The evening times., 1895-11-28
TROOPS N FINE .sHIPf
Never Better Housed, Clothed OF
Fed Than al Present.
STILL A GREAT MANY DESERT
Methods of Preventing 1.-THE Post
Lyceum-An Office Mnch Sought.
Artillery Schooi-work of the SIG.
nal Service-La amont's Objections
Concerning Retiremcnts Overcome.

Gen. Coppinger, while advising that, In
the Interests OF enlisted men, n service
corps should be- provided. the rates of pay
rearranged, and really good buildings fur
nished for the post exc.Ianges, which safc
ofso much benefit, ex presses the opinion that
there has been Il great Improvement in the
enlist.ti personnel during the past ten years,
due to the better. provision, made for
comfort in the army and to other causes.
In like manner Gen. Bliss reports that the
troops were never go well housed, clothed
or fed as they are now; that the bathing
facilities, reading rooms. post exchanges.
amusement rooms and outdoor sports and
recreation OF the army are Iuxuries that
few OF the men ever enjoyed before enlist
ing. and that the duties are not irksone
and greaater liberty Is enjoyed than ever
before.
Nevertheless, as this officer notes, the
men continue to desert, and in his depart
nient the desertions amountctito 20 for the
year reported upon, against 24ihe year pre-
ceding. The evil was aggravated by the
fact that there were fewer caipt,IrcS7o f4he
fugitives. II seems almost unaccountable
that with better conditions prevailing in
the army there should be SO many ,JcseT,
tons, but perhaps one way OF accounting
FOR the TACT Is that many recruits enter it
through sheer recklessness and rcstIessness,
and the same Influences cause them to quit
the colors in tliis dishonorabe way.
All that can be done. apparently. ls Ia
keep up the care at present exercised to
secure the most trustworthy men and to
increase tile chances that deserters will
be captured. One method OF accomplish
ing this last result is believed to pc that of !
restoring the I'D rate offered for captures,
as the reduction from $50 to SO seems to
have worked badly.
SCHOOL OF PATRIOTISM
Gen. Miles, in urging an increase of the
enlisted strength. says that the army ought
to be school OF patriotism, and that
with the present conditis,ps Oi The service
only men of the best moral, mental and
physical qualifications should be 5eDlstfd- |
The good soldier, he argues, must first OF
all he good citizen, ant ou entering the
service should he instructed in the his
tory and political principles OF the coun-
try and in some of its laws.
With the habits of industry, regularity |
and sobriety acquired in the service, he can |
thus go back to civil life valuable citi- |
zen. Perhaps this is taking a rosy view OF |
but it certainly suggests a !
standard to aim for. and meanwhile. with |
the present very small size of the army. it |
ought certainly tn be a picked and model |
corps.
There were. at a recent date 100 officers |
OF the line in the army VINO had been pro- 4
NOTED from the ranks since the passage sf
the act of June Is. 1878. providing for |
such promotions. This number did not |
include enlisted men who passed their ex-
aminatioTs this year. The number is not
great in proportion to the whole number OF
line officers. and yet it is considerable, |.
while the proportion has grown greater as
the years pass. One Dotable-f ct Is the I
addition OF 104 enlisted men To the re-
list fnr Ct pky,p
fewer thau 996 men carried on that roll.
The discussion Of the merits and dra W.
backs OF ,he-post lyceum system still goes
on. but it will have thorough trial during
the present year. A stimulus To the care
with which papers are prepared may be
furnished by the new rule hat such Of the 4
yceum reports on profession subjects
rs may be deemed specially valuable by |
department. commanders, will, upon con
sent of the authors. he forwarded to the
ldiutant generals office with a view to
publication.