The Black Hills union. [volume] (Rapid City, Pennington County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1889-1904, 1898-06-10

littu ) pSL@Olldl-
}sy. Time changes all things, and what
yz0es in the militia arlnory won't 60 at
She state rendezvous, and what goes in
he rendezvous won't pass i'll the army
amp. Last Of all M the field, whore
She first three stages give way for the
supreme test.
In the militia soldiers wish to have
the captain look soldierly from the
"~'bandbox' point Of view.
He must be we'll dressed and we'll
rroomcd for the ordeal Of PARADE. Wom-
Ell and schoolboys are his Judges, and
their comments after the parade is over
will count more fcc or against the re-
spect Of the men than all his knowledge
of the art OF war OF the genuine soldier
mettle of his make III, This phase Of
personal looks holds sway to the end. but
the details are radically changed when
the troops reach the front. There it is
the face that looks the soldier, not the
uniform and equipments. Generals il
command Of armies CT a hard campaign
wear SLOUGH hats and so with one trouser
leg stuck III the boot top, while the
other falls half way below the knee.
Their personality shows in what the
army is doing under their management.
Company officers may be equully lax IN
dress when there is occasion, when tho
work III hand is such that petty thoughts
have no place, but captains and COLO
nels live among the mel and in the off
hours of fighting should have a distinct
air suited to their position and to the
occasion.
The air BETTING q real officer cannot
be assumed like d role in q drama. it is
idle to bring up the old adas,o and say
that officers are born, not made. An Of
ficer is only a man among men. But
mems destinics vary, and al officer
should be a superior maj in the crises
where manhood is put to the highest
test. To put on an air OF superiority is
silly anywhere, and above all places in
the army. Soldiers can spot a prctender
as quickly as the gods Of the gallery can
size up a guy on the stage, and they
are just as merciless in showing their
estimate of him.
Right in the militia stage, in the A
B G Of soldering, an officer may begin
W ucNc1Op Guo IuI11OJ UldU WA4A SoAAJ
him through all later stages.
He must cultivate a fellow feeling to.
ward the men. This should not be done
by catering to their coarser Instincts
what is called currying favor-as poll
ticians do. The man who cannot keeI
his ranks full without lowering himsel:
and the service in that fashion has mis-
taken his calling. Such methods viii
react with a vengeance once the line i
called out for tho real work of soldier
ing.
An officer should display fellow feel
ing in a humane and neighborly wa,
and regard and care for the welfare O
the men in civil life, their health ant
comfort when Oh duty, their success ii
the military duties assigned them. H
should be at once a mentor and a friend
taking delight in the welfare Of thos
brought under his tutelage. Necessa1.
discipline should rot be felt as a yoke
but yielded to as a curse Of training
The lips that tell a man he must no
fail to attend drill at the ar1nory vii
some day assign that same man to dut
in the face of death. The command i
UOtu CtlScS Ilidy " i lllHy uoC w L1ti L
words, but in tone should appeal solel
to the esprit du corps of the soldier. [
a baseball nine every player wants hi
nine to win. IN a company OF soldier
the same spirit should prevail. The sol
der merges his own personality int
that of the company, and the capital
must do the same. He is part Of it all
not lord over it.
The man Or officer who cannot sin
himself for the good Of the compan
has no business in it.
The wedding out process should bogi
at the arnory and be kept up throug
all stages, even at the very front. N
over one man in five Of proper age az
inches is fit for a soldier in a voluntee
army, and the sooner a company office
acts on the principle that it is soldit
blood, not numbers. that counts, the be-
ter. Poor timber must be cast aside
All officer cannot be a good officer t
men he does not like. He must like a
who are good soldiers and must not Lii
any who are bad soldiers, and shoul
keep the line sharply drawn all through
Locking after the material and nint
needs Of the soldier is every whit as III
portant as fighting,
This is done by the captain for tt
company. which is the unit CT the req