Audubon County journal. (Exira, Iowa) 1884-1993, 1898-07-28

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AM With the mass
E.1,N 1n)L, of young Amer
efFf leans it is outside
the realm of anything ever before ex-
perienced. 1t is not so much the fact
that missiles are flying, for many have
faced dangers like that in some form,
but that an armed enemy is making
them target, bent on destroying life
The other day heard a yohng fellow
who never had a gun in his hand and is
about to start for the seat of war, say
ing to some friends, "I'll see you again
IT the Spaniards don't get me. !" A little
later his thoughts will be on the Span
iards hitting him, still later on, their
aiming at him and last of all, the mo-
ment when the color of his liver is to be
revealed to himself and fellows, that the
Spanlards are not only aiming, but ac-
tually shooting at him.
1t is perfectly useless for that young
man or for any one so situated to at
tempt a rehearsal with the imagination
that will do the duty of real breaking
in. Scared he will be when he comes to
the realism of it. have sounded the
experiences of the best fighters known
IN our armies and all agree that the SOL
der is not only afraid in his first fight,
but in every fight. How much he shows
it is another matter; so also is the ques-
ton whether it affects his bearing so as
to weaken execution. Phil Sheridan de-
clared that the man who says he isn't
afraid every time he faces the enemy's
fire is liar. Similar statements come
from all who are frank enough to tell
the truth and manly enough to be nat
ural. Why, it is the height Of absurdity
for civilized human beings to attempt
to so despise life that they can go into
battle without a thought of the conse-
quences.
The Turks, who seem to have no fear
of bullets and rush to certain death with
ardor, ane not brave at all in the sense
that we look upon bravery. They expect
to be translated by the lethal stroke into
realms of eternal bliss. The deadly bull
let and saber stab OF their enemy is to
be priceless boon, beside which mo-
mentary pain is nothing. The American
soldier risks life worth living when
he goes into battle.
Now, it never happens that a man
must make a supreme wrestle with him
self under the enemy's fire. At least it
never should happen to soldier bent
on doing his share of the firing. will
make fine point Of it right here. A
soldier whose mind is upon his calling
will have SO much that is practical and
incidental to think about when he comes
to face the music that he'll not bother
himself much about the danger nor the
extent of his fear. The first that he
knows he'll find himself under fire and
will see that it doesn t hurt at all. Or
it he is hit that will give him some
thing else to think about than the firing.
For his further encouragement just at
that time he can recall the old saying,
Lightning never strikes twice in the
same place"
IT a soldier has nothing better to do
when he comes under fire, he can set to
work keeping tab on the enemy's bulls
eyes, It will help him out nightly to
discover for himself that it takes mans
weight in lead to kill him. I knew one
soldier, who was an officer and there
fore anxious not to show his trepidation
to the men, who got grip on his shaky
nerves by taking out dry hard tack
and munching at it. He declared that
hard tack was never before so dry. It
almost choked him, but even the chok-
ing was godsend, for it made him for
get the enemy's fire.
Once the new recruit has lived
through that first moment or second
perhaps, when it becomes plain that the
Spaniard of imagination is not shooting
according to plan, or that if he is shoot
ing his aim is bad, for he doesn't land
his lead, then it is all over. The dread
ed baptism Of fire is passed There is
lot of self clarifying afterward over the
passing of the ordeal, and that is all
right. A man may be proud of the fact
that he has voluntarily stood up to be
o1OO clU III righteous CtuS6. 1QaG is
also the supreme test of soldier mettle,
but my experience has been that the
man who holds out until he gets to the
battlefield is all right anyway. If he'd
but think so himself, it would remove
load of doubt and help greatly to give
him firm bearing under first fire. Ex-
perience varies in different wars, but as
rule there is so much Of stern soldier
work put upon man before he comes
to the field that he is not likely to funk
over an evil purely imaginary. Taking
regiments as a body, this rule will not
apply. So much is made on the drill
ground of keeping formation and doing
this or that cut and dried thing at all
times that the organization is on tenter-
hooks for fear of a wrong move and ev-
cry man in the ranks shares the anxiety.
1t is we'll perhaps that the mind is so
preoccupied, except when unavoidable
accident causes the line to break Each
man, having depended on the organiza-
ton to carry him through, is lost when
the touch Of elbow is broken.
T,aapiOp l1poO tho co,,ra 90 ~ otbor, 30