Washington High School Cadets - Adjutant Yearbook (Washington, DC)

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ffwiiyw By Joseph Moore,- Rolf McRae, E. H. S. Honorable Mention DON'T pretend to know anything of mili- tary matters, but Bill Edwards told me the story of his career in the High School Cadets, with the earnest plea that it be published so that the people who saw him win the Competitive Drill would understand his conduct. Edwards was a rookie when he joined the Cadets and one of the smallest in X Company. As soon as he had learned the manual of arms and the rest of the rudiments of drill, he thought that he could handle the company just as well as the captain. He had the good luck to receive a medal for being the best inexperienced cadet in the regiment. He won that by an elimination contest. -With that medal on his breast he felt quite capable of handling a divis- ion. Yes sir! One of these days he'd go 'to West Point and show them all up. Private Edwards stood watching a company manoeuvering out in the open. The people in the stands sent up a continual buzzing and every now and then music and noise burst forth from the band. Company X would go on in a few minutes and he would be out there strutting up and down in the midst of it. No one would see him. He wished he were a captain. Sud- denly an excited voice behind him announced that the captain of Company X was ill and would be unable to go on. A babble of voices followed this announcement. Where were the lieutenants? They had been around a moment before. The cadets looked frightened. They couldn't drill without officers. If some other school won this Competition Drill-A sergeant said he'd take command. No one seemed to hear. They all looked at Private Edwards. Withcut thinking. he said, I'll take com- mand. The tension was gone. Things might have been worse. A whistle blew. the field. Private Edwards tried to use his gun as a captain uses his sword but it was too heavy. He threw it away. Back and forth they marched, Edwards barking out all the orders he could think of. Some of them he did not know the meaning of himself, but they were executed faithfully for the most part. He flopped them all the way across the stadium, ran them through the manual of arms. and held them at attention for the inspection. Sometimes he shouted the wrong orders but the company did the right thing. Suddenly he perceived the cap- tain on the other side of the company. What was he doing there? He was supposed to be sick. Edwards realized now. The company had not been paving any attention to him. Captain Wilkins had been giving the orders. l79l ' Company X marched onto Well, the drill was over now. He stood me- chanically at attention. A group of officers and school officials ap- proached. A big grey bearded army officer ad- dressed him. Young man, your performance here today has been most remarkable. Young men of your caliber are needed by Uncle Sam, and I am here to offer you a position as military instructor at West Point. Before he could say a word the rest of the men pushed forward. One presented him with a cup-a big silver one. Others presented him with medals and pinned them on him. All of them talked at once. He tried to cry out to make them understand. Someone tried to pin a big bronze medal on his ear. William Everett Edwards! You get out of bed and stop talking in your sleep. Your break- fast is ready and it's eight o'clock. Giving Private Edwards' ear a final tug his mother left him to gather his wits. He got up and dressed shakily. He was late for school that morning. bk an It 4: Three years later at the end of the annual Competitive Drill. Captain Edwards stood at attention. He stood at the head of good old Company X. They had won! Thought after thought raced through his tired brain. He'd wonl Mother and Dad were in the stands. Re- member three years ago-that dream. It was still vividly impressed on his brain. Dimly he saw a group of officers and school officials coming. A little horse-fly flew busily over the field of immobile cadets. Here was good picking for a little hungry horsefly. He selected a victim and lighted on his ear. A big grey-bearded army officer addressed him. Young man, your performance here to- day has been most remarkable. Young men of your caliber-. Captain Edwards heard no more. The very words of the dream! The rest of the officials pressed forward and began pinning medals on him amid a babble of praise. Someone handed him a cup-a big silver one. Edwards' brain was reeling. A mist seemed to surround him. Medals . . . more medals. . . . The people in the stands saw that something had gone wrong: there was a sudden turmoil in the field. A buzzing of voices rippled through the stands. What was the matter? The news spread slowly. The winning captain had faintedl Why? It wasn't hot. Someone said a small horsefiy had bitten him on the ear. That shouldn't have made him faint. What was the matter with the boy? If

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NUN'COMlM1lSS1lON1E1D OFFICERS McKinley High School I Hucrta, Sgt.. Co. B: Berger, Corp., Co. B Shipley, Corp., Co. E: Baldwin, Corp.. Co. F: Jones, Sgt., Co. G: Stoddard. Sgt., Co. H CORCORAN SCHOOL OF ART NEW YORK AVE. AND 17TH ST.. N. W. TUITION FREE-ANNUAL ENTRANCE FEE S25.00 Students may register at any time during the school year. Day and Evening Classes in Drawing, Painting and Sculpture. Lectures on Composition and Anatomy. INSTRUCTORS RICHARD S. MERRYMAN, Principal S. BURTIS BAKER, Vice-Principal Mathilde M. Leisenring, Eugen Weisz, Carl C. Mose, George M. Jenkins, M. D. Address all communications to MISS AGNES MAYO, Secretary ' Q Felix Mahony s Coal National Art . Fuel O11 School coNN. AVE. AND M I COMMERCIAL ART COLOR INTERIOR DECORATION COSTUME DESIGN Phone North 1114 Building Material RIFFITH' ONSUMERS OMPANY 1319 G Street, N. W. Mctroplitan 4 840 ie SElEC'l' SCll00l, A Business School with University Atmos- I phere. Owned by educators ol national prominence. Hugh school graduation re quired ol day students. Character :cler- ences requested ol every student. Offering Secretarial training ol college grade. Ex. iraordinary Employment Service. Separate catalogues lor day and evening school. Wnslmioronl in 'SQILQNAL ECRETAIKIES BLDG' Dlsnucr 2480 FREDERICK E. ALTEMUS Purveyor of Choice Meats, Fine Groceries Fancy Fruits and Vegetables THE ROOSEVELT MARKET 1519 V ST., N. W. Roosevelt Hotel Four Direct Trunk Lines Decatur 3105, 3106, 3107, 0800 1781

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