Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1901-05-25
National Soldiers Compared.

The soldier of Japan has been rev.
elation. He is a pocket edition of
man, but when it comes to playing at
war he is full-sized individual. He is
in the game because he likes it, just as
he seems to live for the fun of the
thing. His ability to go without food
on the march is phenomenal, his recu-
perative power remarkable, and his
ability to withstand hardships won
drous. Should he fall ill he is taken
to model army hospital, but he sell
dom falls ill, because of the thorough
preparations he has made for the cam
paign and the great efficiency of his
commissariat and transport. Tom
my Atkins as one sees him in China,
needs rejuvenating. He needs to be
shaken up. He is too often recruited
from the s1ums of the cities rather
than from the healthful country dis
tricts of his land. Between him and
his officer is gulf so wide as to pro-
hibit any sort of intimacy. His officers
never understand Tommy, and Tommy
has no conception of the real qualities
of his officers. In eight cases out of ten
the officer is a frst-rate polo player
and cricketer, a gentleman born and
bred, and little else. He thinks of his
own comfort first, of the comfort of his
horse next, and of Tommy last, if at
ALL Tommy is handicapped by obso-
lete army regulations, by ariStocratic
and incompetent officers and by a con-
stantly increasing conceit. The Ann
erican soldier is supremely confident
that he is as good as anybody on e9eth
and is not averse to saying so. Next
to his confidence in himself is his I'M
daunted confidence in America and in
the American army. Nobody but an
American could successfully command
such a body of men. Each soldier is a
born lawyer and orator; each soldier
feels personally responsible for the de-
fects in evidence. and each endasvors
on his own behalf to settle MT only
the affairs of his comrade and his
company and his regiment, but of his
country and other countries as well.
He is a troublesome party in camp,
but when he comes into competition
with others he is pretty sure to acquit
himself we'll
He is differed by a body of men who
as a rule are capable. About two out
Of every ten of them are born gentle
nfen, a much larger percentage are self
made gentlemen, and nearly all are
good fellows. These officers pride them
selves on their democracy. They speak
of one another as soldiers. not officers
and boast that their quarters and their
fare are little better than those of the
men in the ranks. They study their
men. They live as they do-do what
they do-and consequently can compre-
bend their needs and sympathize in
i their privations. 1t is this close con-
nection between officers and men that
is the great strength of the American
army. The soldier of 1.-The States IS
the best paid and best fed soldier in
the world He receives 80 times as
much as does his Russian comrade,
but he is not different from any other
soldier in that he spends it all on pay
day if he can. The next day he has
remorse. He is human. after all. His
uniform is not beautiful, but it is bust
ness-like. He has practically no fol-
lowers. and therefore his uniform is
especially adapted to his multitudinous
duties. No man is above doing the
meanest work in the camp and each
thinks himself capable of commanding
q corps.