New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1901-05-12
FROM THE RANKS.
FEW BRITISH PRIVATES EVER ATTAIN
TO A HIGHER COMMISSION THAN
THAT OF MAJOR
From The South African Magazine.

From The South African Magazine.
The man who starts the bottom rung of the
army ladder with the intention of climbing to
the top has in front of him a long journey. In
deed. so long is 1t that up till now soldier
has accomplished it in its entirety. In other
words, no Briton, living dead has been en-
dowed with sufficient vim, grit and luck TO start
as private and end field marshal.
. The first step which the budding ma jor- general
I takes when emerging from his original status of
/ run private Is to lance corporal. The life of
lance corporal is not a happy one. Indeed, SO
little rest does he get that he is popularity sup
posed TO sleep with one eye open. He is at every
ones beck and call; his duties novel and
/ trying and, worst of all, his late comrades keep
a keen eye on his movements, and not slow
I TO remind him of any lapses. In some corps %
per cent OF all lance coiporais appointed revert
I sooner or later to the rank of private. Those
who survive the oldeal are in due course pro-
NOTED 10 corporal, wear two white cotton stripes
on the arm instead of one, and receive q higher
rate of pay. \ corporal is regarded as IA rly on
the road regimental success and the duties
that fail To his lot neither wearisome
nor so multifaiio as formerly.
The next SteI-that to lance serG"ant-is, like
the first. an appointment" not i promotion
This Is distinction with difference. com
manding officer order a lance corporal to
revert to private. and he forthwith reverts. So
also, he can in the same way deprive lance
sergeant OF his lance stripe and bid him revert
to corporal or a sergeant. but he cannot degrade
q corporal or a sergeant, for these promo
tiOnS to actual ranks. and. conferred.
only be taken away by sentence of court mar
tial After serving his probation as lance ser
geant for period varying between two or three
months and couple al years. the rising young
'non-co n finds himself one day in orders
for his gold stripes which is to say. H. * pro-
NOTED fuli sergeant lie is now an important
unit in that great family. the regiment. and
takes NOR" or loss prominent part IN The social
life that centres round the seigcants' m s.. II
is. however. conceded 81 all hands that the man
who maTTleS while Yet mere 'nun-com.' for
feits all future hope II a combatant commits
sion. our typical rankcr SITS the b'Gndi-h-
ments of III" fair daughters OF the regiment.
sticks tight To his bachelor quarters. and dus
course becomes color s-Ig' amt. From
among the eight color scrgcants Of battalion
is selected, as general rule, the reg irl~ntaI
sergeant jor. the chief commission off
Ger Of a corps. and the man who, in conjunction
with the adjUtant Is mainly responsible for tn
MAINTENANCE Of thai strict Internal scpline
without which u regiment is worse than useless
a fighting machine. In his own realm the
sergeant-major is absolute. The next step. that
from sergeant ajOr to second lieutenant, is the
most important of all. for il is here that the
soldier passes that mysterious barrier which
separates the commissioned from the