Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-05-14
A SOLDIERS DUTIES
The Daily Routine Of the En-
listed Man.
WORK AND PLAY TIME
ENOUGH OF THEFoRMER TO KEEP
ONE OUT OF MISCHIEF.
Plenty Opportunity for Real Worth to
Show and to Acquire
Virtue.
WORK AND PLAY TIME

| An interesting epitome of the life OF an
| enlisted soldier, prepared by Lieut.. Col.
| Alfred Reynolds of the inspector general
department has been issued by the war
Department, with view to correcting GER
tain Misrepresentation to the advantages
| and disadvantages of service In the United
States army. Colonel Reynolds says his
article was written with view OF showing
| to those interested that there is an honor
able career open to any one enlisting In
the army; that If he is inclined he can OBJ
tain a fair education in the schools, and
may improve his knowledge in other ways;
that there are opportunities for advance
| ment, and that with economy snug sum
of money can be saved with which to COM
mence civil life at the end of enlistment;
| or, If on the other hand, he wishes to make
| the army his profession for life. that 1t is
a career full of interest. from which he
may retire at the end of thirty years serv-
ice with suitable allowance.
in many parts fthe United States,
| says Colonel Reynolds, there seems TO
prevail the idea that to be soldier or our
| regular army is to be in position Whlcn
| is below that of the ordinary citizen, and
| which entails duties or labors degrading to
/ an American; that the privileges accorded
| a soldier are few and far between, and that
an enlistment in the army, affording prac-
L
ment, accumulation of savings, or self-1m-
provement, means that those years of a
| mans life have been wasted.
| THAT such ideas are erroneous can be
| Termed by careful inquiry. 1t will be found
| that large proportion of the soldiers Of
| the army are self-respecting, well-conduct-
| ed men and faithful and efficient soldiers,
| and that many of them have been in the
| army for years, some occupying the higher
| grades among the commissioned Off
GERS, and all contented with their lot and
| respected by their officers.
| Under the old method of recruiting 1t
| Is true that often rough and worthless
| characters got into the service to stay only
/ until they learned that their immoralties
| could not be tolerated, their careers wind
| ing up with desertion or discharge through
| the sentences Of courts-martial.
| 1T is this class of men which has caused
| the man who wears his country's uniform
to be so looked down upon by his fellow
| citizens.
| Under the present system of recruiting
| such men can no longer gain admttance
| to the service, and the young man intend
| ing to enlist can feel assured that he will
| not be thrown with undesirable compan-
IONS
But 1t must be borne in mind that the
one essential for leading a happy life in
the army Is good behavior, and If any
voice from the ranks tells tale of unnec-
essary hardships endured, or other griev-
ances, it is certain to be merely the nat
ural result of bad conduct and of leading
| a lazy dissolute life. and the same man
would have Jared equally badly in any
other walk of life.
he Has the Evenings.
1.-THE soldier is not required to be in bed
until IL o'clock at night, SO that when not
| on guard he has the evenings to himself.
From all this it can be easily SEEM" says
| the writer, that as a soldier man will
probably have more free time than he
would in any other trade or profession.
Complaining or grumbling Is checked as
much as possible. If every soldier thought
he had right to complain about whatever
he was told to do the whole day would be
taken up in investigating complaints; SO 1t
has become a recognized rule that soldiers
must do what they are told to do at once,
and IL they wish to complain about 1t after
ward well and good. Such complaints will
| always be fairly and fully inquired into
and justice done.
For light offenses 1t is generally the rule
| to reprimand and caution the young soldier
against repeating them; of course, If he
persists in wrongdoing other methods haye
| to be resorted to to enforce obedience.
When serious crimes have to be considered
| of course the punishments are very diff
| ferent, and they will be found to conform
| very nearly to those given in the courts In
civil life.
1.-THE rights of the soldier are carefully
guarded by laws, and no Illegal sentence
can be executed nor cruel or unusual pun
| ishments awarded 1t will be well for the
young man contemplating enlistment in the
army to carefully consider and think over
all these matters, and If there seems a
| harshness about 1t he must remember that
| the soldiers life is ever that of man and
not child's play, and he may be assured
| that the military code, exacting as 1t may
seem, need have no terrors for him If he
| means to do his duty in the right spirit.
His Little Store.
Col Reynolds shows that with ordinary
- .t<~l.A he
| at the end of his first enlistment with
| $685. 70 to his credit and" he adds, "as he
will be furnished with travel money to
carry him to the place where he enlisted,
| he arrives home this much better off than
| when he left three years before. and when
we consider how we'll he has been cared for
and the many opportunities he has had for
self-improvement 1t surely cannot De saio
| that the time has been wasted. Note mas
been made of the fact that while on service
out of the United States proper he gets ~
per cent additional pay.
at ct us now take the case Of a soldier
| (still private) who may be good trades,
man or a man with fair education, ana
| 1t may be mentioned that even II when
| man enlists he is not up to this marx ne
may, by little application and by taking
| advantage of chances to inform himself
| very soon become a good scholar or Inn
prove at his trade. AS in the case first
| cited the pay will be the same and In addl-
| ton he will have plenty or chances OF carr
| ing from thirty-flve to fifty cents day by
| being detailed for duty In some OF the
| places for which extra duty is paid at these
| rates So that If he Is saving he Will have
| quite a sum to add to that already men
| toned"
A Routine System.
! Col Reynolds describes in detail the
| everyday work of private soldier, in
Guiding the extra work involved in keep
ing the buildings and grounds clean,
/ lighting the fires in winter and looking
after the gardens In summer, and says
/ that all these duties are taken strictly in
l turn; that none of the work is hard nor
more than a man might have to do in his
| own home without being ashamed of 1t.
/ He then takes up the relations and privi-
leges OF the well-conducted soldier and
/ explains that the good things of the
/ army, as in other walks Of life, are for
| the good characters, and that as long as
| a man behaves himself properly he will
/ have little fault to find with the rules
| which govern him, but when once he be-
| gins to get careless about his duties or to
misbehave himself he will find his life far
| from pleasant.
| The soldier coming of guard has the
| following half day to himself. Sunday is
| q Tree day, as is most of Saturday. Men
| coming Off guard are usually granted
pass Ca written permission) to be absent
/ for twenty-four hours, and Ii is not UNI
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