Today in history: Legion will form ‘box car’ society | News

A local Voiture of le Societies des 40 Homes et 8 Chevaux will soon be organized in Cadillac, according to plans of local American Legion officials. Le Societie des 40 Homes et 8 Chevaux is the so-called “box car” organization that is spreading over the country in conjunction with the American Legion. It is the playground of the Legion and corresponds to the Shrine in Masonry and other side degrees of various orders. Le Societie was formed to perpetuate the memories of the fun in France and all the ritualistic work contains allusions to the French phrases learned by the soldiers in France. The box car society was formed in Philadelphia about one year ago when the members went to the national convention at Cleveland in box cars. The idea took so well that the society was incorporated and departments are being formed in every state. The members wear a French poilu’s horizon blue chapeau at their meetings and the membership badge is a bronze box-car on a blue ribbon. The presiding officer is called Chef de Gare and the national commander is the Chef de Chemin de Fer. About 50 members were initiated at the state convention of the Legion in Kalamazoo this week, among the “prisonniers de guerre” being the national commander, John Emery; department commander, Paul Martin, and the adjutant of the Ray E. Bostick Post of Cadillac.

Items tossed about in the stands during football games in Veterans Memorial Stadium may result in the tosser being ejected from the ballgame, Cadillac Area Public Schools officials said today. Supt. William D. Smith said more supervisory persons will be put in the stands in an effort to control the problem. He said the items are primarily of paper but even those can be dangerous with sharp folded edges or if heavily wadded. A drive to eliminate the problem was launched today throughout the schools and Smith said he wanted to call the problem to the attention of parents.

One parent called because she didn’t like her sophomore student traveling across town with a senior to get something to eat. Another parent called, afraid her child wouldn’t even get lunch. Overcrowding at Cadillac High School is easily evident during lunch periods. Seating in the building’s cafeteria simply doesn’t allow the school to feed all of its students, forcing some to walk across the street to a pizza place or drive across town for food. The cafeteria holds 200 students. There are three 30-minute lunch periods. And there currently are 1,130 students in the high school, a building designed to house 915. “Obviously the pressure to get in and out is difficult,” said superintendent Fred Carroll. “Chaotic,” said high school principal David Williams in characterizing the rush for lunch. Seniors Kate Bodwin, Mandy Daniels, Lisa Leineke and Jaime Goodrich are used to it. “Sometimes you have to wait 20 minutes for your food,” Leineke said. “Then you only have seven minutes to eat it.” The girls don’t like to feel rushed but have done it so many years they’ve “gotten used to it,” Daniels said. They each carry large book bags to avoid stopping at their lockers between classes, something they say is nearly impossible if you want to be on time. All four eat in the cafeteria every day except Wednesday when there are two longer lunch periods. That’s when many students drive to a restaurant for lunch.