The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1901-09-05
Impulse of Soldiers.

The sultnp s1de 4.e@of exile against the
Officers or thsp 81 my that broke the win
dows of the palace they were I'm In trying
10 get out al the time OF the recent earth
quake In Turkey. brings up an interesting
question OF how far such acts OF fear
should be punished In fact. our Paris
contemporary, La Franco Mlitaire mem
tions that an officer OF high rank who has
maintained that such displays OF alleged
cowardice are no more TO be reprehended
than lying. This officer. who is himself
model OF military scrupulosity admits
that the man OF war ought OF course
TO respect his word and never fail In
honor, but there are occasions, he points
out, where IL is not only prIaseworthy
not TO tell the truth. but where IL is act
ually Indispensable 10 conceal IT, N only
TO deceive the enemy to give confidence to
ones own troops
Napoleon never had any scruples
against proclaiming himself victorious.
even when he had been hale beaten He
did not fail I'm his bulletins to swell his
effectiveness, to give inexact figures OF his
losses and or the losses OF the enemy
lie never hestated TO present matters in
the light that would he the most favor
able TO the deceiving OF the world In
the matter of bravery. he had himself
given many examples of signal courage
and. while valuing highly this soldierly
attribute he did not place II I'm first rank
cry suffered eclipses, that the nerves have
a part In the attitude one shows under
nre, and that there are moments when
the most intrepid feel their old carcass
shake, as one old warrior used 10 say.
SO this French officer takes up the
sudgels Tor the Turkish officers and in
weighs against condemning pitilessly those
VINO yield 10 passing seizure of spirit
attributable to some physiologic crisis
He. elites an incident at the military camn
at Chalons, where an officer was killed
instantly BY a stroke of lightning and
another OFFICER Witnessing II was so over
come by the awfulness OF the event that
he ned and hid under a bed Not even
the. intervention or brother officers, was |
sufficient to make him come out from, his
retreat The colonel was so moved by |
this display of fear that he had the man !
dismissed.
While freely admitting the suseept,hl- |
itv Of men 10 sudden impulses. I'm n |
sense beyond their control. stih, severe
discipline, bringing with II the fear OF
punishment can create IN them habits of
body and mind that In time to come 10
be second TO nature and instincts i'm a
certain sense new. The danger OF WELD
Ing 10 those momeptary Feelings hes I'm
The results that many 1ow from n panic
and the force of examples One man bv
losing his grip before the enemy may en-
danger whole army II was proba blv
with this feeling that the Sultan found
his OFFICERS state cf mind in the face Of
mn earthauake reprehensble STU there
are iacts OF seeming cowardice that are
really the manifestations OF the most
commendable prudence. One can con
celve OF 10 better time FOR y person 10
scrk To leave building than during an
narihqhake, and unless the set Of the
Turkish officers compromised the sa fetv
nf others " Is had 10 see the Justice ~
he Saltan's order Of cxiie. II NAV be
hat this punishment ell IN the end be
nGu-ious 20 the Turkish army. for tbore
: alwsHs clearly marked lire between
,ov- rdice snS prudence
one needs hut 10 read the accounts =,
he foolhsrdiness OF british Officers ubo
p South Africa thought the highest du,v
II soldier was rRshy 20 disdain cover
md make hirnse,t an unprotectcd marx
~, the epeiiv's bullets. One OF The ex-
sA.hf r'sui's OF iic f3o-r Sa- has t,~en
+" d,spi-~ 'iie stvin of suhtirr thar ya.,-
rgtoa tricG. N vai- 20 heat ifi,, tho ,hicl,t
'erd ~ general nrafdock hefora he fof ,
7 the bandF o. the Indians Army ara
= ISurra1 ~ .