Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1898-09-17

WI I'M / that there is no
EN- Mncause for wonder
u yY@ IN that so many
M pSSN1 NJ good fellows so
NSS 80 ! ES idown.
UN IN AN1ER The very first
u -/A-HHE test comes upon a
u--h-R-Ah-H-A-h- mans personal
ity. Time changes all things, and what
goes in the militia armory won't go at
the state rendezvous, and what goes in
the rendezvous won't pass in the army
camp. Last of all comes the field, where
the 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 well dressed and well
groomed for the ordeal of parade. Wom-
en- and schoolboys are his judges, and
their comments after the parade is over
will count moro for or against the re-
spect Of the men than all his knowledge
Of the art of war or the genuine soldier
mettle of his make up. 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 in
command Of armies ON a hard campaign
wear slouch hats and 90 with one trouser
Leg stuck in the boot top, while tho
other falls half way below the knee.
Their personality shows in what the
army is doing under their management.
Company officers may be equally lax in
dress when there is occasion, when the
work in hand is such that petty thoughts
have no place, but captains and colo
nels live among the men and in the off
hours of fighting should have distinct
air suited to their position and to the
occasion.
The air befitting Il real officer cannot
be assumed like role in n drama. 1t is
idle to bring up the old adage and say
that officers are born, not made. An Of
ficer is only man among men, But
mems destinies vary, and an officer
should be a superior man 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 pretender
as quickly as tho gods of the gallery can
size up 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 C of soldering, an officer may begin
to develop the quality that will carry
him through all later stages
He must cultivate fellow feeling to-
ward the men. This should not be done
by catering to their coarser instincts
what is called curTying favor-as poll
ticians do. The man who cannot keep
his ranks full without lowering himself
and the service in that fashion has mis-
taken his calling. Such methods will
react with vengeance once the line ia
called out for the real work of soldier
ing.
An officer should display fellow feel
ing in humane and neighborly way
and regard and care for the welfare of
the men in civil life, their health and
comfort when on duty, their success in
the military duties assigned them. He
should be at once a mentor and a friend,
taking delight i'll the welfare of those
brought under his tutelage Necessary
discipline should not be felt as a yoke,
but yielded to as q course Of training.
The lips that tell man he must not
fail to attend drill at the armory will
some day assign that same man to duty
in the face Of death. The command in
both cases may or may not be formal in
words, but in tone should appeal solely
to the esprit du corps of the soldier. In
a baseball nine every player wants his
nine to win. In company of soldiers
the same spirit should prevail The sol
der merges his own personality into
that Of the company, and the captain
must do the same. He is part of it and
not lord over it.
The man or officer who cannot sink
himself for the good Of the company
has no business in it.
The wedding out process should begin
at the armory and be kept up through
all stages, even at the very front Not
over one man in five Of proper age and
inches is fit for q soldier in IA volunteer
army, and the sooner a company officer
acts on the principle that it is soldier
blood, not numbers, that counts, the bet
ter. Poor timber must be cast aside.
An officer cannot be a good officer to
men he does not like. He must like all
who are good soldiers and must not like
any who are bad soldiers, and should
keep the line sharply drawn all through.
Looking after the material and minor
needs Of the soldier is every whit as i'm
portant as fighting.
This is done by the captain for the
company, which is the unit of the regi-
ment, and by the colonel for the regi-
ment, which is the unit for the army.
The company is a family, the regiment
tho Tho oa,+oi7, Sc fno fatIo,. "a,