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About Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922 | View Entire Issue (June 11, 1905)
THE OMAIIA ILLUSTRATED REE. Jan It. 1!XH. Firemen's Tournaments as Sport and Stimulus to Amateur Athletics f 4 . J . J7. .I WIJfNBRB OF TPili COTTPTAVO CONTEST. I i I 4 PlO 1' tS ' . '--x ."' Kit TTCOLA TEAM THAT TTOJT STATE IT ACE ATTD BEJT. STAHTEn IN TXAfJ RACE. ONE OP TTTE rOTELTTE? HE twenty-seventh annual .tat. ome .Irter or sweetheart or wife In the the "PorUng this manner of worKmff up town .plrit to who took part In the tournament aero., th. the reputation of the home town may be flag; otberwU-e he will be declared foul an! tournament or me Iowa firemen " , " , V . - ViT pomuon wun mem as tne river last week? It takua a man of sppej maintained. Fathers, mothers and sweet- out. association Is a thin of the past 'n that particular event. No series of con- and was a success In every way. The number of out-of-town vis- tests has so muny participants as one of How many, even In th. city of Omaha, these flrenien's tournaments, where there have been privileged to witness the quick ltors In Council Bluffs was up to the ox- are teams representing so many different exit of the Are department horses from towns and sections of a Dig state line ine nouRes wnen siarung ior a nre: in Iowa. Rival towns may havo their petty quarrels when at home, but when they Jour ney to a distant part of the state, the pectatlons of tho most eangulne and the heavens smiled graciously upon the tourna ment of the two big duys and all of the events were run off without a squabble or any discord whatever. Borne of the events were new to the old Aim a n ,4 mr.at nf t hftnt war nl A t. , j 4U .n, ,., accident of any kind happened to some but all were enjoyed to the fullest by the thousands who dally attended the meet- college spirit of the collegian. A small town needs a volunteer Are department, and to get It the generous citizens of the place have to offer Inducements of differ ent kinds for the youth to take an inter- this event at tne tournament tne men are est ln the work. Entertainments of varl- and endurance, trained to the highest pitch to make some of those runs with the heavy reels. The boys realize this after thev hearts are In the stand, and woe to the boy who does not hold his own. He will be the talk of the town for tho next year compelled to be In bed ln plain sight of oug knds are Klv,n bv tho womell .nd the the crowd, and when the gong sounds they men t0 Palae monev to eaul the hoy. of ..,. ,,h ,h . . ,, . . residents are sure to pull for the men that Jump from their beds, slide down the pole tnat when tney ga forth ,nt0 world d,tlonln themselves for the test of .trench have attended a tournament or two, nnd If ho fails, but if he wins he will be pointed have had to return home wjthout a semblance of a prize. They then begin to plan for the next season and do all sorts they know and such was the case at th. as the horses emerge from their stalls, firemen's tournament Just completed. If an Ings, which were held at the old Union park, Council Bluffs, which has been the' cen. of so many and various contests. All sorts of races and ball games have been played and . run on thes. historic grounds, but none ever turned away bet ter satisfied crowds than those who "drilled" to the car line after the races last Wednesday and Thursday. There was interest in all of the events, not only from the fact that they were all hitch the horses and then run for half mile, when the hose Is unreeled and a member of a team there was sure to be coupling made while the horses are still expressions of sympathy from all secUon. at full run. Could anything be mor. excU- . rea, work begln for u woud nQt do to they will have as fine uniform. other town representatives, When the department Is fully organized and has Joined the state association the any and endurance which is aura to com. with the next state meet. to with pride whenever a stranger comes to town. One of tbe Novelties. The flag race Is newly added to the con- The novelty hose race was on. of the In teresting features of the meet and many of the companies fell down because they did not carry out the conditions of the race as they should. The rules governing this contest are that the teunis are to run with cart 300 feet to hydrant, lay 200 feet of hose, uncouple fourth section, drop back and take out second section, put In and If a team made a good record the ap plause was sure to be deafening. Every contestant had scores of rooters, either from personal ground, or because he came from the Bam. town or a neighboring town. Paid Department, a Feature. ' These meets have been uniformly suc cessful ever since the paid department. lng? have some other town of the same size Effect at Home. As the time of the meet rolls around have a better team or even a better ome or tlle leading merchants begin to get Spirit of tho Voranteer. equipped team than "our boys." Bo some nervu 'or 'ear that Blli will not be able Universities have their flnelv eaulrmed Inducement Is offered bv the srenerous oltl- to hold his own when the final trial comes gymnasiums and their athletic field, where zens of the place for some well known ath- and then agents are sent to scour the tests and Is an Interesting event for every 'ourth section, attach pipe to end of third man must run fifty yards by himself and If he fails to grasp the flag at the right time he Is apt to lose the time that will cost the race. This race is to be run from two lines fifty yards apart; one-half of section. Association rules to govern. Hos. sections numbered In order they leave th. cart. City In which tournament is held to furnish hose or raca. The ladder climbing contest did not have each team to be placed on each line, facing as many entries as It should as there Is each other. The first man on the v'Kht of a splendid chance to show training and the starting line to have flag, and at the skill In this event, the conditions of which the youth of the country is trained to meet lete or trainer to locate In the town and a counlry ior fast, strong runners that the word "Go! to carry and deliver It to the are that the runner must run fifty feet. the students of other colleges ln contests good position Is given him, so that he will rest of the team may not be handicapped of all sorts, as foot ball, base ball, track have plenty ot time to put the boys D lno maDiiuy or win to get in trim. meet, and regattas and th. larger cities through their stunts and to daily train The time for the meet conies and the first man on the right of the second line, climb a thirty-foot ladder, ladder to lay until each man has carried it his fifty on ground .till start Is made, raise ladder yards. Team to be composed of eighteen not less than 40 degrees; time to be tnken real contests of skill, but also because were taken into the fold and Justly so, too. very member of th. different teams had (or there Is not a more thrilling event ln offer different kinds of ways for the young them for the state meet. How many of th. whoI town prepares to Journey to the men. Time to be taken when the last man when climber reaches the top rung, rllmber men to work off the superfluous energy, larger universities but what would give a meeting point to root ror the boys who crosses his fifty-yard mark, and no man Is to hold rung until time is called. Cllmbef and so the smaller towns have adopted great deal to have some of the runners hav9 trained so long and faithfully that to leave his line until ln possession of th. will be allowed four men to raise ladder. l i tjth rw i i i i in iiwii" u torn mi iiihm.,p nn. i I ii. j i i i i i COTTMCTT. Bt-TTFTS TEAJfTN" T1TEJ PATD DEPAHTJI tlNT RACE. .9 ! frs cz-s fr r.-m.i MT nr m MtfF - t i I ,nW i W M tu'' an.r Mm e?fs m , l it ; n r' S. A if: j AWATETR HOSE TEAM TN THE TfOVEt-TT'RACE. DEf? UTOTNTTS TEAT TTTAT "WON" TTT!!! VATTf TJEPARTMENT RACBT AND MADE A WORLD'S RECORD. ! Military Training an Important Part of the Omaha High School Course J t - C u 1 ; 1- ' - . - - - 3. - - .. - - It t, .v, i r-4 PS 4t 1. J M LOADINO BUVmJKS SOR THH OAMP. HIGH BCHOOXi BATTALION IN LINE JUST BEFORE STARTING SOB CAMB. rrrILITAHY instruction In the Omaha I Iigh school was begun in March, - LJ 18H under authority of the sec- fc'vp-'.J retary of war, Lieutenant Julius Wii -IS) A. Penn Of the flernnri T'nlte1 States infantry, being detailed as Instruc tor. It has continued since with Increasing popularity. Co-ordinate with the growth of the school the cadets belonging to the battalion have advanced from lti6 to about 450. At the start no extra compensation was allowed the army officer, whose title has been changed from "military instruc tor" to that of commandant, but he now receives a monthly salary of t&0 from the sohrvol district during the school year. With the shirting of troops at Kort Omaha and later at Fort Crook, when the former was abandoned, the commandant has changed frequently. The officer now In charge. Captain R. R. Stogsdall of the Thirtieth Infantry, has been commandant for more than a year. In the main, the plan of mili tary training at the high whool has not varied since instituted, but drill has been made compulsory if the student is not ex cused for cause, and It Is now part of the curriculum, counting a iossllile four points toward the thirty-two necessary to ob tain a first-class diploma. Certain minor changes have been made, but drill end Instruction still takes place twice a week, on Tuesdays and Thursdays, from 1:K to IJ0 o'clock In the afternoon. At the start, arms and the customary cadet ac coutrements were not provided. Now these are furnished by the school district, the private, being armed with a small pat tern Springfield rifle and the officers with the regulation Infantry sword. The hand, hospital corps und signal corps, are also development, of the eleven years. . $ Object of tho Drill. Military Instruction and drill Is estab lished at th. high school for four reasons: First, to give the boy. a setting up or physical culture drill systematically with a view of Improving their physical condition. It being thought that th. Inherent love of youth for the panoply of war would make Ui. scheme attractive; second, to teach la- ' stantaneous and . unquestioning obedience to orders from the proper authority, third, to provide an outlet by the organization Into companies for the "gang" or group spirit that is part of every normal boy's inclinations, and In this way to prevent the formation of undemocratic secret societies or unorganized cliques; fourth, to Instill a knowledge of arms and military practice so that lo case of war citizens who had pasaed through the high school would know the rudiments of the art and appreciate the necessity of discipline. $ Will be Eittidrd. The cadet feature of high school training ln Omaha is regarded as fixed. There is no disposition ln the faculty or the Board of Education to abolish It. On the other hand, th. feeling at the present time is that the requirements demanding that every boy take his full share of drill and Instruction should be made more rigid, and It is anticipated that measures along this line will be taken by the board this year. The percentage of boys at the school who belong to the battalion Is about sixty-five out of every hundred. For the year Just ending 706 boys are enrolled, but only about 460 are cadets. The remaining 35 per cent have been excused for various reasons. The regulations on the subject read: "All high school boys shall drill two hours per week and shall procure regular uniforms authorized by the Board of Edu cation; excuses from the purchase of uni form and from military drill may be granted by the commandant of the cadet battalion, but only upon the proper showing of the necessity for such excuse and with the approval of the principal of the high school." Uniforms cost about 16 complete, con sisting of the regulation West Point gray blouse and trousers and blue cap. The privilege of selling all the uniforms Is awarded to a single firm yearly by com petitive bidding, and all cadets are required to buy the suits from the designated dealer. In this way prices are kept low and a standard of material and workmanship maintained. Blair High School Debaters Who Defeated Omaha T''v';--'--:'- j I. : V ' H ' W A K f ; !" "-' L, A& Ll 1 1 - HOWARD DIXON, CP.OVCTt AKER AND 0"CONNOIt SMITH. Exemption from Drill. Five excuses are recognized as warrant ing exemption from drill. If a parent says he Is unable to buy a uniform for his boy the lad 1b excused, because the existence of an ununlformed company at the high school has been found to be highly detri mental and humiliating to all concerned. If a boy presents a certificate from a phy sician to the effect that it Is not thought good for his physical condition to drill, the boy does not drill. If it is necessary for him to work In the afternoons, beginning shortly after uchpol closes, whether it be for his own support or to contribute to that of his family, drill la passed up, because usage and experience hu taught the prin cipal that he comes pretty nearly having no alternative. It having been demonstrated time and again that no pupil can be re quired to study any special subject unlesa he is so inclined or wants a diploma. Again, if a parent thinks he can have his boy use his time to better advantage than in drill, the boy does not drill. Lastly, if the family objects to military practice and In structions for conscientious or political rea sons. It Is considered valid grounds for an excuse. Prejudice against training in arms Is not strong ln Omaha. There is about one pro test a year for religious or conscientious reasons, and In the last six years there has been one objection based on political opinions. Tbe father who would not let his sua be a cadet in th. cas. last named was a socialist. Of the others one was a Christian clergyman, one or two followers of Tolstoy, and the others merely had a deep hatred of war and did not believe ln encouraging the spirit toward a liking of the science. Some Do Not I.Ike It. Of the 35 per cent of the high school boys who do not drill most of them squirm out of it because they don't like the hour's vigorous exercise on the campus twice a week and the occasional evolutions in ex tended order and participation in parades. Not a few of these are the very lads who most need some kind of setting-up culture. They bring such absurd excuses as a youth who weighed 175 pounds and looked In per fect health, who explained that something was wrong with the tear glands of his eyes and the doctor thought, upon Interro gation, that it might be. best not to drill. The majority of those exempted are boys who carry papers or do other work after school and who declare the drill Interferes. That the mutter Is chiefly a thing of the spirit and desire Is shown by the fact that many of the best cadets and olTlccrs ure lads who deliver the evening editions and labor just as much, if not more, than the "sloughers." It is to meet such condi tions as these that stricter regulations are to be prescribed by the Board of Education, upon the earnest recommendation of t'up taln Stugstlall and other members of the faculty, it Is probable that the rule will take the effect of requiring certain setting up exercises and physical culture drills from boys who will not be cadets, that the drill will be a luxury compared with it. Rtreaatb of I lie IlattaMnn. The battalion at the present time con sists of six companies of approximately fifty men each, the band, hospital and sig nal corps and staff officers and orderlies. Instruments for the band, of about fifteen members, are provided by the district, and during the last year Emit Relchardt, a former bandmaster of the regular army, was employed as Instructor, Under his tutelage, and with the stimulus of the new Instruments, the musicians bav. made rapid 1 - A. ' - - - J 'i ' f ) r " t ' i " I ' t 5 i :;' 'V- 73-' I OFRL8 SAT OOOuOBT OO SOLDIHia progress. The hospital corps has about ten cadets in it and the signal corps about fif teen. Each company has a captain, two lieutenants, . Ave sergeants and four cor porals. There Is a staff lieutenant, who acts as adjutant; a sergeant major, quar termaster sergeant and a color sergeant. Several noncommissioned cadets are at tached to the staff as clerks and orderlies. Training; Is Thorough. In addition to the drilling Commandant Btogsdall gives a monthly lecture on various pertinent subjects. No text bonks are provided by the schools. Officers and ambitious cadets study the manual of arms, tactics and works on military theory and practice, under the direction of the com mandant. Five years ago the annual encampment was added at the end of the school year and from the start It was excessively pop ular. For one week In June the whole battalion goes Into camp In the field and lives under regular army discipline and routine, learning In the meantime much Important Information regarding the real lif of the f-oldier. As cadets cannot go to camp unless they have successfully car ried three studies, the reward stimulates effort ln the classes. Money for the outing Is raised by small assessments upon the cadets, entertainments given by th. bat talion and the contributions of fathers and other citizens who are interested. It now requires about fl.OuO to defray the ex peiines of the week ln cam p. Sorlal (tide of the Drill. A social outgrowth of the battalion I. the Cadet Officers' club, which devotes considerable attention to the business of warfare as well as pleasure. The giving; of an expensive annual hop by this organ ization was the Inrubatlon of the encamp ment, which whs substituted, the faculty deeming the hop bad from several stand points. In general the annual encampment has proved a good and useful thing, best appreciated in some respects by parents, who are conscious of certain periods ln a boy s life when he has an Intense desire to shake off home restraint and butt into the world. After the encampment each year com petitive drills for companies and individuals are held in public anil medals and pennanU awarded to the winners. The Barber Gives His Views of "Baldhead" ES," remarked the barber. "I have had considerable, experience Willi baldheaded men, but I don't pro pose to discuss the subject unlesi I'm urged. Nobody can go out of this shop ana complain that 1 talk him to death." Having been urged the barber continued: "I never could understand w(:y men who lose their hair make so much fuss over It. Most of them wouldn't be beautiful If they had tresses that they could braid and do up high on their heads. Hut I can t remember that I ever met one who didn't bel.ave as if he was spoiled for life when his hair fell out and to their last gasp they'll grasp at any kind of a tonic or restorer as drown ing people will climb Into a boat. What s mora they all deceive themselves into thinking that they're improving under treatment. First and last. I've used tanks of washes and discoveries on them. "Io any of them tone up and restore? None of them is sutisfactor;', to tell th. truth. Now and they, I run across a scalp that isn't entirely dead to the world and I in inane to Ind u e a growth; but It Is dis appointing. It's a downy, fluffy growth and it doesn't match In It tigth or color whit's left of tliu original crop. On top a man'U look h if he'd just broken tho shell just been born and on his neck and around his ears he'll look every nilnul of 60 years old. The effect is very peculiar and laugh able. On the whole, however, there's but one thing for a baldheaded man to do, and that's to ho a brave, bold, bJdiidd man." Provident. JourtuU.