The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1899-03-16
A GOOD SOLDIER
Some Of The Qualifications are
Enumerated.
H0MElY AND SIMPLE DUTIES
An Anecdote In Point Some Histo-
ricaI Facts - Importance
Of Training.
(A.rmy and Navy JournalJ

4
camp in from; of Santiago. Cuba. He
was a Southerner by birth, and a
young man, whose ample fortune had
saved him from the necessity OF taking
thought for himself. He could not
make a fire nor could any OF his men.
OF plenty. In the neighboring camp.
occupied by a company OF Uncle Sans
Buffalo soldiers, as the Indians call
the colored troops, rose the cheering
flames of innumerable camp fires and
from them came the grateful incense OF
frying bacon and boiling coffee. Swal-
lowing his pride. for he had nothing
else to swallow, this Southerner war
rior ventured TO go into the negro
camp and ask If he might have the
privilege OF frying his bacon and boil
ing his coffee at their fire. ''Sariain.
honey" said hospitable negro. sit
right down and help yourself"
After what was to n hungry man n
most delicious repast the white SOL
der was filled with that sense OF peace
and charity toward all men which fol-
lows a GOOD meal.
Talk of messing with a negro" he
said al, erwards, telling the story. II
would not only eat with him, but
could sleep with him. He is more than
a friend: ne is brother"
II is this capacity to- care for HIM
self, and to make the best OF adverse
conditions. that forms one OF the most
essential qualifications OF the good
soldier. The question OF victory Is not
merely one of fighting. but of prepar-
alton for the encounter. OF marching
and conference.-the. The soldiers
life is monotonous round OF tireSome
duties enlivened at rare intervals by
dangerous episodes. y battle IS an oc-
casional interlude ''in the long round
OF digging, marching. bridge building
and road making, escorting mule
trains. mounting guard, dragging waE-
ons through the mud. and loading or
unloading stores" No previous train
ing can give man the experience OF
battle but IL can do very much To At
MIN W NNAIhAt AAAAAANtA4 WIN SANNa@ NAA~s
the Gay of battle comes.
During the last summer our Army
lost more lives in camp and suffered
more from disease than they did from
tine bullets of the enemy in sharp
campaign.
Even with the wisest OF manage
ment. the conditions were such in
Cuba that the spread OF disease was
so rapid after the surrender OF Santi-
ago that the Spaniards could. rs an
officer of the Regular Army said. have
driven our Army away with sticks II
they had only waited. Such IS the
controlling influence OF the conditions
that are wholly apart from the mere
fighting.
xcellent service was rendered N ouT
, last war. as ii has been in previous
wars. by young men who had no sufh'
Gent military training. but Nho had
laptitude. and quickly learned to- adap
! themselves to their new conditions
But they will themselves testify tina
! they found much to learn, and tina
INn&E COl4u AtNt StANt0 WIZ FHNA
le greater credit II they had received be
Id fore entering upon active duty the pre-
= liminary instruction that they f0un,
D. the need OF when IL was too late.
: Experience has shown that any mills
: tary system which ignores the neces
S. sity for rigid training in the actua
, routine OF Army life Is, and Away
! must be. a failure. Famous viCtOrie
\. have been won by men trained II
5 other schools than that OF the Army
, as al New Orleans; but these are N
v exception. The troops at New Oriean
/, fought behind breastworks. They wer
3 commanded by Jackson, a hero % III
Revolution, and the wars with the In
dams, and the men under him wer
magnificent marksmen, backwOods
/. men, frontiersmen. Indian fighters
= men who never fred until sure OF the!
aim"
: Ii was experience with this class Q
men that gave our forefathers tha
confidence they had In a militia organ
ization. What General Knox said
it's favor was qualified by his recon
mendation of system OF universa
n military training. This has been adop'
" ed by Germany and France. but an ~
perience of over q century under on
, constitution shows that IL cannot b
applied TO this country until We ar
prepared to accept Consumption. instea
S. of volunteerins. for the recruiting {
our Armies. The practical question
what we are 10 do in the absence Of
ln.i 10 nrn nh,-innisir limited 70 nchnll