HISTORY OF THE LOCAL BOARD.
A Complete Resume of the Work Done by the Local Exemp-
tion Board From the Date of It’s Appointment Un-
til Work Was Completed Only Recently.
In obedience to the call by the Gov-
ernor of the State of Pennsylvania,
on May 21, 1917, George H. Yarnell,
Sheriff of Centre county, reported at
Harrisburg ‘and was there ordered to
proceed as Chief Registrar of Centre
county, with the first registration of
June 5th, 1917.
As Centre is the largest county in
area in the State of Pennsylvania, its
extreme width from east to west be-
ing 67 miles, and from north to south
being 35 miles, the registration was
taken at 61 voting places over the
county. Each judge of elections in
every borough and precinct in the
county was notified by letter when
and where to meet to be sworn in as
Chief Registrar of his precinct. As
previously arranged by letter, George
H. Yarnell, Chief Registrar of Centre
county, met and swore in each Chief
Registrar of each borough and pre-
cinct, delivering at that time all nec-
assary blanks to complete the regis-
tration. This was accomplished by
constant travel for five days and
nights. On June 5, 1917, each Chief
Registrar in the county reported by
’phone to the Sheriff’s office, Belle-
fonte, Pa., at 7:30 a. m., that all the
registration places were open and
working fine. In calculating the per-
cent of registrants localities with a
heavy foreign population were under-
estimated. We therefore had to as
early as two o'clock in the afternoon
send registration cards and certifi-
cates by automobile to supply deficien-
cy. This necessitated extra travel of
160 miles. The office of the Chief
Registrar of the county was in con-
stant communication with the various |
districts throughout the entire day.
The Chief Registrar of each borough
and precinct was instructed to make
a summary of his district which was
forwarded by ’phone to the office of
the Chief Registrar of the county |
where a summary of the county was '
made and telegraphed to the office of
the Adjutant General of the State at
11:30 p. m., June 5th, 1917. The Te-
sult of this registration after going
over all records was found to have
been complete, 3199 men having regis-
tered. The clerical work in the com-
pletion of this registration was all
volunteer help.
On June 27, 1917, after due ap-
pointment by the President of the
United States, George H. Yarnell as
chairman, and D. A. Grove as secre-
tary, took the oath of office as mem-
bers of the local board for Centre
county. Dr. L. E. Kidder having been
duly appointed by the President of
the United States as examining mem-
ber of the board, took the oath of of-
fice on August 4th, 1917. Immediate-
ly upon the accomplishment of the
oath of Dr. L. E. Kidder the board
proceeded with the physical examina-
tions and classifications.
The clerical force consisted of J.
Thomas Mitchell, R. W. Irwin, H. C.
Valentine and Abraham Shapiro.
In September, 1917, the Governor
appointed Dr. M. W. Reed as an ad-
ditional examining physician to the
board, which office he faithfully held
until August 13, 1918, at which time |
he was called to the service.
In June, 1918, the Governor ap-
pointed Major S. M. Huff as an addi-
tional examining physician to the
board, which office he faithfully held
until July, 1918, at which time he was
called to the service.
In August, 1918, the Governor ap-
pointed Dr. W. J. Kurtz as an addi-
tional examining physician to the
board, a position he still retains.
In September, 1917, the board de-
cided to give preliminary instructions
to soldiers before entrainment and
proceeded to select from an ample list
of men who have held officers’ com-
missions during and since the Span-
ish-American war the following mili-
tary instruction committee:
Col. H. S. Taylor, ex-commander of
the 5th regiment, National Guard of
Pennsylvania; Major H. L. Curtin, al-
so attached to the State National
Guard, as well as doing border serv-
ice during the recent Mexican difficul-
ty; Capt. Wm. H. Brown, recently of
Troop L, 1st Penna. Cavalry, N. G. Z.,
and Lieut. Wilbur Saxion, recently of
National Guard service.
These men headed by Col. H. S.
Taylor, took personal charge of pre-
liminary instructions, placing a spe-
cial stress on the fundamentals in dis-
cipline as well as school of a soldier.
The armory was used when availa-
ble, and on certain occasions Col. Tay-
lor would take squads of men to his
own home for preliminary drill and
instructions. As an illustration of the
system adopted by this committee in
all entrainments of Selective service
men the following outline of the pro-
gram is submitted: Immediately
after the first roll call the registrants
were turned over to the Military com-
mittee for instructions. Each group
of selective service men entrained was
organized as a Company, having a
captain, two lieutenants, sergeants
and corporals, (selected from their
number), in charge until they report-
ed to the proper authority at Camp.
On June 28, 1918, one hundred and fif-
ty-seven men were entrained for
Camp Lee, Va.; this body of men be-
ing divided into four companies, each
with its captain, two lieutenants, ser-
geants and corporals, all under the
command of one of their number who
was appointed as a major, and who
was the repository of induction pa-
pers, transportation and meal tickets
for 157 men, and responsible for the
discipline and obedience of the men
enroute. This group of men marched
to the depot under their own officers,
in proper military formation, entrain-
ed each company to its assigned car,
placed guards at each door allowing
no one to enter or leave, re-checked
their separate rolls, reported compa-
nies intact, which report was deliver-
ed to the board by the major. The
board takes this occasion to comment
on the high spirit of co-operation
manifested by this military commit-
tee whose duties were arduous, but
faithfully and efficiently performed.
The board had a photograph taken of
every quota entrained.
For the entertainment of draftees
before entrainment the board appoint-
ed the following committee:
Capt. Robert H. Hunter, Chairman.
J. Will Conley, Financial Sec'y & Treas.
Capt. W. H. Brown Wm Burnside
Thomas Hazel C. Y. Wagner
Edmund Blanchard J. Lynn Blackford
John J. Bower Wm. T. Kelly
H. C. Yeager Col. J. L. Spangler
W. Harrison Walker Maj. H. L. Curtin
Col. H. 8S. Taylor Judge H. C. Quigley
This committee took charge of the
several functions connected with the
entrainment of the soldiers during
their stay of twenty-four to forty-
eight hours in Bellefonte. A special
banquet was arranged for each quo-
ta on the night previous to entrain-
ment, during which entertainment pa-
triotic speeches were made by various
public spirited men of the town, in-
cluding George H. Yarnell, D. A.
Grove, Dr. L. E. Kidder, Hon. Henry
C. Quigley, Col. H. S. Taylor, Edmund
Blanchard Esq., Col. J. L. Spangler,
W. Harrison Walker, Major H. L.
Curtin and Capt. Robert F. Hunter.
Speeches, singing and a general good
social time was had on each occasion, | With considerable detail and the men
which seemed to add materially to the |
spirit and morale of the men at this
trying period.
One of the duties of this entertain-
ment committee was to appoint a sub-
financial committee with solicitors,
collectors and treasurer and while the
draft was made from the entire coun-
ty, the burden, which was not so con-
sidered, came largely, if not entirely,
upon the good citizens of Bellefonte.
The ready response by the citizens of
the town to this feature enabled the
committee to carry out for each quo-
ta rather elaborate demonstrations
as they left for their camps.
When the quota was sufficiently
large to warrant it, parades were or-
ganized and advertised generally
throughout the county, and on every
occasion large numbers of people
were in attendance to view parades
that were made up of citizens, local
military company, fire companies,
Grand Army and Spanish-American
War Veterans, Fraternal organiza-
tions, the Red Cross Chapter always
participating and being. the most im-
pressive and spectacular feature of
the parade.
One of these events it was found
necessary to hold on the Sabbath day
on account of the men being called on
Saturday and ordered to entrain the
following Monday. This being the
largest contingent sent out it was de-
cided to give a mammoth demonstra-
tion. In order not to antagonize pub-
lic opinion or religious sentiment the
various ministers of the town were
consulted as to the advisibility of
holding this demonstration on the
Sabbath day. After the circumstane- |
es were explained (being the only day
available) these ministers gave their
hearty approval to the movement. A
grand stand was erected for the
speakers and Ministerium to view the
parade. Provisions were made for the
parents, relatives and friends of sol-
diers in the way of rest rooms and
other accommodations which might
be denied them ordinarily due to the
large crowd. This parade especially
mentioned here, as typical of our sys-
tem, had no less than seven bands of
music. On this, as on all occasions,
the Red Cross contingent was placed
as a guard of honor next the soldiers,
the lective service men occupying
first place in the line, preceded only
by a platoon of color bearers, carry-
ing the National colors of the var-
ious nations allied together in the
great struggle, and this headed by the
Chief Marshall and his committee and
band, which on this, as on all other
occasions, was Capt. Robert F. Hun-
ter, his aides being the entrainment
committee enumerated above.
This parade attracted no less than
25,000 people to give the boys a hear-
ty send-off. It was so admirably
managed that notwithstanding there
were over 3,000 cars in this small
town no confusion was evident and
not a single accident to mar the har-
mony and good order of the Holy day
was noticed. Altogether it was per-
haps the biggest day and the most
beautiful parade that the town had
ever seen. This special date is men-
tioned as typical of the various oth-
er parades and demonstrations almost |
as elaborate but the rehearsing of
which individually would occupy too
much space. On two or three occa-
sions when small quotas were sent,
instead of the general parade over the |
town the men were lined up in the
town square and presented with such
gifts as merchants of the town were
prompted to donate and on each of
these occasions after this ceremony
the soldiers were lined in single
file and opposite them, ten feet away
and facing them an equal number of
the Junior contingent of the Red Cross
Chapter, these being young girls from
thirteen to sixteen years of age, all
dressed in the white uniforms of the
Red Cross and supplied with bunches
of roses or carnations. After a short
address to the soldiers and while the
band played “Keep the Home Fires
Burning, ” at a given signal each
young lady walked across and pinned
the flowers on the breast of the sol-
dier opposite. This simple little dem-
onstration was largely commented up-
on as being exceptionally appropriate
and full of genuine sentiment, and we
mention it here on this account.
Two organizations deserve a spe-
cial comment in connection with the
several demonstrations and parades.
“Our Girls Band” of Milesburg, a
town lying adjacent to Bellefonte,
composed of young girls from eight to
seventeen years of age, recruited
from both Bellefonte and Milesburg,
and under the leadership of Mr. Frank
L. Wetzler. This band showed a most
admirable spirit by turning out on all
occasions without remuneration and
at a great deal of personal inconven-
ience. Transportation usually being
furnished by volunteer automobiles
secured through the department of
Motors and Trucks of the committee
of National Defense. On several oc-
casions these little girls of tender age
and full of sentiment while playing
the farewell piece at the departure
of the soldiers had great difficulty in
carrying through their music on ac-
count of sobs of grief for brothers and
friends who were entraining, but in
every instance they carried through
their work like little soldiers and
stuck to their music. This incident is |
mentioned as typical of many others
and because of the touching sentiment
i as impressed on the writer at that
time.
The Red Cross Chapter deserves al- |
So a special mention in this report.
When asked to respond in parade |
work in every instance they came out
with a large quota of their member-
ship in full regalia, marched with the
precision and system of trained sol-
diers, and comprised not only girls
and young women, but mothers and
matrons, and women of advanced
years who could not have been gotten
into a street parade on an occasion
of any other nature. The Red Cross
organization has been a grand help
not only in the practical side of sup-
plies and comforts, but has shown all
the way through this trying period a
most admirable spirit of loyalty and
willingness. Without them our work
would have been very cheerless.
A special branch of instruction wis
instituted by the board by selecting
Capt. Robert F. Hunter, a life insur.
ance manager of twenty years’ exper-
ience, to instruct the men and coach
them as well as advise them on the
provisions of War Risk Insurance.
These instructions were carried out
were strongly advised to avail them-
selves of the liberal provisions made
for them by the United States ov-
ernment. We believe that all of the
men were benefitted by this instruc-
tion. Apparently one hundred per
cent. of the men took out the insur-
ance, as we have not heard of a sin-
gle casualty on our entire list which
was not covered by War Risk Insur-
ance.
The following summary of the reg-
istration of June 5, 1917, shows that
24 per cent. of the total registration
reported at Bellefonte for entrain-
ment and were helped and entrained
by the committee previously mention-
ed:
Total registration of June 9, 19:17.....3199
Whites 3170
Colored *, 5 ean 27
Orientals iid nh) Bion 9
3199
Marrfed [0,00 a =o 1613.
Single: ......v aii ii MY 1586
3199
Native cithwens(l’,, .... 00, 0. 2892
Naturalized citizens ....
Declarent aliens ........
Non-declarent aliens
3199
These registrants were classified as
follows:
1010 classified in Class 1
148 classified in Class 2
65 classified in Class 3
1430 classified in Class 4
46 classified in Class 5
3199
From this registration 773 men
were inducted into the army, 663 be-
ing whites and 10 colored. 195 men
enlisted in the army and navy, show-
ing 30 per cent. of this registration
in the service.
367 records were forwarded to the
District board for action on agricul-
tural industrial claims and appeals,
No appeals were made from the
physical examinations, which fact is
due to the physicians of this board
acting in the capacity of a medical
advisory board and doing the work of
that supposed board. No duly ap-
poined medical advisory board served
in any capacity in Centre county. A
large majority of the student body of
The Pennsylvania State College had
their physical examinations transfer-
red to this board, the same including
men from sixteen different States.
These men appearing singly or in
small groups prolonged the examina-
tions and added greatly to the labor
of the examining physicians. We re-
call one instance in which a registrant
while being examined had so many
ailments, not apparent to the eye, to
explain to the examining physician
that the latter after a thorough ex-
amination advised him that the best
thing for him to do was to get into
the front line trenches and be the
more quickly rid of his misery, and
immediately passed him for general
military service.
The registrations of June 5 and Au-
gust 24, 1918, show that 27 per cent.
of the total registration reported at
Bellefonte for entrainment and were
helped and entertained by the com-
mittees previously mentioned.
Total registrations of June 5th and
August 24th, 1918—384.
‘Whites
Colored
Married
Single
Native citizens .....
Naturalized citizens
Non-declarent aliens
384
These registrants were classified as
follows:
241 classified in Class 1
63 classified in Class 2
7 classified in Class 3
52 classified in Class 4
- 21 classified in Class 5
384
From this registration 105 men
were inducted into the army, 104 be-
ing whites and 1 colored. 14 men en-
listed in the navy, showing 30.9 per
cent. of this registration in the serv-
ice with 61 men awaiting call for gen-
eral military service.
In the registration of September 12,
1918, the same methods were used
with but this exception. Instead of
61 registration places over the coun-
ty with a Judge of Elections as Chief
Registrar, the registration was taken
at sixteen principal locations easily
accessible from the surrounding ter-
ritory, with sixteen competent men
sworn in as Chief Registrars with suf-
ficient clerical help.
4853 men were registered. Each
Chief Registrar made a summary of
his district, ’phoned same to the office
of the local board where a compiled
summary was made and ‘phoned to
Selective Service headquarters, Har-
risburg, Pa., at 9:40 p. m. The trans-
missal of the summary of this regis-
tration to Harrisburg forty minutes
after the closing of the registration
places showed extraordinary efforts
and interest by the Registrars and as-
sistants and constitutes a record of
which we are justly proud.
|
{
Whites
| Colored
i
| Orientals
|
1
i
| Native citizens
Naturalized citizens ............... 123
{ i Declarent aliens ........... .. .:0" 120
Citizens by father’s naturalization
{ before majority ..x............. 72
4853
| 411 registrants 18
! classified as follows:
376 classified in Class 1
0 classified in Class 2
1 classified in Class 3
0 classified in Class 4
18 classified in Class 5
16 not classified
411
695 registrants 19 and 20 years of
age classified as follows:
502 classified in Class 1
7 ified in Class
ified in Class
ified in Class
classified in Class
11 not classified
years of age
Tilo
2
Rt
1479 registrants 32 to 36 years of
age classified as follows:
309 classified in Class
S82 classified in Class
6 classified in Cl
925 classified in Class
110 classified in Class
47 not classified
1479
2268 registrants from
not classified.
218 records were forwarded to the
district board. : :
59 men of this registration were in-
i ducted into the service on competent
| orders. :
One of the tasks placed on this
board was the handling of the S. A.
1
>
3
4
dD
37 to 45 inc.
ders into the Pennsylvania inductions
men into the S. A. T. C. at State Col-
lege. Each competent order was ac-
cepted or declined and signed by the
registrant in the presence of a mem-
ber of this local board. As the local
board office did not have the room and
facilities to handle this large number
of men, the board temporarily opened
an office at the Armory at State Col-
rejection of these orders by the regis-
trant and the mailing of requests to
the local board of origin for neces-
sary forms of induction.
These requests were made on print-
ed forms, a copy of which we show
here, and were mailed by the regis-
trant at his own expense to the local
board of origin.
To
Local Board
Local Board of Origin
vsurelizeie x , has accepted competent or-
der No......... P.M. G. Form
2007 A, Call Sat. for induction into
the S. A. T. C. at The Pennsylvania
State College, State College, Pa.
Forward this Local Board Form 1,
1029 (original and duplicate) and
Forms 1029 A. and B. for immediate
induction.
Local Board for Centre County,
Bellefonte, Pa.
The lack of understanding of the
forms necessary for the inductions
through this board caused 70 per cent.
of the records to be incomplete re-
quiring a vast amount of correspond-
ence and added greatly to the work of
this board in straightening out and
correcting the omissions and mistakes,
stant interruptions both personally
and by ’phone caused this board to put
aside its regular work for over a
month.
The records of State College may
not show 1404 men inducted into S. A.
over the age of 21 years were induct-
cal board of origin and form 2008 A
mailed to the Provost Marshall Gen-
eral, but many of these men were not
enrolled as members of S. A. T. C. at
The Pennsylvania State College.
In inducting these men the board
went direct to the Armory at State
College, called the roll of those whose
necessary forms for induction were
completed; as each man’s name was
called he stepped to the front forming
a line. A re-check was then taken and
induction papers turned over to the
officer in command, who immediately
took charge of the men inducted.
Many local boards would include the
names of from two to twenty men to
be inducted on one form 1029 (origi-
nal name and duplicate) and owing to
the influenza epidemic several would
be sick and could not report. thus
holding back the induction of the rest
By going to State College to induct
these men the board saved the govern-
ment $1053.00 in transportation. Had
these men been compelled to report at
the office of the local board in Belle-
fonte for their induction papers they
would have been entitled to and would
have received transportation requests
from Bellefonte to State College. The
board feels itself compensated for the
extra labor in straightening out these
individual cases in the expressed ap-
preciation by the registrants of our
instructions, patience and care.
Under competent orders, Call XG
this board inducted 46 State College
students, all registrants of other
boards, sending them to Camp Han-
cock, Ga.
No higher spirit of patriotism could
be shown than that of the Legal Ad-
visory board and its associate mem-
bers. The Legal Advisory board was
composed of: Judge Henry C. Quig-
ley, James C. Furst Esq., W. Harri-
son Walker Esq., together with the
following associate members:
John Blanchard Esq. Hon. E. L. Orvis
V7. G. Runkle Esq. S. D. Gettig Esq.
J. K. Johnston Esq. J. J. Bower Esq.
Clement Dale Esq. Col. H. S. Taylor
Geo. W. Zeigler Esq. David Foreman
M. Ward Fleming Esq. J. Laird Holmes
S. Kline Woodring Esq. A. A. Dale Esq.
N. B. Spangler Esq. W. D. Zerby Esq.
J. Thos. Mitchell Esq. Harry Keller Esq.
Edmund Blanchard Esq.
N. B. Spangler Esq., being the gov-
ernment appeal agent.
From December 16, 1917, until the
day the armistice was signed these
men helped the registrants of the
county fill out their questionnaires,
prepared additional affidavits by the
score, took the cases of many who did
not profit by the opportunity of se-
curing the aid of this committee in
filling out the questionnaires but in-
stead went to postmasters or a Jus-
tice of the Peace and wrote addition-
al affidavits covering the registrants’
case thoroughly, never refused to help
a case, gave their time freely and
C. inductions under competent or-
of 1404 registrants from various oth- |
er local boards, and inducted these |
lege for the signing of acceptance or |
In fact the strenuous work and con- |
T. C. owing to the fact that many men |
ed by this board under orders of lo- |
; willingly, took a personal interest in
. all cases, laying aside their own busi-
| ness in many cases at a great person-
al sacrifice.
When the work or fight order be-
| came effective on July 1, 1918, the lo-
{cal board organized a committee
! (through the Merchants’ Association
lof Centre county) of the following
| named business men:
| J. Laird Holmes, Chairman.
| J. Will Conley, Secretary.
| Thomas Hazel Harvey Schaeffer
| A. C. Mingle (zeorge Meek
Ad. Fauble Walter Cohen
This committee immediately effect-
| ed an organization by selecting six re-
: sponsible persons, one to act for each
working day of the week. The com-
mittee then made a canvas of all per-
| sons who came within the “work or
| fight” order, advertised in the county
| papers the names of the men in charge
| for each day of the week, and noti-
| fied all farmers that men would be
| furnished for extra labor on demand. !
! The farmer who needed help for a cer-
| tain day of the week called up the
| daily captain or man advertised to be
; in charge for that day, on the tele-
| phone and arranged for his man or
‘men. The committee sent their clerks
| out in the agricultural districts and
| they assisted in harvesting the crops.
The farmer paid the men $2.00 a day,
while their wages went on in the
stores and ware-houses.
This organization with the aid of |
in the various dis- |
sub-committees !
tricts covered the entire county with
satisfaction.
Too much credit cannot be given to |
J. Laird Holmes as chairman of the |
would go out on the
farm, consult the farmers as to their
county. He
needs, notify the committee most con-
venient and the men were furnished.
This committee was in
i touch with the local board and made
ing and spirit was shown by all per-
| sons affected. Our records show after
| investigation, the local board sent
two men to the army under the “work
{ or fight” ruling.
The local board in reviewing its ac-
tivities, is impressed with the spirit
in which the Selective Service Act
| was accepted and obeyed throughout
| the Commonwealth.
Military conscription has long been
looked upon as an abhorrent proposi-
tion by the American people, vet rec-
ognizing the exigencies of the call to
the army, conscious of the high mo-
tives actuating our government, an
immediate and willing response was
the answer to the President’s call.
From the farms and work-shop, mines
| and hamlets, came a stream of Amer-
ica’s hardy youth, without complaint,
with no word of rebelious protest,
but measuring up to the full stature
of American citizenship, accepted
without murmur its responsibilities.
The conclusion reached by this
board after its intimate experience is
that beneath the jovial and alert ex-
terior of the virile American youth
lies the latent qualities to produce the
finest, most intelligent, brave and
i dashing soldier of the entire world.
{ GEO. H, YARNELL, Chairman.
GROVE, Secretary.
| 1D. Ax
: KIDDER, M. D..¥x. Phy.
LL. B,
{ Upon receipt of the above very com-
| plete history of the work of the local
| board Major Murdock sent the follow-
| ing acknowledgement from the selec-
| Selective Service Headquarters
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania,
Harrisburg, Pa.
February 17th, 1919.
| Local Board for Centre County,
| Bellefonte, Pa.
| My Dear Gentlemen:
! 1 want to thank vou for the excel-
! lent history of the Local Board for
Centre county which was received
| this’ morning. "If it would be possible
to obtain, without cost, photographs
of other contingents sent by your
board, I would like very much to file
them, as many of the boards have
sent in pictures of every draft con-
tingent. Also if there are any unusu-
al or interesting cases which came be-
fore your board, I wish you would
send in a short account.of them.
Very truly yours,
W. G. MURDOCK,
Major, Infantry, U. S. A.
Pursuant to Major Murdock’s re-
quest for unusual or interesting inci-
dents the local board forwarded to
him last Saturday the following,
which is typical of how the average
young man met his introduction into
military life:
REMEMBRANCES OF LOCAL
FOR CENTRE COUNTY.
On one particular occasion the lo-
cal board was giving a banquet to
one of the small quotas and the menu
consisted of everything that Hoover
would permit us to have. The toast-
master asked for speeches. One of
the soldiers arose and said: “Mr.
Toastmaster, some of your able speak-
ers here tonight say the war will not
last very long. I answered the first
roll call about twelve hours ago and
the chairman of the board told me I
was a soldier and pinned a badge on
me. Now if this is what you call sol-
diering I don’t care a damn how long
the war lasts.”
On another occasion Col. Taylor
was giving military drill to about 160
men, who had never had any military
instructions before. There was one
rather large, young man who appar-
ently was not interested in the com-
mands. The Colonel noticed this and
he took the young man out of rank
and tried to instruct him alone. The
Colonel then ordered him back into
ranks again and the boy was not mak-
ing any improvement in his move-
ments. Colonel Taylor walked to the
boy and said: “Damn it, can’t you
pay any attention or don’t you want
to.” The boy said: “Please, General,
don’t swear; I am doing the best I
can.
On another occasion Captain Brown
had charge of the drilling. The Cap-
tain called out left face, next com-
mand right face. One of the men in
the rear rank, when the Captain call-
ed out left face turned his face to the
left but never moved his feet. The
chairman of the local board standing
behind the boy whispered to him that
the command of left face included his
feet as well as his face and he would
have to get his feet around too. The
man, after making several efforts,
got his feet around. He then looked
at the chairman and said: “Now I
BOARD
constant |
. reports regularly. The best of feel-
| tive service headquarters in Harris- |
| have my feet around but how in the
| hell am I going to get them back.”
We were having physical examina-
| tions. A fellow was called in who cer-
| tainly was not a good specimen. He
| was very much excited and seemed to
! be anxious to get the examination
i over with. Dr. Kidder examined him
{ and turned him down. The fellow ran
| to the dressing room, put on his un-
| derwear, shirt, collar, tie, coat, hat,
| shoes and stockings and was leaving
| the room when one of the clerks ask.
| ed him where his pants were, and he
{looked and said: “Be damned if I
didn’t forget them.”
On another occasion when the clerk
| was handing the man in charge meal
| and transportation tickets and the
| train was about ready to move, one of
| the soldiers walked to the clerk, sa-
luted and said: “Are those return
| tickets you gave the. Captain.”
|
| LOCUSTS DUE NEXT SUMMER.
C. W. Klapp, Farm Agent, of Naz-
areth, states that the seventeen year
locust will make its appearance in
May. It is supposed it will appear in
unusually large numbers. The peri-
odical cicada, commonly called the 17-
year locust, in the past has done great
| damage to crops. The word locust
{ has been long misused in place of ci-
cada. There are places where their
recurrence is shorter—only thirteen
vears. In such localities they are
: called the 13-year locust.
The reason that this insect is per-
| haps the most interesting is the fact
that it is the most mysterious. Since
it makes its appearance in countless
numbers in the year known as the lo-
| cust year, it has kept the popular mind
mystified, and many superstitions are
i interwoven with the cicada. The mys-
tery disappears when it is known that
the insect spends from thirteen to sev-
enteen years of slow development be-
neath the ground and comes at almost
i the same spot where it entered. While
the mystery ends with this knowledge,
the interest deepens. That all these
millions of individuals should slowly
develop into maturity and then all of
them suddenly burst from the ground
almost the same moment, is one of the
queerest things in nature and beyond
the bounds of human understanding.
Locust year is always looked upon
as the year of fear and dread. The
savages before us always considered
the locust year as the harbinger of
some great disaster. People often
fancy that they detect in the doleful
cry of the cicada the name of the cru-
el Pharoah, the Egyptian ruler, who
so rudely persecuted the Israelites.
The dark bars or veins on the filmy
wings of the cicada form the letter
“WW.” and consequently some people
who are so eager to be prophets have
tried to make us believe that the “W?”
on the locust’s wing means “war.”
Since the outbreak of the locusts will
come just at the conclusion of the
greatest world war, it is hardly feas-
ible that their coming this year indi-
cates war, and we take pity upon those
who are in the habit of predicting dis-
aster that they have to hunt a substi-
tute for war which with them will of
course be an easy matter. We can feel
assured that there will be a predict-
ing of some distaster, as usual, and
there will be deaths reported that are
supposed to have been caus:d by the
sting of the cicada, in spite of the fact
i that the cicada has no sting and that
only by the extremest accident can it
| inflict a slight wound, either with the
bill or ovipositor, and that the cicada
|
i
! cannot in any case inject poison.
The chief reason that the coming of
the cicada should arrest our attention
is the erroneous supposition of the
seeming damage done to trees, the
tender branches of which are used to
deposit the eggs. The twigs on which
these eggs are deposited will die and
will be shed by the tree giving the
eggs a chance to hatch and allow the
tiny insect to enter the earth for its
slow development of a period of thir-
teen to seventeen years.
That the harm done by the locust
is always overestimated is borne out
by the fact that no apparent harm has
been done to forest trees or to mature
fruit trees. It is true that harm may
be done to young fruit trees, and some
are even at times killed, yet the dam-
age generally done is very small and
will soon disappear. The precaution
in connection with young fruit trees
is to defer setting out trees, postpone
winter and spring pruning and bud-
ding in the spring. The locusts when
they make their appearance in the
young fruit orchard may be easily
caught and destroyed by scraping
them off the limbs into a cloth spread
under the tree for that purpose. If
this is carefully done you have a right
not to expect many locusts in your
orchard the following locust year.
Bargain Lemonade.
Two little boys were selling lemon-
ade to earn circus money. A thirsty
old gentleman stopped at the stand of
the first little boy and drank three
glasses of the beverage. He then
passed to the stand of the second lit-
tle boy. “Are you aware,” he asked
pleasantly, “that the little boy across
the way only asks three cents a glass
for his lemonade, while you charge
five?”
The lad addressed answered very
readily: “Yes, I know, mister, but his
lemonade is what the puppy fell in.”
—Knowledge.
Easter April 20 is Later in 1919 Than
for Past Fourteen Seasons.
This year’s Easter will be the lat-
est in fourteen years. The year will
be an exceptional one in the ecclesias-
tical calendar, Ash Wednesday fall-
ing on March 5, which means that
Easter will come unusually late, April
20. It fell on April 23 in 1905. Eas-
ter is determined by the falling of the
so-called Paschal moon and that does
not take place until April 15. ?
Fall Underwear Prices.
Wholesale prices asked for fall un-
derwear for 1919 are said to range
about 20 per cent. under last sales
made during the war. In other words
a garment that brought $5.50 a few
months ago is priced $4.60 to $4.75
today. This is about the same value
placed on fall goods a year ago. High-
er priced underwear is marked at cor-
responding reductions on late sales.
For high class Job Work come
to the “Watchman” Office.
“ou