The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1897-02-08


character, because he can follow under
our leadership. Kindness has won more
battles than the show of force or au-
thority- / have in mind an instance of
this kind. The pricipal character are two
officers and q private. The private in
question has incurred by some means or
other, the enmity of his captain. WIZ,
/ neither know or care. The two hours
the private has to spend in the drill
hall are not as pleasant to him as they
might be. He is constantly met with a
disappearing glance no matter what he
does. What is the natural result? He
begins to feel that he is in the way and
as means of escaping from the eyerlast-
ing snarl and frown which greetS his ad-
vent into the drill room. he commences
to miss his drills. Shortly afterwards he
is returned upon the reports as a de-
serter Now, why is this? Whose fault
is it? Time goes on, and the second
officer has his attention attracted to the
man. BY personal efforts, he has the
man enlisted in his company. He is made
to feel at home He is made TO feel that
his presence helps out his Company he
is made to feel that mis- officers take
personal interest in his efforts to advance
himself. From the incorrigibie character
which the first officer represented him 10
be- he soon pushes his way to the front
and is looked upon as model soldier.
His advice is respectfully listened 10 by
his comrades in the ranks. The discipline
of his company is bettered by his pres
ence. Now, then, gentlemen. do you think
that the service was hurt by the acton
course. in our education of the members
of the various commands, we must make
a distinction. What Is good for one
man. might be detrimental to the interests
of another. So here is where l claim that
a commanding officer should study MS
men. If this is done. it seems to me
that we will obtain greater ana better
results. We should endeavor to discover
the weak places in the man, and by
iudicious course of training. build him
UP. A physician will endeavor 10 build
hon
we are sick, so we should pursue the
same course with our enlisted men
There is great distinction pc
tween the enlisted men in the
service of the state and those in the serv-
ice of the United States. Often the men
in the regular army are mere machines,
being moved at will by the command OF
t.-a:- officers. The citizen soldier is built
of different material. He comes out of
the thinking class. He enliSts out OF
pure patriotism, not from the hope OF
gain, for we all know what gain there is
in the service speaking from a financial
standpoint. The regular will obey COM
mand as soon as ii is given, but he very
seldom cares to take the trouble to reason
for himself why such command is given
You have heard of the custom in the
army, after the troops have had hard
days march, to go to some water course,
= one is available, and lave their feet
One OF our regiments halted near a
stream and the men were sent in squads
to battle and lave their feet in the water.
One squSi in particular was sent out
under corporal. who was an lrlSnHah:
They had been gone for a long time, ana
the commanding officer was growing
rather impatient at the delay, when Pat
WAS seen coming back alone. The cap
tain wanted to know where his men We're,
and Pat, scratching his head and looking
wise, replied well. bedad, you told me
to tale" the men and lave their feet in
the river, and as l couldn't lave them
without cutting them off, L left every
mothers son or them with his feet Now
this is but d fair sample of unreaSonlng
obedience. OF course, you will say, that
the men have no business to reason the
why and wherefore of an order. That Is
all well and good, but that will only
Stren2then my position, when l say we
should be careful to give orders that Will
bear to be reasoned out after the drill
is over. We must remember that as soon
rs We are out of our uniforms. Sergeant
Hanson or Private Jones is as good as
General Cannon or Colonel Page. Then
We are citizens, and under the constitu-
ton of our nation ''All men are born free
and equal. In our daily avocations
private may be occupying responsible
position in a bank or some mercantile
house. and on the other hand an officer
NAV be performing some of the minor
duties in store, or carrying hOd- 1t IS
not the uniform that makes the soldier,
but the intelligent obedience and atten-
ton that one pays TO his superiors, be ne
an officer or an enlisted man.
Won der GoltZ has, in his Nation in
Arms" stated the duty of an otTlcer TO
his men so clearly and ably, that l fear
i l try TO condense his presentation of
the subject | will wander away from the
point which he endeavors to make. so
will quote in full He says: Influences
over the soldier in time of peace must
be gained by proper application OF the
superior qualities OF intellect and charac-
ter in training and leading them. Before
all else. this must also include care for
the well being of the soldier. n decay in
the officer corps, and its influence, arises
soon the officers begin no longer
to trouble themselves about the private
soldiers. and to confine themselves merely
to giving orders. When their authority
can only be enforced by noise, is, as
rule, but feeble The worse the discipline
in an army is the more despOtic form it
assumes"
Need l say more? Suppose an officer is
:: command of a company. who has, by
his personal qualities and example. OBJ
tanned an influence over his men, and
with it, their respect. Should his efforts
end here? By no meansi His work has
only commenced. He has prepared the
ground, and seed planted there will take
root and grow. The moral education of
recruit can now be entered on with fair
prospect of success. Pride, so essential in
an officer. should be aroused in the breast
OF tie soldier. Ii the soldier sees that
his officers take not only pride in them
selves, but also in their organization. it
VIII stimulate him 10 greater efforts
will be awakened and a desire to justify
the pride of the officer in his company
will be created. There are few natures we
meet with in life that remain irresDon-
size to such influences. As soon as the
soldier begins to understand that his mis-
deeds affect not only himself, but his
captain. and his comrades, he will not,
unless wholly incOrrigible, repeat his Of
Tense.
Captain Eugene A. Ellis of the Eighth
United States cavalry. in his prize essay
on Discipline" has this to say in refer
ecce to the education Of solCzer upon
one of the grounds that have trop upon:
The soldier should be taught, as part
OF his moral education, that his oath of
enlistment. which. perhaps, he considers
onl.r \ preliminary to enter into service
has a higher and grander meaning-that
he should obey and be d good soldier be-
cause he has taken an oath to 90 So
ard has called God to witness ii, nd to
aid him in keeping it. Teach him fidelity
fidelity to his oath, and fidelity TO MS
country. An officer VINO can say that
he has made his men respectful (for that
is what mean by rouSing in them self
pride'o. ambitious and faithful. has &C
comDlished. d great work, great noe only
- it's military aspects, but also in its
moral aspects. Surely such u man has not
E--en in vain.
Now to go back for a moment to the
question of the association of officers and
men In the regular army this IS not
difficult subject to handle, but here. in
the service of the state, it is a question
that will bear to have the most serious
investigation. If we desire to enforce dis
cipline, there is no other way but TO start
at the beginning 1t has been suggested
that no man can be hero to his valet
II this case enforced association would
lead to familiarity, and familiarity, we
are told in the proVerb, breeds contempt
Great damage may be done long before
we reach the stage termed familiarity
Is we are thrown constantly into the