Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1902-06-12

or night, that was not an eye witness
of some performance OF duty being done
by West Pointer, and never saw
West Pointer flag in his duty. | want
to be frank, gentlemen You cannot
get body Of men of absolutely uniform
good conduct but | am able to say 1t
was my good fortune to see the role Of
duty performed in a way that made
man proud to be an American and a
fellow-citlzen Of such people
Your business here at West Point
has been TO teach men to do well in
war, but II Is a noteworthy fact that
you have also taught them to do we'll
in peace. The highest political posi-
lions In the land have been held, not
exceptionally, but again and again by
West Pointers. Col. Mills, | make an
swer that any man who is asked the
question must make answer when |
say that, while we would have the right
to expect that West Point would do
well, we could not have expected that
she you'd have done so very well as
she has done.
WORD TO GRADUATES.
And now In closing ] want to say
D.
and the younger graduates as we'll |
was greatly struck the other day by an
article Of one OF your instructors here,
himself graduate Of West Point in
which he dwet upon the changed con-
ditions OF warfare and Of the absolute
need that a man who was TO be a good
officer should meet these changed con-
ditions. think Ii Ii going TO be
lna lt.. II l..
officer in the future than It has been in
the past. | think that In addition to
the courage and steadfastness that
have always been the prime requisites
In soldier, you have got TO show a
far greater power OF individuality than
has been necessary before, II you are
going TO get up TO the highest level of
ofiicerlike performance OF duty.
"As has been we'll said, the develop
ments of war in the last few years have
shown that the unit viii not be the reg
iment or the company, but the unit will
be the individual man II he does not
know how to shoot, how to shift for
himself how both TO obey orders and to
accept responsibility when an emer-
geney comes he won't have any orders
to obey. If he IL not able to do all Of
that, you had better have him out Of
the army In battle hereafter each
man Is going to be to considerable
extent alone. II Will be so that the
youngest officers will have TO take
much of the responsibility that In for
mer wars fell on their seniors, and
many OF the enlisted men will have to
do most OF their work without any SUI
pervislon Of any officer The man will
have to act largely alone, and II he
shows tendency to huddle up to some
one else his usefulness is pretty nearly
at an end. III he IL nervous, so that he
wants TO feel the touch of elbows, he
had better be out OF the battle; and
you officers, II you are going TO do well,
have got to learn how to perform the
duty which is so essential.
"The task Is hard one. and you
want to face that task. You want to
realize that, more than ever before, the
honor or the shame OF the country de-
ponds upon the high average of char
acter and capacity of the officers Of en-
listed men, and that high average OF
character and capacity In the enlisted
man can TO a large degree only be OBJ
tained through you, the officers: and
that you have got TO devote your time
In bringing up to the standard the fight
Ing efficiency Of the men under you, not
merely In doing your duty so that you
cannot be called TO account for failure
TO perform II, but doing II In a way
that will make each man under you able
to perform his.
PRAISE FOR REGULARS.
Now ! want you TO weigh what | |
say, Tor II you take only half OF II you
VIII invert what | say. ! found In my
regiment that the best man was the |
man who had been IN the regular army |
In actual service out In western cam |
paigning on the plains that II he had |
been a good man In the regular army |
out on the plains, he was the best man /
that | could get hold Of, and. on the |
other hand, II he had served In time OF |
peace a couple Of years In an eastern |
garrison, he practically had next 10 |
outside the parade ground |
and barracks to do; or IL he had been
In an ordinary national guard regi-
ment that one of two things was true |
If he had understood thu. he had only
learned per cent of war he was that |
per cent better than any one else
and that was a big advancement. and
the other 80 per cent he was worse
than any one else.
WHAT MAKES A SOLDIER.
Now. gentlemen, do not intend TO
preach 20 you on the performances OF
your duties here, but II is your special
business to learn them. / do ask you to
remember the difference In the military
profession from what It has been In the
past and to remember continually that
does not consist OF excel.
ence on the parade ground, but eff
cheney in actual service on the field,
md that the usefulness. and really
great usefulness OF the parade grounds
md barracks work comes in its being
used, not as an end. but as one OF the
elements 10 the end. | ask you TO re-
member that do not ask you 10 re-
member what you cannot forget, the
aeg0n ~ layalfy Of eotiraQa NJ stand |