Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-07-12
ENGLISH OF THE ARMY.
Straight Writing as Much Needed as
Straight Shooting.

From the Springfield Republican.
While the lighting qualities Of the army
are superb, 1t Is open to discussion whether
its English is good as its marksman-
ship. generalship and courage. Can the
officers. old and young. express their ideas
in clear. simple. straightforward language
Can they invariably write an order. or
paraphrase one. so that there can be no
ambiguity In its meaning? Nothing could
be more essential to successful military
operations than the mastery OF ones
mother tongue. The battle of Chicka-
manga would not have been lost. perhaps
by the federals had 1t not been for that
clumsy order which led a certain division
commander to open a great gap in the
federal line, through which Lopgstreet's
confederates poured. The history of war
is strewn with catas;rophes which are at
tributed to awkward or unintelligent or
ders.
There is much complaint in the British
army over the slovenly English of young
officers. The recent report OF the milf
tary education committee which was ap-
pointed by the war office to inquire into
the education and training of British army
off1cers, declares that the military wit
nesses who were called before the COM
mittee, and who based their evidence In
the Boer war, testified to the lamentable
ignorance shown by young officers gem
orally when called on to write and dictate
orders to their men, and to compose re-
ports for the information of their senior
officers In the field. Is there any war
rant for asking whether a similar criti-
cism applies to the American army?
The experience OF the Republican and the
New York Tribune the last week with one
of the orders of Secretary Root seems 30
justify little attack on the army's Eng
fish. Neither paper had before 1t Mr.
Roots original order but kind of para
phrase of the order as made by some army
officer in Manila. who telegraphed the sub
stance of Mr.. Roots instructions around
the islands. The Manila version read:
ITO refute statements of misconduct OF
troops toward natives in Philippine Islands.
Secretary of War Root directs petition OF
retention of commanders of various or
CARNATIONS and any information within
the knowledge OF any officer on these Is
lands will be wired here"
That two interpretations Of that Lam
guage, entirely irreconcilable with each
other, possible is evident-from the fact
that the Republican and the Tribune have
sharply disagreed as to the meaning of
the compound sentence. While neither
paper accepts the others Interpretation.
they agree that the dispatch as sent out
from Manila was wretchedly composed.
The Tribune says; THE dispatch was most
awkwardly worded," and the sentence was
the bungling attempt of somebody in Ma
Mia to throw into indirect discourse the
Secretary's order"
There are times when good. straight Eng
fish is as necessary as good, straight shoot
ing. At West Point. doubtless, great pains
are taken with this branch OF the cadets
education. 1t is certain however, that
no cadet should be graduated who cannot
write In clear. unambiguous style. And
army officers generally. whether they are
West Pointers or not may find in the me-
moirs of Ulysses 5. Grant a model of sim
pie, luminous, terse expression. the read
ing or which once year would constitute
a liberal education in the proper use of
the language for all military purposes.
General Grant would have been incapable
Of writing that dispatch from Manila.