Evening star., 1898-07-30
THE AMERICAN SOLDIER
An English Writer Pays Him a Very High
Tribute
Not Much of an Ornament, but Intel.
ligent and Ready to Fight
Kindly and LOvabIe.
From the London Daily Mail.

From the London Daily Mail.
The American army is not an ornamental
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 shade darker 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 suspect that they chew a good
deal; in conversation they necessarily in
woke holy name, and every time they in
woke II they spit. But their average height
is five feet eight inches or FIVE feet nine
inches, and every man looks an athlete
Afoot they go with great swinging strides
mounted they sit in their saddles as If they
had oeen born there. Physically, they are
as nne soldiers as one could wish TO see
every man 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 we'll indiyid-
ually-splendid fellows-but what Of them
collectively? Isn't their discipline rather
lax! Each man You notice seems to wear
his hat at any argyle which suits his fancy
or hts 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 accom-
pllshed his customary uniformity. Each
man-and to the European eye it seems SO
strange as to be almost ludicrous-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 horrible.
How, you wonder, can an officer exercise
complete command over an aggregation OF
separate individLalities?
questioned my lieutenant upon this
PClnt: WY, my boy" said he that's
just 1t-intelligence. The American soldier
mas more Intelligence than any soldier in the
world, just because he is expected to have
mere He can't point his toes like a Bos-
ton costing, because he don't have to- He
don nave to learn any parlor tricks like
tnat' nor to dress himself up in parlor
clothes, because he don't have any kings
ana emperors to come and amuse them
selves looking at him. But he's expected
to be intelligent, because he needs intel
llgence in his business and he's taught to
De daisy shot and daisy horseman, and
II YOU Ill give me an intrenc1ed position
ana a regiment of our boys, I'll hold out
Tor snow down against any infantry you
can bring against me-
Ii liie Nltdily important evolution of
saluting an officer the American soldier as
nave seen dozen times a day with my
own eyes, is very far from perfect Some
times in the street, when an officer passes
nm, the huge slouch-hatted fellow Will
take no notice at ALL
IhlS morning | saw six feet Of muscle
stretched out on the grass under a tee
1t had a cigarette in it's mouth its hat
Drlm drawn down over it's eyes and cne
Knee bent to make a rest for the other leg
An ohlcer came by. and / looked lIp to see
wat the soldier would do. He salutcd But
he saluted without troubling to get up
He just lay there on the fiat of his hack
and saluted. pointed out this grave short
coming to my griZzled lieutenant. l regret
to say that he failed entirely to see the
point.
Why should he salute any more than he
doesE he asked; what's the good of 1t.
anyway? That fellow will go through =
and back again if l tell him to- He's done
1t before yesterday and he'll do il again
after tomorrow, anG SO long as he'll do
that don't give rap to have him hitting
himself on the eyebrow every time | go
by
NO; they are no. ornamental. these Amer
ican soldiers, neither officers nor men Bu,
as an example of a fine, frank straight
honest. kindly, lovahle gentleman, strong
and brave and upright, the American off
Ger commands my enthusiastic respect and
as to the men-well if you searched crea-
ton over for a collie ton of hard d-muscled
giants with battle fire gittering in their
ewes Won cOll1n't haa thapo