The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1900-10-11
SOLDIERS ARE BLUNT.
Those in Charge Always Reply
POintedIy to Questions from
Headquarters.

batteries and companies an authorlta-
tive opinion, based upon their expert
ence and observation of the canteen
system of supplying the American
soldiers with the facilities for obtain
ing, in moderate amount aud under
government regulations, beer as d
beverage, sent out through the adJu-
tant general a number of questions
on the subject The chief ones were
as follows, says the New York Sun:
What opportunity, il any, have you
had to observe the workings of the
canteent system?
What, in your opinion, has been its
effect upon the morality of the en-
listed men?
What upon the discipline?
Are trials by court-martial more or
less frequent?
Has drunkenness increased or less
ened?
To these inquiries more than 1000
replies have been received and, en-
tirely apart from the opinions eX-
pressed in them, perusal of the an
swers, as published by the war de-
partment, shows the terse, direct, SOL
dier-like and some times blunt method
ofanswering directquestions which has
been observed among American officers,
as is the case generally among the
officers of other armies. Thus, Nathan
Calm, quartermaster sergeant at Fort
Porter, answered concerning the aban-
donment of the canteen: Increase
in desertion; crime, lying" Thorn
as Dennis, post quartermaster SER
geant at Fort Wingate. answered.:
Bad for the soldier and bad for the
army; good for the enterprising citi-
zens in the vicinity of the post"
Quartermaster Sergeant Bliss at Fort
Bliss, Tex, answered in one word:
bad" So did Quartermaster Ser
geant Guyot, at Holquin, Cuba. From
Plattsburg Barracks came the an
swer: "Would never do" from Fort
Meade, S. D.: Better morals, better
discipline, better soldiers" From
Fort Barrancas, Fla: "More drunk
enness, more absence without leave,
more court-martials, discomfort and
more assertions"
From Manila came this response:l
"Those who desire liquor land most
do) will obtain it unmindful of effects
upon discipline and all that pertains
thereto" From Port Valdez, Alaska,
came this response: absolute pro-
hibition of the sale of beer in the
army would, in my opinion, not have
a good effect upon morale or disci-
pine" From San Juan, Porto Rico,
came this: "Men will get beer
somehow. If not in a respectable
place like the post exchange has been,
then in some saloon or grog shop out
side of the garrison" Fort Preble,
Me.-a prohibition state-the ord
nance sergeant wrote: The canteen
is all that is good" From Fort Knox,
in the same state. the only comment
on the proposed abandonment of the
canteen was: Increase of drunken
ness" Capt. Ayres, commanding
troop f, of the Tenth cavalry, wrote:
Men will drink, and soldiers should
be treated like men. not boys. Let
them drink and when they violate
the laws punish them. They are
Americans, and do not forfeit all their
rights when they enlist" The COM
mander of the Third cavalry wrote:
81 am unalterably opposed to saloons
and saloon keepers. L never can or
will believe in saloons or saloon keep
ers, call them by what names you
please" One of the engineers corps
wrote: 1T is an open question wheth-
er the benefit derived from making it
difficult to obtain stimulants is not
offset by the deceit and trickery re-
sorted to to obtain them"
The distinguishing feature of an
swers from army officers is their lack
of indefiniteness and avoidance of eva
sion. They use in their communica-
tions few words to express an idea,
and do not appear to count on or con-
slider the possible effects which the ex-
preston of their views, however out
spoken, may have. 1t is this military
directness which makes easy a de-
termination in many matters of dis
pute which otherwise would be a SUBJ
ject of agitation. Practically, all the
officers of the United States are of one
opinion on the canteep.
Earmarks of an Exquisite Girl.
An exquisite young woman is she
whose dress and hair and skin indicate
the most scrupulous attention to the
daily toilette. We have learned that
bathing and rubbing and care for per-
sonal cleanliness, the nicely which dis
tinguishes the lady, and adorns her for
her station, are the landmarks not of
health alone, but of beauty, and where
is the young girl who despises beauty?
For the business girl, for the girl whose
daily employment is close and confin-
ing, nothing can be better than that
she emulate the 6ainty girl in her every
day care of her dress and appearance
and in frequent cleansing of the skin
by thorough bathing and vigorous fric-
ton, and by keeping herself and all her
belongings as dainty as she possibly
can.-Margaret f. Sangster, in Ladies'
| Home journal.
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