The morning call., 1893-06-25
DASHENG UNIFORMS

Major Charles Jansen, of the First In
fantry Regiment, hesitated somewhat be-
fore submitting his views as to the best
measures to be adopted to improve the
National Guard. His hesitation arose
from the fact that he has only very re-
Gently been promoted from the line to the
field, and he felt reluctant to obtrude ad-
vice. Nevertheless he has ideas of, his
own relating to military reforms, for he
has seen nearly 80 years service in the
volunteers ana regular army, as well as in
the National Guard, and is besides war
veteran.
1T is not appropriations of pu bile funds
alone, he said, that will make the
National Guard great military organ i
| zatlon and one in which the people will
take the greatest pride. TIE State, of
course, should be liberal, but | am afraid
there Is too great a tendency TO call for
appropriations, and when we get what we
want to think that we can thereby take
the front rank. The regular army can
only be maintained by appropriations, be-
| cause the officers and men who compose it
are there for subsistence. This is not the
case with the National Guard. Here you
can see broad distinction between the
two organizations.
individual effort must continue to be
the main reliance of the National Guard,
seek Tor Improvement we Will find it in
Keeping close to the people. In other
words we must study TO make the Ma
tlonal Guard popular institution. The
more we try to pose as regulars the less
likely are we TO achieve pOpularity. The
people at heart dislike Shams and easily
| penetrate them. We ought not to under
tage TO be ANYTHING more than good citi-
zen soidlery. Let US be content to aim at be-
Ing as we'll drilled as possible In accordance
with army discipline. In time OF war or
instruction we can be very quickly
trained to adapt ourselves to some of the
conditions imposed on regular soldiers.
Now. l think it would be great step
toward making the National Guard popu-
lar to introduce full-dress uniform, en-
couraglng every regiment to adopt dis
tinctive dress by which its members would
be Known from those of every other when
they appear in public. The uniform
should not be gaudy, but it should be at
tractlve and give its wearers an imposing
appearance. The fact is the people are
fond of display. They turn out to witness
military parade, because they want to
witness pcmp and magnificence and all
that sort of thing. The National Guards
man must put on some fine clothes,
Look at all the uniformed organizations
connected with secret societies. Take the
knight Templars, the knights of Pythas,
the Uniformed Odd Fellows. How do
they get themselves up? Isn't it nearly
all gold and silver braid, velvet, buttons
and feathers? The men who thus deck
themselves out are old enough to be the
fathers and.grandfathers of the boys in the
ranks of the National Guard. Their wives
often compel them to join these bodies so
as to see them in their gorgeous raiment
NOW. don't want to see National Guards
men quite SO splendidly attired. but they
are running to too much Spartan SIMPLE
10y IN dress for their own good. When
they snail devise some handsome uniforms
Ior social and parade purposes only you
VIII see some body else besides half-grown
boys ming our ranks. The wives and
Sweethearts of our more mature citizens
VIII drive them into the ranks, SO that
ihey Will secure the privilege of wearing a
oashing uniform. With men in the ranks
between % and 35 years of age YOU will
ind 1t much easier to maintain discipline
because the older man is the more he
appreciates the Importance of discipIine
and the more cheerfully does he conform
to its rules.
Zone more improvement that I wopld
suggest is that portion Of Golden Gate
Park be set apart for a parade ground
where during the summer months on Sat