University of Minnesota - Gopher Yearbook (Minneapolis, MN)

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CERTAIN commandant of cadels, by his elo- quence and logic, once convmced a certain board of regents that it would be for the best interests of a cadet corps of a certain state university to encamp at a certain near-by army post. And thus it happened that some two hundred and sixty gallant soldier-students found themselves estab- lished at Fort Snelling last fall. There were some trivial details such as the laying out of camps, pitching tents, providing the water-supply and the like, that were speedily at- tended to, and this done, camp life was on. The day ' s frolic began when the cadets leaped joyfully out of their blankets at reveille. After a hasty (more often without even a hasty) toilet and breakfast, the entire corps adjourned to the rifle range for the morning. While it must be admitted that there were several excellent shots among the cadets, yet on the whole, the targets were far safer than the adjacent territory. Mimic warfare oc- cupied the greater part of the afternoon. Whole battalions would dash at breakneck speed through miles of under-brush and sandbars to find Lieutenant Weaver Colonel Hu.h .. ' ' :«a:v a«:

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•ti ' ii ■ ' ■ ' i ' k W- i ' 5 ' fi 1 themselves the captors of a deserted farm house or strongly fortified straw stack. Oftentimes it requiretj some heroic work on the part of the cadet officers to convince their men of the strategic importance of these positions. Parade and guard mount followed later in the afternoon. Taps ended the day and the cadets turned in to dream of exams and — co-eds. But camp life was not without its pleasures. The cadets had much amusement at the expense of Aga- memnon, the invalid pop-corn vend- er, and this individual, after a hair- raising ride in a thirty-cadet power pea-nut wagon, decided on an im- mediate change of climate. Base ball was quite popular. The bat- tery team, ably assisted by their private umpire, defeated all comers Jim and King and won the disputed championship of camp. Another popular pastime was bouncing, and few were the commissioned officers who failed to learn at least the rudiments of aerial navigation. The hospitable evening camp-fire of the battery al- ways drew a large number of men who made the welkin ring with their songs and glees. Tales of formei campaigns were related and, invari- ably, these sessions ended in a huge parade which wound through camps to the stirring strains of appropriate oriental music, furnished by an augmented orchestra. Oft on a chilly night, the slumbers of the weary soldierettes were rudely disturbed by some brazen-voiced sentry, who, desirous of gaining favor with his officers, would proclaim the hour in tones which rivaled the discordant shrieks of a steam calliope. Nuhumber Tuee! Three-e-h-c ' clock hand hall ' s wa-hell! Whereupon, with a great creaking of cols and many sleepy ex- pressions of delight, the cadets would roll over, murmuring their opinion of sentries and sentry duty. Occasionally, the interruption was of a different nature. Corporal of the guard! Relief! Number two! Say Corp, old scout, my feet are so blame cold I can ' t walk! I ' ll give you three packages o ' Durham if you ' ll get someone else to hold down (his bloom- ing post. The encampment was an unqualified success! The necessary work only made the hours of fun and comradeship the more worth while. At the end of the week the encampment had become a Minnesota institu- tion. mmmi