Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1904-09-22
TIE NATIONAL GUARD.

and writing right along. The soldiers
of the national guard are soldiers, as a
rule, for the sake of logging out in blue
adorned with brG SIS buttons, but more
especially for the good time it gives
them once a year. 1t isn't much differ
ent in other states than in Vermont.
but here it is a notorious tact that the
majority of the boys who are members
of the national guard are in for the tun
of it, Burlington Clipper.
More than few in Vermont express
opinions like this, though we give
most of them credit for possessing diff
ferent convictions at heart. Such re-
marks are made carelessly or peey-
ishly. in most cases. The public at
large does not endorse them. and re-
grets that from even a small proper
ton Of the citizenship should come 80
poor a return to those who enlist in
the national guard Of this or other
states.
No doubt there Is a sense OF personal
satisfaction to militiamen In DOMINIC
and wearing a uniform. A part OF
this may be vanity itself, but not all OF
it by any means. No guardsman need
feel other than proud Of the apparel
that he wears, for IL has been badge
OF honor always. He has a right to
stand little sIraighter and carry his
head a little higher, and If this is any
"iunn to the recruit let him enjoy it.
And the good time "once year
for which ii is alleged the national
guardsmen are soldiers-let them en-
joy that too. If the men derive fun
from the week in camp, why deny 1t to
them? If they find the drills and
duties pleasant, rather than irksome, so
much the better. A happy soldier is
the best kind of a soldier.
OF course all militiamen belong for
the sake OF the satisfaction there is in
il. There can be no incentive in
the pay connected, which barely COW
ers the outlay. Call this satisfaction
fun if you want to. There is more
to be commended than condemned
about it. The men 90 because they
like to, and they like TO because
guard membership appeals to their
loyalty, answers the military instinct
that every good citizen should feel,
throws them in contact with compan-
ions subject to the same impulses,
prepares them for the defence OF the
state and nation should they be
needed, enables them to see much they
could not otherwise, and, with plenty
OF hard work, brings some lighter ex-
periences that may be called "tunn, il
il suits any better, without detracting
any from the other features. This fun
may be and is, in too many cases, car
ried to excess, but the casual observer
who sees only this and concludes that
il constitutes the sole object to the
guardsman makes a grave mistake.
Ii would be nice in this, as in other
things, if what is bad could be left out
and what is good retained, but it is
too much to expect perfection in
guardsmen, when all the world is i'm
perfect.
Whatever the motive of the
militiaman who enlists for three years,
he deserves honor and credit for the
action, while his record in the service
stands by itself for judgment. In
these days OF selfish commercialism
and love of languor, it is well If there
are some who take mp the guardsman' s
duties. One of the grave perils OF
our nation is that to belligerent
spirit we unite most faulty preparation
for warfare itself. Like a spunky
little boy among the nations of the
earth we strut about with almost no
knowledge OF the manly art of SELF
defence. We owe it altogether to the
intervening distance that some first
class power has not put us to the bad
ere this, for whatever our spirit or
our resources they would count for
little in the actual clash. Our regular
army is small and scattered. What
ever else of military training there is