Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-05-14
nlshes tts SOLDIER with pay, clothing board

nlshes the soldier with pay, clothing, board
ard lodging and in case OF illness with med
icfnes and the best medical attendance. and
In return therefor expects him to take good
care of himself and his surroundings; to
keep everything connected with him clean,
neat and wholesome. so that wnen ne has
finished hts recruit drill and has been prop
erly Instructed In the use OF his rlne-has. In
fact, oecome a private in his company-the
soldier VIII have great number OF Inherent
employnents; some of them come IN as part
Of the oaily routine being taken in turn in
regular rotation by all the private soldiers;
Others which can only be performed by in
telligent men, and being often posts of re-
sponsiJlity or requiring special knowledge,
carry with them extra-pay and privileges.
The first case will be that OF an ordinary
soldier, leading the life that the majority
have 20 lead. AS regards mere drill, he Will
have decidedly easier time OF " than ne
had as recruit, not over two9 hours each
Gay, Saturday ard Sunday excepteds AFTER
breakfast the days work begins; II he Is
not detailed for either guard or fa tigue work
the days routine will be to assist in clean
Ing up in and around the quarters, which
never occupies much time; drill for an hour
or an hour and half, and In the season,
school, dinner at noon. and then perhaps
another hours drill, or school: supper
about o'clock end retreat parade at sun
set; after that he is free until IL o'clock,
when he must be in bed. All the time ne is
not engaged In these duties he has to him
self for amusement, study, or cleaning and
caring for his arms, etc
During the target season, about three
months In the year, his entire time will be
mostly devoted to the duties on the target
range. Nothing is allowed to interfere with
this important duty, AZ it is desirable that
BE become an efficient rifieman.
In chapter describing the duties of
non-commissioned officers, Col. Reynolds
says:
1T Is expected, though by no means ex-
acted, that non-commissioned officers will
md their associates among their own class
There are several reasons for this: One is
that 1t serves to keep them free from any
bias which being on too familiar terms
with a private soldier would naturally
create in matters of military duty making
1t easier for them to exercise their author
Hy without prejudice. Another is that it
teaches them the distinction of their posi-
tons They are the picked men of the
army, and being such they are expected
to so conduct themselves that the private
may always have before his eyes the model
Of what he should strive to become, and it
Is certain that the non-commissioned officer
who misbehaves himself will very shortly
lose his position and be reduced to the
ranks or discharged.
Col. Reynolds says in closing that his
sketch of the life and prospects of the
enlisted man was not written with the
intention of enticing with fair words and
promises young men into the service, but
to set forth the true state of life in the
army, to the end that anyone with lean
ing toward the soldiers profession may
have the chances and possibilities of such
life fairly stated to him before he takes
a step which he may have cause to regret,
and with hope that 1t may correct those
who have hitherto misconstrued the char
acter of the soldiers of the regular army
and it is also hoped that when considering
these pages they will take into account
that the United States soldier is the repre-
sentative of conservative body of men
trained to uphold the laws of his country,
even at the cost of his life, and that his
hoe lad his c0lIutrymen to
conquer the wilderness and to people it
with happy homes, and therefore give him
that place in their esteem to which he Is
Justly entitled