The daily morning journal and courier., 1901-08-24
THE IDEAL SOLDIER.

The only answer to the question,
 What is a soldier?" which gives the
 essential, the sine qua quality is the
 answer, "A man who can kill other
 men with rifle fire.' A soldier is a rifle
 man. A man may be able to kill other
 men with rifle fire, and not be a per- | feet, or a reasonably efficient or even
 a useful soldier, but unless he can kill
 with the rifle, he is not a soldier at all.
 A man may be splendid marcher, he may be trained to take cover with eX
 traordinary skill, he may be an expert
 at digging trenches, his drill may be
 perfect, his power of turning himself
 out smart and clean and with all his | belongings in the most perfect order
 may be miraculous and yet If he can
 not shoot with rifle, he is no soldier. Imagine an army composed of men
 possessing all the qualities we have enumerated except the power of shoot l ing, and then imagine another compos ed of men who could all kill with the rifle, but had only that gift. Both | would be very bad armies, no doubt,
 but who would hesitate to declare that
 the rihemen were the soldiers, and the
 other army, though composed of very accomplished men, were without the
 thing which is essential to soldiers?
 Needless to say we do not insist that
 the true answer to the question, What
 is a soldier?' is, "A man who can kill
 with rifle merely as piece of dia
 lectical anlysais. We insist on the fact
 because unless and until people not
 merely admit the fact with their lips,
 but realize it. we shall never get true
 reform of the army. Rifle shooting
 must be the foundation stone on which
 the army rests. On that foundation
 must be built up superstructure
 which seems, and in a sense Is, as inn portant as the foundation, but we must always remember that though there can be no superstructure without a founda- tion, there can be a foundation with out a superstructure Having laid the foundation of rife shooting, and an swered the question, What is a sol dier?" with the reply, "A riheman," Jet us next ask and try to answer the question, What is a fully qualified sol dier?" So many things are necessary to make, we will not say the perfect soldier, but the soldier who shall be dDic u itiitFi dLllty lO QSS lIe rifle fully effective, that it is difficult to know which to name first. In our opinion, the most important quality that can be laid on the foundation of rifle shooting is that of discipline using the word in it's widest sense. The [ ri1eman must be not only willing, but | able to give an instant, and what Is more, an intelligent, obedience to the | orders of those above him. He must obey and he must, also, if possible | seize the object of the order, and obey not like a machine, but like a thinking man. He must that is, not be hypno- tized by formal drill into a mechanical obedience, but must give an obedience which is cooperative, and not merely passive.
 Next to this moral essential, we should put for the modern soldier the hunter and scout qualities-the ability 70 take cover, to watch the enemy and ls movements to see without being seen, and to take intelligent advantage If all means of protection from the fire while al the same time pressing his own advance. Next, the oldier should be able to use the spade, md be capable of rapidly constructing works, which though effec- i've shall be almost invisible to the nemy. These are qualities for use in he fighting line. To get him into the ighting line the soldier must as far as possible endowed with the gift of mobil- : ty He must be good at marching, but e must also be able to make use of ther forms of transport if, and when / yni1a h1a A cn16ia,, e able to ride a horse, should it be ossible to provide him with that 1eans of getting over the ground and 4 urther, he must be able to look after is horse if he gets one Again, he hould be able to ride and mend bi- ycle if fortune should enable his 4 ol0nel to "commandeer" q thousand , icyc1es, and so turn a three days ach into a days march. But though 4 his disciplined rif1eman. who can stalk, A cout and dig, and also ride either horse 4 r bicycle if required, will already be great use in war he can no doubt e improved by the addition of certain B ther things adjustments rather E nan essentials, but none the less of nI5 importance. q If he is given physical training C hich makes his frame and his mus C es like those of an athlete, he will no C oubt endure longer and shoot more eadily than if he has had no physical ( Til. Furthermore, if he is omethine n , a gymnast, he will if he is making
 rapid advance on foot, be able to c lrmount obstacles with much greater c lse It will clearly, for example. be q