The Washington herald., 1910-07-03
WEST POINT IN THE EARLY SIXTIES-A RETROSPECT
On Sentinel Duty at that Time a
Greater Hardship Than at the
Present Period.

ers, and military systems, and yet have
never seen IL, never known II, or nsver
understood it-lavoro militare.
Presumably what this man meant, was
that be had been in battle, but It was not
done right.
The rules were not followed. Europe
was not taken as a model. There was
victory but not victory brought about by
faithfulness TO precedent. There was de-
feat. but the performance was irregular.
He had been wounded many times, It Is
true, but wounds have no business to be
inflicted In such a way. I grant you, he
seemed to say, a terrific struggle and re-
suits which guide the course Of history.
But the whole thing was q mere scrar1-
bic. II was not military
The man had eyes and saw not ears
and heard not -Multum reiuctans" he
, was struggling not to be dragged out OF
the Dark Ages into the light of the nine
teenth century.
A man like that cannot take 1t in that
set Of men of one temper is TO be treat
! ed in one way, and another set OF
another temper quite differently.
Gar Halted by Sentinel.
Take two stories, neither OF which IS
likely to be fact, but none the less on that
account true.
| The Car Nicholas was stopped by a
| sentinel on post and made to wait until
the corporal Of the guard came. The SEN
tinel next morning was sent for TO the
palace. rewarded, and promoted. He had
obeyed orders.
| The King of Prussia, Frederic William
II. was stopped by sentinel on post and
made to wait until the corporal OF the
/ Tla Al
was sent for TO the palace. reprimanded,
and punished. A Prussian soldier must
know his king by sight.
/ The Russian soldier is a stOlid peasant,
mere mass Of matter, that has not two
/ consecutive ideas. II IS as much as ever
II he can understand the literal meaning
| OF an order and all II he can obey IT. II
once motion be iniated. II he con-
ceiye the idea OF unpublished disobedience
in the slightest degree. the string VIII
break. the beads be scattered all over the
place. the whole army system be disin-
| tegrated
The Prussian soldier was. fifty years
agos and is now 10 a much more marked
extent taken from a class OF wholly
different temper. He is held responsible
for mind and the use Of it.
| Now, when all this has been set before
the Italian priyates mind. the next thing
is 10 have him understand (not so very
difficulty and acknowledge "a different
thing altogether) that the way in which
the Siav was treated was quite right and
the course pursued with the Teuton by
no means wrong
| When one reports 10 a sentinel duly
posted according to-laws and Tegula-
tons. he reports TO Congress.
The sentinel is the Senate and Repre-
sentatives OF the United states IN Con-
gress assembled. not a callow cadet or a
| feather-brained recruit.
The soldier must IL he means 20 keep
his OATH take his life in his hand, as well
IN his sentry box and on his post as in
the powder smoke and under the feet OF
| the troopers horse.
That story of the Roman sentry at the
gate Of Pompeii may not be as much
fact as true thing. and another true
thing is this: the sentinel, be he plebe,
old cadet, Congressman, or even the
President himself, viii always be be-
! devied.