The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1898-08-06
EVERY MN HIS DIE
Regulars For Less Spectacu-
lar Than Volunteers.
NONE THE LESS ELIESQUE
War is a Lark to One, a Trade
to the Other.

!
not be turned out to order like an ordi
nary article of manufacture.
No one will venture to disparage the
American volunteer soldier. He is a use.
full man in his place and a fair part OF
| the stories of individual heroism on the
field Of battle probably have volunteer
soldiers for their most conspicuous fig
ures. This is because fighting is not a
! trade with then volunteer soldier-it is
an avocation to which he turns when
his nature Graves a new excitement. He
! has never been taught the dangers of the
| BATTLEFIELD as a part of his professional
| training. He comes from his store, his
| cOunting-room, his Office or his factory,
TO try mis- hand at soldering, just as he
may at some other time seek a new eX-
| perience by going untutored into politics
or law-making. What distinguishes the
American volunteer soldier from the SOL
diers in other countries is his perfect con-
| hdence that he can do anything that he
takes fancy to, and doit just as well
as a man who has made a study of that
very thing for two-thirds of lifetime.
The worst fault 10 be found with the
American volunteers is that when ne be-
comes a soldier it never seems to occur
to him that he must cease for a while
trying TO be anything else He would
not Of course try to continue bank
ing business, or a law practice, or the rails
ing Of crops, while in the army-such a
suggestion ne would discard as ridiculous
Yet he will go on being a private citizen
in every respect except wearing a uniform
and sleeping in a tent. He will tell you,
if you ask him, that soldering is pretty
good fun for a flyer, treating it as if Il
were golf. or football. or a pedestrian ex-
cursion through the mountains, and not
should put themselves into working order,
just as they would for keeping books,
or raising stock, or teaching schol.
Within a short time Washington has
been obliged to call in the aid of its po-
lice in keeping some sort of restraint
upon the volunteer soldiers who come
over every day from Camp Alger. There
was no necessity for having Camp Alger
here on the edge Of the city. The only ex-
cuse for it was the apprehension of a
few timorous persons that the Spaniards
might invade the United States and attack
the capital Whatever shred of danger
in that respect may have existed some
months ago has certainly disappeared now
and the people of Washington feel that
there is no excuse for longer subiecting
them to the annoyance of the proximity
OF the camp. This is not because WASH
ington objects to soldiers per Sc, for Wash
ington is great headquarters for SOL
diers at all times. Fort Myer is lust
across the river, and there are barracks
within the city itself, while the Artillery
school at Fort Monroe is near enough to
enable the men to Sc the sights of the
capital whenever they want 20. We have
all arms of the service represented and
both races.
So far from disliking the presence Of
all these troops, Washington is positively
fond of them. 1t takes almost as much
pride in their appearance and in their
achievements after they have gone back
to the field after making our acquaint-
ance as the members of the several reg
iments themselves. 1t is not the soldier
as a soldier, therefore. that the city OBJ
jects, but 10 the citizen in the process
of being turned into a soldier, and without
the ruling purpose of making soldiery
his life calling. AS the vlunteer soldier
turns up here he is too often pleasant
from the restraints of home. wearing a
uniform which is conspicuous enough to
attract attention in the street and cause
his vanity to swell unduly, he Is often !
tempted to excuses which he would not |
think of in the place where he habtually |
lives and earns his bread. Instead of |
having his pride OF corps aroused by RE |
governments allowance of blue and brass. |
Ia q,
self as rohbing him of his individuality |
and making MIN one small unit of large |
mass, with proportionally petty degree |
Of responsibility. The only way, appar- |
emily, to convince him of his error. is
IS 10 turn him over for little while 10 the |
mercies of the police.
In striking contrast with the measures
whic nave had to be adopted here to curb
the evolvement of the volunteer. is the
slider placed among the same surround
ngs. Regular soldiers have drunk TOO
much in Washington, and consorted freely
with evil companions; hut they have pre-
served their outward decorum so well. |
as rule, that no one has ever thought Of |
'nsidering their presence here in Consid- |
cradle numbers a drawbscw That is.
Of course. simply because the regular
makes profession of war, and treats him
self as he would treat the horse which ne
Is goiRE TO enter for the races. His
bodily strength and his powers Of ner
lous endurance are just as much paris
ii his capital as the lawyers education
and the bankers money. The enlisted
man in the regular army will not begin
to compare. as a rule. with the enlisted
man in the voiuteers on the social side.
Il is probable that four or five volunteers
vuld desert tomorrow If they found them
selves in such a relation 20 their officers
IS the regular private stands in. Ye-
n his own way the regular soldier sneers
II The volunteer and carries his mead
proudly aloit as a member Of 4 permanent
organization which makes science
-ather ;han an amusement OF war.
Il IS not simply IN vicious excuses rhst
hen volunteer in war times wastes his
strength so much more than the regular.
As We find in the ordinary peaceful com
nun.ty only a very small fraction Of citi-
lens @ho nave any idea as 20 correc,
lSbits as 70 food, exposure and sleep.
when the citizens Of an ordinary com
nun.ty are transferred the ranks of
! volunteer army. they carry with chem
he same Indifference 20 the art Of living.
{ was amusing, and in certain way
athletic. 10 see the young men from com
or,ab,e homes II Maine and Afassachu-
eJts. New York and OHIO. gathering in
amp in the early days OF the var and
making WY faces over miIkiess cofrea
nd BUTTERFLIES bread. and the eompsrs-
lively small size of tile slice OF bacon
Z .
he camp kitchen az points conveniently
ear large markets could have been made
ouch better than 1t was, hut at the hes,