The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1904-12-01
lN.tIana. soldier. Compared.


The soldier Of Japan has been a rev.
elatlon. He Is a pocket edition Of a
man, but when II comes TO playing al
war he Is a full-slzed individual He -
In the game because he likes IL. just as
he seems to live for the fun OF the
thing. His ability TO go without food
on the march Is phenomenal his recu-
perative power remarkable, and his
ability 20 Withstand hardships Won
drous. Should he fall III he Is taken
20 a model army hospital. but he sell
dom falls I'll. because OF the thorough
preparations he has made for the cam
paign and the great efficiency Of his
commissarlat and transport Tom
my Atkins" as one sees him In China,
needs reiuyenating. He needs 10 be
shaken up He Is too often recruited
from the siums OF the cities rather
than from the healthful country dis
trlcts OF his land. Between him and
his officer Is a gulf so vide as 70 pro-
hlblt any sort OF intimacy. His officers
never understand Tommy. and Tommy
has no conception OF the real qualities
OF his officers. In eight cases out Of ten
the officer ls a first-rate polo player
and cricketer. gentleman born and
bred, and little else He thinks OF his
own comfort first. OF the comfort Of his
horse rext. and Of Tommy last, II az
ali. Tommy Is handicapped by obso-
lete army regulations. BY aristooratlc
and incompetent officers and BY con-
stantly increasing eonceit The Am
erican soldier Is supremely confident
that he Is as good az anybody on earth
and is not ayerse 70 saying so. Next
10 his confidence in himself Is his un-
daunted confidence in America and in
the American army Nobody but an
American could successfully command
such body OF men. Each soldier is a
born lawyer and orator; each soldier
feels personally responsible for the de-
fects In evidence. and each endeavors
on his own behalf to settle not only
the affairs OF his comrade and his
company and his regiment but OF his
country and other countries as we'll.
He Is a troublesome party In camp,
but when he comes into competition
with others he Is pretty sure TO acqult
himself we'll
He is ofiicered BY body Of men who
Is a rule are capable. About two out
OF every ten Of them are born gentle
men.a much larger percentage are SELF
made en,lemen. and nearly all are
rood fellows. These officers pride them
selves on their democracy. They speak
OF one another as soldiers. not officers.
and boast that their quaivers and their
fare are little better than those OF the
men N the ranks They study their
men. They live as they do do what
they do--and consequently can compre-
bend their needs and sympathize in
their privations. It is this close con-
nection between officers and men that
Is the great strength Of the American
army. The soldier Of "the States Is
the best paid and best fed soldier In
the world. He receives so times as
much as docs his Russian comrade.
but he Is not different from any other
soldier IN that he spends It all on pay
day IL he can. The next day he has
remorse He Is human. after ALL His
uniform Is not beautiful. but Il is busl-
ness-like. He has practically no fol-
lowers, and therefore his uniform Is
especially adapted to his multitudinons
duties. No man Is above doing the
meanest work in the camp and each
thinks himself capable Of commanding
corps.