The Town Takes Up the Drill
Thirty local men gather at the Knights of Pythias hall to master military maneuvers, driven by a newfound surge of community patriotism.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
About thirty men, whose mammas didn't raise them to be soldiers, but who believe that every citizen should be familiar with the rudiments of military drill, reported for duty at the Knights of Pythias hall last Monday evening and took their first lesson. The men were divided into three squads and for three hours were put thru marching maneuvers under the direction of Drill Master F. R. Jeffrey. In the bunch were several men who have had military training either in the national guard or in school and thru their efforts all serious accidents in the ranks of the raw recruits were prevented. The squads will drill regularly every Monday night from 7 until 8 o'clock and the ranks are wide open to every man in the community between the ages of 16 and 96. There is no membership fee to pay and no obligation to take. All who wish to drill may and all who don't want to, need not. Present plans contemplate nothing further than drilling just for exercise and amusement, but if the boys show sufficient interest it is the intention of Mr. Jeffrey to conduct a school for non-commissioned officers and to later organize a squad sufficiently officered and disciplined to meet the requirements of regular army service. As one of the teachings of the Knights of Pythias lodge is patriotism, and believing that the drill corps will tend to stimulate patriotism in the community, the local Knights are making no charge for the use of their hall.
“About thirty men, whose mammas didn't raise them to be soldiers, but who believe that every citizen should be familiar with the rudiments of military drill.”
In the summer of 1916, America's entry into the Great War was still a year away, but the volunteer spirit was already beginning to reshape civic life in small towns like Kennewick. This scene of 'awkward squads' practicing drills captures the pre-war anxiety and the grassroots organization that defined the period.
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