The times., 1898-09-11
THE AMERICAN SOLDIER
An English Writer Who Pays Him a
High Compliment.
From the London Mail.

From the London Mail.
The American army is not an ornamen-
tai institution. The rank and file would
not fetch fancy prices as works of art
You may see hundreds of them walking
about on the wooden platform sidewalks
OF Key West They wear brown laced
leggins, like their officers; rough blue
serge trousers, generally the worse for
wear; loose serge shirts of d shade dark
er blue, and soft felt, broad -brimmed
gray slouch hats, with narrow pinched-
up fore and aft dent in the crown They
remind you OF the men who do the rough
work in a circus-hard-faced men, with
square jaws and prowling eyes They
smoke incessantly; there is reason to sus-
pect that they chew good deal; in con-
versation they necessarily invoke a holy
name. and every time they invoke il they
spit But their average height is feet s
inches or ) feet 8 inches, and every man
locks an athlete. Afoot they go with
great swinging strides: mounted they sit
I'm their saddles as if they had been born
there. Physically, they are as fine sol
diers as one could wish to see-every man
2 picture of health and strength.
And what of their discipline? These
great, big, athletic officers, you say to
yourself and these great. big athletes of
the rank and file, are all very well indi-
viduaiiy-splendid fellows-but what of
them collectively? Isn't their discipline
rather lax? Each man you notice seems
to wear his hat at any angle which suits
his fancy or fits in with his comfort. As
they go about town each man seems to
walk with the stride which suits his habit
and the accommodation of his own legs
The drill sergeant does not seem to have
accomplished his customary uniformity
Each man-and TO the European eye it
seems so strange as TO be almost Iudi-
crous-each man seems actually to retain
something of his own individuality
Every man seems to retain, as well as his
individuality, his own intelligence That,
to the European view, seems almost hor-
rible
How, you wonder, can an officer exer-
else complete command over an aggrega-
ton of separate individualities?
/ questioned my lieutenant upon this
point. Why, my boy" said he, that &
just it-intelligence. The American soldier
has more intelligence than any soldier
in the world, just because he is expected
to have more. He can't point his toes
like Boston gosling, because he doesn' I
have to. He doesn't have to learn any
parlor tricks like that nor to dress him
self up in parlor clothes, because he
doesn't have any kings and emperors to
come and amuse themselves looking at
him. But he's expected to be intelligent.
because he needs intelligence in his bust
ness. and he's taught to be a daisy shot
and daisy horseman, and If you'll give
me an intrenched position and a regi-
ment of our boys, I'll hold out for a
showdown against any infantry you can
bring against me-"
In the vitally important evolution of
saluting an officer the American soldier,
as have seen dozen times day with
my own eyes. is very far from perfect.
Sometimes I'm the street, when an officer
passes him, the huge, slouch-hatted fell
low will take no notice at ALL
This morning / saw feet of muscle
stretched out on the grass under a tree
II had cigarette in its mouth its hat
brim down over its eyes, and one knee
bent to make rest for the other leg.
An officer came by, and L looked up to
see what the soldier would do. He sa-
luted. But he saluted without troubling
10 get up. He just lay there on the fiat
of his back and saiuted. l pointed out
this grave shortcoming to my grizzied
lieutenant ] regret to say that he failed
entirely TO see the point
why should he salute any more than
he does?" he asked: what's the good of
It. anyway? That fellow will go through
- and back again if / tell him to- He's
Gone IL before yesterday, and he'll do it
again after tomorrow, and so long as
he'll do that / don't care a rap to have
him hitting himself on the eyebrow every
time i go by"
DO; they are not ornamental. these
American soldiers. neither officers nor
men. But as an example of fine, frank.
straight honest. kindly, loyable gentle
man, strong and brave and upright, the