The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1898-11-09
THE AMERICAN SOLDIER.
An English Writer Pays Him "a Very High
Observation-Disclosures and Ready to Fight,

(London Daily Mail)
The American army is not an orna-
mental institution. The rank and file
would not fetch fancy prices as works
nf 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 a
shade darker blue, and soft felt, broad
o. 7lmed gray SLOUGH hats, with a mar
ID fore and aft dent in
the crown. They remind you of the
80 the Ougn work in cir
cus--hardface men. with square jaws
and prowling eyes. They smoke inces-
sanity; there is reason to suspect that
they chew a good deal; in conversation
they necessarily invoke a holy name
pnd every time they invite 1t. they spit.
But their average height is five feet
light inches OF i've feet nine inches
and every man looks an athlete. Afoot
they go with great swinging strides;
mounted, they sit in their saddles as
II they had been born there. Physi-
rally, they are as fine soldiers as one
could wish 10 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 well
individually 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 II
seems so strange as to be almost lu-
dicrous-each man seems actually to
retain something of his own individual
ity. Every Imam seems to retain, as
we'll as his Individuality, his own intel
ligence. That to the European view
seems almost horrible
How, you wonder, can an officer ex-
ercise complete command over an ag-
gregaticn of separate Municipalities?
! questioned my lieutenant upon this
point. We'll, 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 a Boston gosling, because
ne don't have to. He don't have to
learn any parlor tricks like that, nor
to dress himself I'D in parlor clothes
because he don't have any kings and
emperors to come and amuse them
selves looking at him. But he's expect
ed to be intelligent, because he needs
intelligence in his business, and he's
taught to be a daisy shot and a daisv
horseman, and if youl give me an in
trenched position and a regiment of our
boys, I'll hold out fer a showdown
against any infantry you can bring
against me-.
In the vitality important evolution of
saluting an officer the American SOL
der, as ! have seen dozen times
day, with my own eyes, is very far
from perfect. Sometimes in the street
when an officer passes him, the huge
slouch-hated fellow will take no notice
at all.
This morning l saw six feet of muscle
stretched out on the grass under a
tree. 1t had a cigarette in its mouth,
its hat brin drawn down over it's eyes,
and one knee bent to make rest for
the other leg An officer came by. and
| looked up to see what the soldier
would do. He saluted. But he saluted
without troubling to get up. He Just
lay there on the fiat of his back and
saluted. l pointed out this grave short
coming to my grizzled lieutenant.
regret to say that he failed entirely to
see the point.
why should ne salute any more than
he does?' he asked: whats the good
of it, anyway. That fellow will go
through - and back again if | tell
him TO. He's done it before yesterday,
and he'll do it again after tomorrow.
and so long as he'll do that ! don't give
rap to have him hitting himself on
the eyebrow every time l go by"
No; they are not ornamental, these
American soldiers; neither officers nor
men. But as an example of a fine,
frank, straight, honest, kindly, loveable
gentleman, strong and brave and up
right, the American officer commands
my enthusiastic respect and as to the
men-well, if you searched creation ov-
er for a collection Of hard-muscled
giants with battle fire glittering in their
eyes you couldn't beat them