Page:The history and achievements of the Fort Sheridan officers' training camps.djvu/349

 THE SECOND OFFICERS' TRAINING CAMP

���I. F. CONNEROY, COLONEL RYAN, ROGER SULLIVAN, J. J. CORBETT

��Common sense is the chief element involved in leadership besides courage. Remember, the boys of the National Army are as full of energy and spirit as you are, and you must make allowance for shortcomings due to exuberance.

In the old days of Greece it was the custom to bring to Athens for the great games only those of the provinces who w^ere supreme in prowess. The final event in the contests w^as the torch bearers' race, w^here the leading athletes were placed in line and each given a torch. It w^as not the runner who merely crossed the line first that w^as victorious, but the man who led the van of those w^ho kept their torches alight.

Those old Greeks through this contest desired to instill into the minds of their strong men the fact that they must keep aglow^ the fire of their patriotism that the liberties of Greece might be preserved.

Do you see to it, too, that you keep aglow^ the torch of liberty and that you reach the goal with something still left in you.

From Sunday to Monday seemed like a step from the Sublime to the Ridiculous. They had listened to the Commander of the Central Department urging them "to keep aglow the torch of liberty. " What was this they hear on

Monday? "Grab up your pick and shovel and dig trenches."

Out there on the parade grounds there were some trenches already. They represented blisters, sore backs and callouses developed in the First Camp, but they were only a beginning. With one-half the number of men.

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