The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1901-10-08
cORBIN A MILITARY DANDY.
APES EUROPEAN OFFICERS IN
MATTER or UNIFORM.

HIS TIP Abroad and Now Wears
His Uniform During Ofice Hours.
The European oficers and
Especially the Germans Have Uni
forms for All Occasions. But the
Easy-Going American Has Always
shirked the Uniform When Pos
sible to Do SO--How the Navy OIL
Book.
Washington. Oct. 6.-While reading
makes full man, it takes travel to
bring what is in mortal out of him
where his fellows may have evidence
of 1t. Adjutant General Corbin. who re-
turned few days ago from his Orien-
tai trip, is showing the effect of his
squint at the way things are done in
the regions of the rising sun. For in
stance, before he went away, the Gen
eral was content to sit in his Office
arFayed, not like Solomon but just as
an ordinary citizen would dress for
the serious tasks of his worka-day
world. Since his return, however, the
General has continually worn a fatigue
uniform while rendering the services
for which he receives a salary of $1,000
a year and allowance amounting to
about $500 more per year. ~
The General is wearing his uniform
every day because that is the fashion
among officers in the far East. Corbin
had read about the fashion many times.
but it took the. trip East to fix the
fact in his mind so that he acted upon
it.
The fashion is everything except
American. 1t is essentially a German
notion that soldier should never APP
pear anywhere without the uniform
showing his calling, business, profess
sion or whatever is the proper desig-
nation for the art of killing human
beings without penalty under the law.
The German officers never appear in
civilian attire without a special per-
NIT The German military caste has
hedged the uniform about with laws
and traditions so that it Is practically
treason to lay violent hands upon any
person wearing 1t, no matter how
great the provocation may be to
trounce the wearer. 1t was so sacred a
few years ago that an officer who killed
man who had unfntentionalIy jostled
him, was punished as lightly as if his
onense were merely a fnisdemeanor
The adjutant general learned in Hong
AAoh5B "hCLC lAC lLSI many bTlllSn OH
GERS, that man who wants to wear
mutt instead of the uniform, is looked
upon as a fit subject for suspicion.
This is particularly so in the ANGLO
Indian army. While he was in China
Gen. Corbtn met the officers of the al
lied armies, and every mothers son of
them, wore uniform even while play
ing polo or tennis. They even wore
night clothing cut according to regula-
tons. He was about the only one who
wore the conventional jacket during
informal dinners at the clubs. That
is because the United States army has
no coat for such an occasion. With
the American army officer 1t is either
the fatigue or working coat or the full
dress coat. Respondent with gold braid
and heavy epaulettes designed only
for the most formal occasions,
American naval officers have as many
kinds of uniform as theatrical star
has dresses. They have three kinds
of full dress uniforms, one of which
is compromise between the special
full dress for formal. occasions and the
ordinary swallow tail worn by men
who need not be tagged to show the
way they make their living.
1t would not be at all astonishing II
the chief visible result of Gen. Cor
bins face to face inspection of the
Orient were the introduction of the
fashion of wearing a uniform at all
times, and the invention of a dinner
coat that will be for a soldier what
the Tuxedo is for the ordinary male
citizen. Some of the subalterns on duty
at the War Department have already
followed Corbin's fashion. During the
war with Spain, the wearing of uni
forms was compulsory Enlisted men
never have the privilege of wearing
civilians attire. When they are off
duty, they may smoke That's the
only concession they get.
'AIOne i'm the Navy.v
You know Admiral Robley D. Evans
wrote story about the Spanish-Amer-
lean war. He called it "A Sailors
Log" Those who have read it say
the Admiral displays an unusual
amount of egotism even for him, be-
tween its covers. Naval officers are
among the worst in delivering this
sneer at the veteran who has been pro-
NOTED many numbers in two years for
great bravery in action. But a million
guesses would probably not reveal the
name Evans Officers have given
the Admiral's, modest narration. When
they go into the Departmental library
to refresh their memories on the San
tiago campaign. they generally ask the
sweet young lady attendant for alone
in the Navy Strange as 1t may APP
pear, that young person never asks any
questions, but straightway produces
"A Sailors Log" Of course the Ad-
zfxx fx,& Ia Nox