Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1910-11-23
MILITARY FORMS.
The Why and Wherefore of Many
Army Customs.
HAND AND SWORD SALUTES.
The Origin Of the Former Goes Back
to the Time Of the Borsias and the
Latter to the Knights Of the Cru
sades-Funeral Voleys and Taps.

sades-F uneraI VoIleyS and laps.
superior raise his hand to his head
covering: The beginning dates back
to the time Of the Boryias, if not to an
earlier date In those days ussasSinu-
ton was in vogue, and in order that
an inferior might not have superior
at advantage the inferior was COM
PEELED when coming into his Supcrior's
presence to raise his right hand, palm
to the front. to show that no dagger
was concealed there. From this old
custom our hand salute has come down.
The salute with the sword was not
done that way in the beginning with
out any reason When knights of the
crusa.lcs received their orders it was
the custom for them to call upon God
/ to witness their assumption Of tho
orders given. TO do this the sword
hilt reached the lips, when the cross
! formed by the hilt and blade could he
! kissed and an oath registered to carry
out the orders faithfully. The drop
ping Of the sword, point to the front,
Indicates submission.
| Why in the funeral cortegc OF Il
mounted officer or soldier is the horse,
saddled and equipped, with the boots
OF the late rider placed heels to the
front in the stirrups, led to the place
of burial? TO show by reversal Of the
boots the owners march has ended.
We must go back to the days Of the
Romans for the reason why in the
service three volleys are fired over the
open grave of comradc. Among the
! Romans the burial consisted Of the
coffin. Three times was the dead man
called by name, which ended the cere
mony. and as the friends and relatives
| departed each said Yale" three
| times. So as farewell to our dead
comrades we fire three volleys over
the grave. Then the service called taps
is sounded, this closing the ceremony.
Why should the call taps be sounded
in preference to any other? Because
taps is the call for flights out" and
the lights Of life are out in the COM
rade who has COINED the silent
bivouac Of the dead" This ending Of
service funeral dates back to the
early forties, but did not become
fixed custom till late in the civil war.
There was reason for causing all
witnesses before a military court to
remove the glove from the right hand
before taking the oath. The raising
| of the hands and eyes toward heaven
when taking an oath is Of great an
tiQuity. When the Bible was printed
the bare hand was laid on the book,
which was afterward kissed. But thu
Bible was not always at hand when
needed. So the custom of raising the
right hand and uncovering the head
has grown into general practice. In
olden days the criminal was branded
in the palm of the right hand, and for
this reason the custom of requiring
the removal Of the glove came into
vogue in order that the hand might be
inspected.
The colored silk sash long worn by
officers of our army, which for many
years has ceased to form part Of the
uniform, except for general officers,
was not adopted simply because it
looked pretty. 1t was originally in.
tended that this sash. which was very
strong, woven of silk and could be
stretched out to over a yard in width.
should be used as hammock in which
wounded officers could be carried of
the battlefield.
And likewise the guady colored
horsehair plume that flowed from the
helmet was not placed there because it
looked so we'll The original hair plume
hung down on tho shoulders Of the
wearer. and j, was intended that it
should he Il safeguard against a saber |
cut aimed ut the back Of the neck, for
the long thick hair would turn the
blow and save decapitation or an ugly
wound Today the little hair tuft seen
on the headdress Of mounted soldiers
is the result.
There is Il reason why the flag at |
half staff. as an indication of sorrow.
must always be hoisted to the top Of |
the staff before being lowered. The
flag is saluted when raised and low
cred only when it is at the peak Of !
the staff. So when it is necessary to
display it at half mast it must be rails !
ed to the top before being finally low
cred, for at this time the gun fires its /
salute. and either the band or the |
trumpeters are sounding appropriate
music or call.
Twenty-one guns, the number fired |
in the international salute, were not |
selected at random. The number was
chosen by our government because it
was the nuraDer long used by the Brit.
ish for thei1 international salute. Why
the British used twenty-one guns was
no doubt due to an early custom which
had for warship salute seven guns.
A fort was allowed to fire three times
as many guns as a warship, because
in those days it was difficult to keep
nowder in good condition at sea- It ,