The daily morning journal and courier., 1899-03-29
A TRIBUTE TO THE AMERICAN
 REGULAR.

l I have often heard with pain and in dignation the flippant, ungenerous
 sheer at the man who fights for pay. It | is undoubtedly true that the ranks of l the army and marine corps-and to a | lesser degree the crews of the navy, for | in this service the admirable apprentice system, which it is pity is not more widely extended, furnishes constantly an excellent element in the makeup of the ships companies-are mainly re- cruited from the vast numbers of the
 unemployed, who join the colors under stress of poverty; but environment ex- ample, the traditions of the services soon exert their influence, and very large proportion of their lives, soldiers or sailors from choice, just as others in civil life are mechanics, farmers,
 rades-people, doctors, lawyers, or
 even writers and artists. Forming, as
 they do, in the community a class by
 themselves apart, yet are they sprung
 for the people, from all parts of great
 nation, with all it's virtues, all its faults,
 but with the attributes of courage, pa-
 triotism, and robust physical vigor,
 qualities which the American people
 possess to high degree, fostered and
 developed by careful and intelligent
 training of officers and men in both
 land and sea services. All sorts and
 conditions fill the ranks--from the col
 lege graduate to the farmers boy, from
 the deep-chested, long-legged Yankee
 fisher to the wharf-rat of a seaside
 city; most of them are hard-fisted
 hardheaded, rough-hewn men. Some
 fall by the wayside, few are unworthy
 of this or any other honorable calling,
 but by far the great mass are bright
 eyed, vigorous, clean, manly fellows re-
 specting themselves and others-"first
 class fighting men" One of those ad-
 mirable women, a lady prominent in the
 good deeds of the Red Cross, who gave
 her services day after day at one5of the
 supply bureaus of the society, said to
 me, recently: We can always pick out
 a regular among the soldiers we see
 here Not many come to us, but those
 that do are invariably clean and neat
 in appearance, respectful and deferen-
 tial in their demeanor towards the la
 dies here, with modest courtesy of brave men that goes straight to our
 hearts" I can bear that statement
 ready witness. I have seen them un- der many circumstances-in war and in peace, in the field and in garrison, on shipboard and in port, on and off duty -and I have yet to meet the regular soldier or sailor who has treated me otherwise than with decency and civil ty. I happened to be in Tampa last spring when the troops were paid Some twelve of fifteen thousand regulars in- fantry, cavalry, and artillery, had re- ceived their money and the streets were crowded with men. I had occasion to go to the postoff1ce, but I gave up the attempt to reach the stamp window" so packed was the room with soldiers buying money orders to send to their homes. Although the drinking places dislike the term saloon-were wide l open all through the principal streets, and no visible restraint was placed on any one, soldier or civilian who desir- ed to visit them I saw no instance of | disoredrly conduct, and during the | whole time that these troops were en- | camped at Tampa and the vicinity | peace and good order prevailed among | them generally, except in isolated in- | stances, when, as I regretted to learn | afterwards, some of the negro troops, ] under great provocation of their pride | as soldiers at the hands of civilians, | were guilty of acts of disorder and Vio- fence, speedily checked however, by the authorties.-R. F. Zogbaum, in Har- per's Magazine.