the shipping tonnage available, the loading facilities at American ports, the storage and terminal facilities at American ports, and the inland transportation facilities. A moment's thought would demonstrate that a congestion at any one of these points would effectually block the forward movement of supplies to the troops in the field. In considering this matter it must also be remembered that each additional man in France means a correspondingly increased movement of supplies, and if there be any congestion in taking care of an army of two million men, it can readily be seen that each transportation unit must be kept free from congestion and utilized to the utmost in order to take care of the army of three and one-half million men that it is planned shall be in France at the end of next June. Control of all these transportation factors up to the French port is now placed under General Goethals, so that a single individual now has a sur- vey or picture of the entire system, enabling him to develop exist- ing facilities that become congested, or by transferring the move- ment from one system of railways or from one port to another, to overcome a possible congestion at any one spot. To enable him to do this, it is, of course, necessary that he have control of the movement of supplies, and consequently, under the new consoli- dation, he will have authority to pick up all supplies at point of origin and direct the routes by which they shall be moved and loaded on ships en route for France. For your information, the A. E. F. has accomplished practically this same thing in their Ser- vice of Supply, commonly known as S. O. S., under the command of Major General J. G. Harbord. Competition in Purchase Abolished "From a procurement point of view, it was discovered that a great deal of waste effort was occurring in the production of sup- plies, due to the fact that frequently seven different bureaus would be competing in the market for exactly the same commodity. For instance, there are hundreds of commodities that all the bureaus use, such as monkey wrenches, lanterns, stationery, typewriters, and many supplies that are used by two or more bureaus, such as harness, blankets, sheets and cotton duck. You can readily see the confusion that existed in the manufacturing industry of the coun- try when approached by several bureaus from the War Department, each demanding priority of manufacture and material, sometimes endeavoring to place a commandeering order as against another bureau, all of which produces confusion which can easily be solved by having one individual buy monkey wrenches, another individual buy all. the blankets, another individual buy all the harness. 235 "In addition to solving this production confusion, it is readily seen that a single stock of these articles is much more easily handled and will require a much less total number than two to seven stocks. Consequently, it is planned that for issue in the United States our various camps, posts, and forts shall carry a single stock of each commodity, and while issue overseas of each commodity will still be performed by the present bureaus, nevertheless, in our large army reserve depots and expeditionary depots where the stocks for overseas are stored, it will be possible to consolidate in storage each article as a single stock from which requisitions of overseas shipments from the various corps shall be filled. Some day it is hoped that A. E. F. will likewise consolidate issue. More Businesslike Stock Arrangements "I hope I have made it clear to all that the establishment of stocks of the same class under one roof at the same camp or depot is a more businesslike arrangement than carrying several stocks all mixed up with other classes of supplies. In the future, we shall have a single hardware store, a single clothing store, etc., in place of several hardware stores or clothing stores, etc. Five Important Groups "General Goethals has divided his organization into five main groups : 1st, the Administration Group, and let me say a word here on the importance of this service feature. A properly managed Administration Division means good organization; it is the clear- ing house for all papers; it is the one spot where the rules and regulations are known, and I want to take this opportunity to commend the men in charge of these organizations, whom I see day after day and night after night patiently handling and routing papers, keeping them in their proper channels, and all of us can make their task much lighter and increase the efficiency of our department by a little more preliminary study of procedure before starting papers on their journey through the various branches of the War Department. "The second group is the Embarkation Service, under the Chief of Embarkation, General Hines, who handles the shipping features, including the allocation of ship tonnage to the respective ports, the movement of troops on board ships, etc. "The third branch is Inland Traffic, under charge of Mr. H. M. Adams, who attends to the movement of all freight by public carrier within the United States. "The fourth group is the Division of Finance and Accounting, the Director of Finance being our old friend General Lord, who has so efficiently handled the pay of the Army and the other finance 236 and accounting work for the Quartermaster Corps. Under the consolidation, the entire appropriation bill of the War Department is placed under the jurisdiction of General Lord, including, of course, the control of moneys expended for all supplies purchased through the Division of Purchase, Storage and Traffic. Division of Purchase and Storage "The last division of General Goethals' organization, and to me the most important, as it is the one with which I am personally connected, is the Division of Purchase and Storage in charge of Brigadier General Robert E. Wood, who also continues as Acting Quartermaster General. It is my honor to act as General Wood's assistant in both of these capacities. You have had evidence tonight, gentlemen, of the energy, directness, force and all-around ability of our chief. There is no mistaking the fact that General Wood has assumed the responsibility of keeping our troops supplied and it is a pleasure, under his able leadership, to have a hand in this most important work — work which if improperly done would absolutely block any mobility of the Army. I trust that you gathered from General Wood's remarks the fact that the Division of Purchase and Storage is a service organization, which simply means that the movement of the Army must be made free and unrestricted, and it is the duty of this service organization to assist and abet in that movement by constantly meeting every emergency of the supply situation. We must at all times avoid having the military movement restricted on account of shortage of supplies. The military program is furnished us sufficiently far in advance to enable us to have the supplies ready when and where needed. "General Wood has divided his organization into four main classifications: 1st, the Executive Officer, Lieut.-Colonel B. L. Jacobson, who in addition to the general administration work also operates the consolidated statistical reports, wherein are brought together all the stocks of supplies wherever located, at posts and forts, in transit, on dock, on board ship, and in ware- houses in France — a complete summary of the exact location of every article not yet issued to the troops. This Statistical Divi- sion also gives us pictures of procurement records, the rise and fall of market prices, the time consumed in inspection and dis- tribution, and in other ways prepares charts that graphically bring to the General's eye all the shortcomings as well as the good points of his organization. "Also reporting to the executive is a Surplus Stock Division, whose province it is to sell those Army supplies on which we are overstocked. Changes in design and specification often produce overstocks, and the warfare in France is so different from what 237 was anticipated that naturally many things were ordered that later were found not as suitable as some other articles, or per- haps were not needed at all. "The second division is the Requirements Division, under Major J. R. Orton. This division issues the purchase author- ization for every article that is bought. The quantity required month by month is shown, thus giving the procurement organiza- tion, an exact schedule upon which to base their deliveries. This division also, several months in advance, issues to the Overseas Distribution Division the exact quantity of each article which is required to be shipped month by month in order to take care of our fighting forces in France. Organization of Director of Purchase "The third great division of the Division of Purchase and Storage is the Procurement Division, under charge of the Direc- tor of Purchase, Brigadier General William H. Rose, who has made an enviable record as an Engineer Officer, with Assistant Director of Purchase, Mr. G. P. Baldwin. General Rose has taken all the supplies of the Army and divided them into eight general groups, and into these groups every article, regardless of the issuing bureau, will be placed for purchase under the juris- diction of a single individual. The groups are generally self- explanatory by their names, as follows : 1 . Clothing and Equipage. 2. Subsistence, including forage. 3. Motors and Vehicles. 4. Machinery and engineering Materials. 5. Raw Materials Division, which consists of Fuels, Oils, Chemicals, Ferrous and Non-Ferrous Metals. 6. Medical and Hospital Supplies. 7. General Supplies Division — Hardware and Tools, Kitchen Equipment, Office Equipment, Contain- ers, Hemp and Jute Products. 8. Remount, which buys all our horses and mules. "The Purchase Administration Division functions for all these commodity sections and attends to purchase policies, production records, inspection details, research, designs, and specifications, the award and contract or legal jurisdiction; and contact with the War Industries Board, War Trade Board, Food Adminis- tration, Fuel Administration, Bureau of Standards, and other Government agencies that have to do with the control of raw materials and manufacture. In the performance of these duties the administration office of The Purchase Division, carries out 238 rules, regulations and policies of the War Department or the office of General Goethals, most of which are printed in supply circulars clearly outlining the procedure to be followed. The jurisdiction of the Director of Purchase extends from the moment that he receives a purchase authorization from the Requirements Division until the delivery of the product by his inspectors to the Director of Storage, or, in case the order comes from the Navy, Red Cross or other issuing bureau, until he makes delivery to them. This actual delivery may occur either at a Government depot or at the factory. Organization of Director of Storage "The fourth division of General Wood's organization is the Storage Division, the Director of Storage being Colonel F. B. Wells, with Colonel L. M. Nicholson, as the Adjutant Director of Storage, whom we will have the pleasure of hearing later in the evening. This division undertakes the operation and control of storage of all War Department supplies in the United States, no matter where located, and it is charged with the duty of so distributing these supplies that there will be a sufficient quantity on hand to permit of an adequate supply for the troops, and to allow freedom of military movement, but it is further directed to operate like any good business organization and not accumulate an unnecessary quantity of supplies at any point. It is charged with the duty of forwarding month by month the supplies for our overseas forces, in France, England, Italy, Russia and Sibe- ria, and also our troops stationed in the Philippines, Hawaii and Porto Rico. In fact, wherever there is an American soldier, this Operating Division is there to look after his welfare, comfort and equipment. "Also reporting to the Director of Storage is the Salvage Divi- sion, which operates our laundries and dry cleaning establish- ment, repairs and renovates clothes, shoes, harness and other war materials, and disposes of all waste material to the best advantage to the Government. "I have, gentlemen, endeavored in a brief way to cover the high spots of this organization, but there remains one phase of the consolidation that is very close to everybody concerned, as it affects his personal relation with the corps of which he is now a member, for it is planned that the consolidation shall be not only of supplies, but it shall include the personnel as well. Con- sequently, those individuals connected with the supply operations mentioned tonight will be assigned to the Office of the Director of Purchase, Storage and Traffic from their respective bureaus and corps, namely Quartermaster Corps, Medical Corps, Ordnance 239 Department, Corps of Engineers, Signal Corps, and Chemical War- fare. The Air Production and Military Aeronautics are but slightly affected by the plan, the extent of which has not yet been fully determined. Consequently they are only affected insofar as dis- tribution matters are concerned. Quartermaster Corps the Foundation "It is for this reason and this alone, and it is a very natural reason, too, that when those in authority determined that the consolidation of supplies was for the best interests of the Army, they decided to build that consolidation upon and around the corps of the Army most versed in supplies, and it is for this reason, gentlemen, that to a very large extent the men who have been in charge of the Quartermaster activities will be continued in charge of the operations of the Director of Purchase, Storage and Traffic. For instance, all depot quartermasters will be made zone supply officers. The zones at the beginning will be those formerly out- lined by the Quartermaster General. The systems of operation and rules and regulations will be based primarily on those at present employed by the Quartermaster, although it is specifically provided that until further orders are issued, the systems of requisitions and procuring of supplies by the other corps shall be continued in effect, this for the reason, gentlemen, that it is a very large under- taking to consolidate seven organizations, scattered all over the United States, into a single organization, and it is desired that, while responsibility is vested over night in our chief, and the per- sonnel over night finds itself reporting to a new man, yet to pre- vent any shortage or delinquency in the supply to the troops, it is proposed that the officers of the various corps shall continue to operate under their former rules and regulations until otherwise directed. " I might state that in Washington this mixing up of the corps has already started, as, for instance, for the last few weeks all the Quartermaster purchases have been under the direction of General Rose, who is an Engineer, and daily in our offices come men wear- ing the insignia of Ordnance, Signal and the other corps. It seemed a little strange at first, I admit, but lately we scarcely notice the difference. It is all in getting accustomed to the thing that counts. The First Duty of a Supply Officer "I have always believed that the first duty of a supply officer is to take care of his troops, in doing which he must not let the rules and regulations interfere with him. Personally, upon enter- 240 ing the service, I made up my mind that a Quartermaster Manual designed for supplying troops in Indian Warfare and in our Wes- tern barracks could not be the proper set of instructions that would successfully look after our brave boys across the water, and I must confess, gentlemen, that although for some months I have interpreted and issued orders and regulations for the conduct of the department, up to date I have never looked inside that yellow bound manual giving an arbitrary procedure of how not to get something done. I have seen it, however, in hands of men in uni- form, and I, therefore, take great pleasure in announcing that in a few days when you are transferred to the Director of Purchase and Storage, I shall expect you to leave that yellow bound book in the Quartermaster Corps, and come over unhampered by precedent and procedure, and come with a spirit and determination to abide by the new rules and regulations, and assist in establishing such precedents and doing things in such a way that when our troops come back they will universally say words of praise for the supply work which has been done on this side. "I formerly stated that in my judgment the Quartermaster General was the Father of the Army, as it devolved upon him to feed, clothe, and otherwise administer to the personal wants of the troops. Well, like all other sons, they will grow up and as they grow, they need more things, so General Wood with his older family, under this consolidation has merely to meet the increasing demands of his sons and furnish them with the vast number of supplies that come under his jurisdiction in this new organization." 241 Extracts from Speeches Made at a Get-together Meeting of the Corps, August 8, iqi8 MR. BAKER Secretary of War I HAVE just returned from a visit to the Middle West where it is quite warm, very much warmer than it is here. I sat on a front porch in Ft. Leaven- worth two or three days ago and had to keep away from the breeze, because the breeze was hotter than where it was still. And when I went to Cincinnati ^discovered a recipe for keeping cool I had not known when I was in the West, and which I will tell you about and leave it to your judgment as to whether or not you will try it. In Cincinnati yesterday, with the thermometer at 160, a very beautiful and charming young lady walked down the street, dressed in a full fur coat, reaching from her collar to her heels. It turned out afterwards that she was a newspaper reporter trying to find out what people would say, so she could have something to print, but she said the things they said she couldn't print. But she did say this, that after she got the fur coat off she felt so deliciously cool she wasn't sorry she had worn it. I say that chiefly for the officers and the men who have had to wear stiff collars and buttoned-up coats — the 20 ounce melton cloth of the new uniforms — on these hot days. Perhaps when you take your coat off you will be sufficiently cool to reward you. When I was about 26 or 27 years of age an old woman asked me why I didn't marry. Now I had a perfectly good reason, but I didn't have the young lady's consent to discuss it in public, so I replied evasively and I asked her why she was so concerned about me, and she said her concern was that some young lady would lose so good a provider. I have never believed that was an adequate reason for getting married, but I think it is a good reason for selecting a Quar- termaster General, and when General Lord tonight so referred to General Wood — I thought how fortunate this great army is to have so good and able a pro- vider. * * * So that when the history of this country will be written, the chapter which will be devoted to the Quartermaster Corps will not be a quiet or inglorious chapter. Of course none of us are thinking very much of ourselves — the issues that are unavoidable in this great world conflict are larger than anybody's opinion of himself, and whether he is going to come out of it with any particular renown, instantly the thought is submerged in the great sea of national things that are of world interest, and humanitarian interest, so nobody is thinking much about himself, but all of us are with propriety thinking about our corps. We are thinking of those with whom we have worked, and it would be a dubious thing indeed if the amount of enthusiasm, the amount of loyalty, and the amount of patriotism displayed in our work when analysed, would prove merely the daily ordinaries of business time, if the enthusiasm and loyalty could occupy any subordinate place in the summing up of the history of this great war, if the Quartermaster Corps should not have received proper recog- nition for its splendid success. In fact, these successes are very splendid. We have summoned into being in the United States Army now pretty nearly, if not quite, two and a half million men, including those overseas and those on 242 this side, and although I stand at the center of complaint and criticism, and everybody, it seems, in the country— most of them helpful I am glad to say- send me criticisms and comments which they have heard, and stories which they think I ought to know, I get all. the complaints, some of them unfounded, some of them founded, but from the very first mobilization of the Army until now I have not a single complaint as to the food of this vast Army. I do not mean that there have not been complaints as to food which has been stored, but I mean that in no camps in this country visited by fathers or friends, attended by persons in every ordinary walk of life, from no camp have I had a criticism that the food was insufficient, that it was unwholesome in its character, that it was not well cooked, or did not arrive on time. And today, I had a letter from General Pershing in which he was commenting upon the perfection of supplies on the other side, and said that not since the Army has been in France has a single man in that Army had to wait a minute for a meal that was due. You know what that means? It means more than a task. It means ships and docks and wires and unloading devices and railroad construction. * * * We have reproduced the American things in France, and we have a complete copy of the facilities that would be set up here if our forces were mobilized in this country. That is very wonderful. The Quartermaster Corps has had charge of this — of the clothing and the clothing and the equipping of the men . # * * We have to have some 50 to 90 days of supply for this vast Army in France. And it has been done, not by one man, not by two, not by the Army, not by the Quartermaster Corps of the Regular Army, but by the great aggregation of men and women who have come in from military and civil life, and by co-opera- tion and consolidation of strength to do this thing for their Nation in its hour of emergency. Now that is what the Army expects of the Quartermaster Corps. That is what the War Department expects of the Quartermaster Corps, and that is what the Quartermaster Corps is doing for the Army and the Country. * * * Now one other thought, and then I must leave you. General Lord referred to the character of the Army which we have been and are building. You are part of the builders and I want you to appreciate fully how splendid it is. It is not only the most moral army that ever existed on the face of the earth so far as records and observations go, but it is the soundest army in health, and being sound in health and in morals it is sound in morale. Take this, for instance, two things. Very recently Mr. Fosdick has returned from Europe. He is the chairman of the Commission on Training Camp Activities. He went oyerjust to watch the American soldiers. He was an unofficial person — he didn't have a badge pinned on him to get attention, and as a consequence every- body was just natural when he was there. He saw tens and hundreds of thou- sands of American soldiers, and from one end of France to the other, through segregated camps and remote villages — and he saw not one drunken soldier. * * * So we have this well-trained Army, this well-equipped Army, we have this well-fed Army, we have this well-behaved Army, we have this sound and healthy Army, and to many of these possibilities you are contributing, the Quartermaster Corps is contributing." 243 GENERAL WOOD'S SPEECH a CTING Quartermaster General Wood addressed the meeting, taking for l\ his topic, "What the Quartermaster Corps means to the Army." With ^ *■ characteristic modesty he prefaced his speech by saying "I can tell you very candidly that I would rather face a firing squad and German bullets than to address you, and all the perspiration you see on my face is not entirely due to the heat. In fact I spoke to Major Bourke and suggested to him that on account of the heat, this meeting be postponed because I thought possibly that by the time the heat might pass away, I might be on my way to France. In any case I can assure you that the decision to hold the meeting tonight spoiled one day's work in the Quartermaster General's office." * * * "Napoleon's old dictum that 'an army marches on its belly,' is just as true today as it was a hundred years ago, and with armies of millions, the supply and transportation problems assume an importance they never had before. "Prior to the war, the Quartermaster Corps may be said to have been the only supply department of the Army, but in this highly technical war, the Engineer, Ordnance, Signal and Medical Corps furnish supplies on a vast scale. In many ways the problems of some of the other supply corps are more difficult than those of the Quartermaster Corps, for the question of design and the crea- tion of additional facilities involved in making big guns, aircraft, etc., make progress slower and more difficult than the production and supply of food and clothing. Nevertheless, the Quartermaster Corps remains the largest supply corps of the day. Its supply problem remains of the highest importance, for it is the department that touches the individual soldier. The Army may lack aircraft and it may lack guns, but when Private John Smith does not have enough food, blankets and clothing and if he is not paid promptly, every relative of the aforesaid private immediately comes to the conclusion that the war is not being properly directed. "The Quartermaster Corps furnishes the food for the men and the forage for the animals, the clothing and equipment for the men, the fuel, the vehicles and harness, the motor transportation and its accessories. A breakdown in any one of these classes of supplies spells ruin for an Army, for the best troops in the world cannot fight unless they are fed and clothed properly. The Quar- termaster Corps also acts as paymaster of the Army. It is responsible for the prompt payment of the troops and for the payment of certain classes of allot- ments to the dependents of the soldiers and officers in the field. In this respect it shares responsibilities with the Treasury Department. The Quartermaster Corps has filled its obligations very completely in this respect, for the reports we get indicate that the soldiers in every camp and cantonment in the United States are paid before the 10th of the month; * * * "It means that stocks have to be carried all the way from San Francisco in the United States to Toul and Nancy in France, that a system of distribution has to be maintained, not alone in the interior of the United States, but at ports of embarkation and through France; it means that not alone must supplies be purchased for this Army, but that these supplies must be properly distri- buted; in other words, that they must be in places where the troops can draw on them promptly. In this respect, the United States has the hardest task of any of the nations waging war, for the base of supplies for the troops of France and Germany is but a comparatively short distance from the troops. "To handle this task, there are now in the Quartermaster Corps over eight thousand officers, one hundred and fifty-five thousand enlisted men and sixty- 244 five thousand civilian employes, and that number is being increased all the time to keep pace with the wants of our constantly increasing Army. * * * "In the sudden and tremendous expansion that has taken place in this de- partment, it would not be surprising if there were many cases of inequalities and injustices. I do not doubt that such inequalities and such injustices exist, but I wish to assure you that it is our desire to be fair and that we will try to correct all such cases that come to our attention. You would each of you not be human if you did not desire recognition for your work and accomplishments. However i I assume that you are not performing these services merely for the sake of a job but that you are all of you bringing a real spirit of patriotism to your job, and I want to remind you that the highest patriotism consists in giving the best that is in us without the thought of reward. " 245 ADDRESS OF CAPT. 0. B. ANDREWS Depot Division, 0. Q. M. G. BRIGADIER-General Wood has just told you of unnatural perspiration caused by addressing this great audience — if that's the case with a Brigadier-General, how about a young Captain? I am surely par- doned for indulging in this Turkish bath, but I'll see that you do not have your Turkish bath much longer, I will be brief. For just a moment — let your imagination travel with mine, across the sea, half round the world to a land called Asia Minor. In thenorthern part of the country we find a mountain and gushing forth from its side we find a little stream of water. As it reaches the valley, it gains in volume and momentum, until it becomes the historic river Jordan. If we follow its course, we find that ere long it empties into a great basin — known as the Sea of Galilee. Around the banks of this body of water we find beautiful vegetation, the colors of the plants seeming to vie with the wonderful tints of the sky in beauty. The lands adjacent are fertile and productive. The vinyards are laden with fruit. The land is flowing in milk and honey ; the peasants are indeed a happy folk. Within its confines we find fish and vegetable life in abundance. If we skirt the banks of the Sea of Galilee and proceed to the other end, we find an open- ing through which again pours forth the river Jordan, and we notice also in wonderment that it is in much larger volume than that with which it entered the Sea of Galilee, for it is a geographical fact that the river Jordan is larger after passing through the Sea of Galilee — for this sea is an unselfish sea. It takes in the river Jordan for a while and then gives forth more than it has received, so that the river may continue on its journey to quench the thirst of the dry lands below. The Sea of Galilee is unselfish and like all things unselfish is a joy to itself and the world. If we continue to follow the river Jordan, we find that it again empties into another great basin known as the Dead Sea, but here a different condition confronts us. The banks are barren, there is no plant life of any kind, the adjacent lands are arid and sterile. There are no inhabitants near the confines of the Dead Sea ; for the peasants in their superstition believe the Dead Sea is cursed. Within the Dead Sea we find no fish or vegetable life of any kind. Its waters are poisonous and bitter. If we skirt its banks, in the attempt to find the cause of this desolation we note that there is no outlet of any kind. It is a geographical fact that the Dead Sea has no outlet. It is a selfish sea. It takes all in and gives nothing out, and like all things selfish it is a curse to itself and the world. Now, we of the Quartermaster Corps may draw a parallel between ourselves and these two seas. If we put our souls, energy, interest and ambition into our work we are as the Sea of Galilee. If on the contrary we are self-centered, selfish, careless and indifferent, we are as the Dead Sea and the Quartermaster Corps has no place for us. To those of you who are familiar with the other Corps of the Army, you know that there is a fine spirit of pride and an Esprit de Corps pervading all of them. The infantryman will tell you that his corps is the backbone of the Army, while the cavalryman will tell you that his corps is the most needed in open warfare, and the artilleryman, smilingly, will tell you that no great battle was ever won without the aid of his great and powerful guns. We are proud of the spirit of each, but what of the Quartermaster Corps? For a moment picture some great motor car you saw gliding down one of Washing- ton's streets today. You recall how resplendent it was in its trappings and 246 beautiful colors. Well, raise the hood and remove one little part of its mechanism, known as the carburetor, and instantly the great machine becomes a useless toy. Replace the carburetor, give it an adjustment and instantly the great machine, pulsating with power and energy, continues on its way. Now, what does the carburetor do ? It gathers in the fuel , combines it properly with the elements of the air and passes it into the cylinders where it becomes the great factor of energy. The Quartermaster Corps, on the other hand, gathers clothing, subsistence and all the other things so essential to an Army, from the four corners of the earth — stores them in its great warehouses and with proper and judicious distribution, sends them overseas to our boys. Now you and I know what would happen to the Army if the Quartermaster Corps would suddenly cease its function. Realizing all this, we should take great and unbounded pride in our Corps — and tomorrow when we sign a letter, send out a wire or issue an order, we should bear in mind that though it may seem of slight importance, it may have a very important bearing upon the boys "over there. " There are two things vitally necessary to the proper spirit of any corps or organization. First, the desire to unselfishly serve. Second, unbounded patriotism. The Quartermaster Corps is strictly an organization of service. Service not self — "he profits most who serves best" — unless we possess an intense desire to serve, then the Quartermaster Corps has no place for us. As to patriotism, unless we have the same intense patriotism which causes our boys to give up their life blood upon the fields of France, then the Quarter- master Corps has no place for us. You remember the words: "Breathes there the man with soul so dead, Who never to himself hath said, This is my own, my native land, Whose heart hath ne'er within him burned, As home his steps he hath turned, From wandering on some foreign strand? If such there breathes, go mark him well ; for him no minstrel raptures swell. High though his titles, proud his name, Boundless his wealth as wish could claim, Despite his titles, power and pelf, The wretch concentred all in self; Living shall forfeit fair renown, And doubly dying shall go down To the vile dust from whence he sprung, unwept, unhonored and unsung." Another thing, I would ask you to remember and that is this You are a part of our great Army. Don't permit your connection with the Army to merely end with wearing of its uniform. You and I are greatly in honor in being permitted to wear the uniform of this great nation — and we should live up to its ideals and traditions. We are sometimes criticised for not living up to all the military courtesies. Be careful of your appearance and observe all the rules and extend and return all courtesies whenever it is proper — and right here permit me to make a statement. I hope the time will come in the Quartermaster Corps (and this may step on the toes of some of you ; if it does I can't help it), that every officer before he is eligible for promotion must be proficient in Infantry Drill Regulations and Field Service Regulations, so that if ever any Quartermaster Corps Officer is called overseas, and lots of them are, he can play the full game of war if need be. 247 In the White House there resides a man upon whom greater responsibilities have been placed than any other man in the history of the world. You know and I know that he will solve all problems justly and intelligently, of that we have no fear; that man has a great soul. He has asked you and me to take one of these great cares from his shoulders, that of sending to those wonderful boys "over there" all things essential for their comfort and life. Shall we be faithful to his trust? The Secretary of War, who is our Chief and who has honored us with his presence tonight, also has great cares and burdens upon his shoulders. He has delegated to you and me, one of the greatest of his trusts — that of feeding and clothing the boys "over there. " Will we be faithful to that charge? The American people, the fathers, mothers, sisters and brothers of those noble sons of America are looking to you and to me to supply their wants and necessities, in order that those boys may bring to a successful termination the great work they have set out to do. Will we be faithful to that trust? And last, but not least, those boys themselves each day are sending word to you and me, of the things which they need, and when they return with the flush of vic- tory upon their manly cheeks (and just as sure as there is a God in Heaven, they will return with the flush of victory upon their cheeks) and they look into your eyes and my eyes and say: "We have finished our task, we did our duty, have you done yours?" — will we bow our heads in shame, or will we with heads erect, looking into their eyes, be able to say: "You did you duty and we did ours as we saw it." The answer, my friends, is with you and me. We have a great privilege in bteing such an important part of this struggle, and realizing it, we should bend our every energy in order that this great "Corps of Service" may be successful, and now in conclusion let me touch for just an instant upon a subject which is close to you and me. There is hardly a day passes but that we hear some chap in our Corps, with the red blood coursing through his veins say: "Do you suppose I will get a chance to serve with the boys 'overthere?' " and we can't help admire him, because where is the man who hasn't a streak of yellow in him a yard wide, but wants to go over? Your heart and my heart may be consuming us with the desire to go over seas, and I hope that we will each have our chance, but remember that m every Corps there must be a head and upon that head rests the responsibility of determining where you or I go, or whether we stay where we can serve best. One man must decide and if he decides that your best work is here or any place, even if it does not meet with our heart's desire, let's be soldiers and do and serve willingly any place where duty sends us, because remember, "Any sort of a chap can whistle when his work is mostly fun; a hundred want the pleasant jobs to every sturdy one that'll grab the dreary duty and the mean and lowly task, of the drab and cheerless service that life often has to ask; but somebody has to do it and the tejsit of me and you, is the way we face the labor that we do not like to do. Let's be soldiers in the great struggle, let's be loyal through and through; life is going to give us duties that perhaps we'll hate to do. There'll be little sacrifices that we will not like to make; there'll be many tasks unpleasant that will fall to us to take, and although we all would rather do the work that brings applause; let's forget our whims and fancies, men, and just labor for the cause." 248 1HE COMMITTEE Rhyme and Rhythm by Lieut. Homer Sullivan Caricatures by Garnet W. Jex The Major Chairman, seated there, With patience, tact and genial air. Commanding praise, but on the floor To challenge quips which slur the corps. Captain Graves Rotund "Chief Ed." Though grave of mein He's never dead. Beating the air In even time To test the rhythm In each rhyme. 249 THE COMMITTEE Captain Buckley "Editor of Prose," Apt in his decisions When differences arose; With energy unfailing He searched through all the lore For quips that light the memory Of the Quartermaster Corps. Lieutenant Walton, doughty chap- "Business Manager" You see him stand With bag in hand, And eyes fixed on the "chair." Cloth and leather binding, Paper, stock and ink, Bills o'erdue, subscriptions too, Of these he has to think. 250 THE COMMITTEE Lieutenant Weaber "Censorship Ed." Here he's cogitating While a funny quip is read. Though all may voice approval He cares not a whit If it's anyways improper, "He's opposed to it."/ Mr. Rachofsky "A division Ed." With everything lit'rary Stored in his head. Concise in expression, Devoid of all bunk, He oft gives his decision In one word, just "Punk" 251 THE COMMITTEE Miss Dell "Associate Ed." is she A tireless aid To the Q. M. C. Here you see her With glee unfold, The ninty-ninth copy Of the Warrior Bold. "Jex" "Staff Artist" task perplexing, Conning over Each sketch so vexing. To give the Chairman True perspective, For hours, thus, He sits reflective. 252 THE COMMITTEE Major Bargelt "Prose Ed.," trim, Not too stout And yet not slim; Glass of fashion Of form, the mould Epaulettes shining And spurs of gold. Captain Lineburger "Treasurer" was he. Working on a hist'ry Of the Q. M. C. His branch chief said : "The Q. M. book is folly" Now judge for yourself What genus bird is "Polly." && 253 THE COMMITTEE Miss Dugent "Secretary," — coy. Her thinking pose reminds one Of the busy office boy. When "Ye Eds" would start to wrangle Over rhythm, rhime or style She ne'er lost her composure Nor her genial happy smile. Zone Committeemen "Associate Eds." Like Balzac's Comedie "The Thirteen" heads. An imaginative drawing By the artist of the corps. "A. W. L." the previous night — We think in Baltimore. 254 LENVOI The influ has been here and gone The dance is on once more The movie fan is back in line As vicious as before. The soldiers' clothes will soon be shelved God bless our "Khaki Clad," And peaceful scenes down on the farm, And meals with dear old dad. So let us all who here have been Without a sword or gun, Remember how we fought and bled, At dear old WASHINGTON. ■ o " < " — ■ ° < ° ' « « ■■>■■ — i— ' — * 256 Copyright. 1919. by the Q. 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