The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1911-05-23

lorn regions is recognized as entirely
undesirable from the point of view of
military efficiency. CHARTERED in the
towns, when off duty they have amuse-
ments and occupations which keep
them from ennui and the desertion,
drunkenness, and crimes which ensue
from it more than from any so-called
temptations. Continental peoples be-
lieve that a man-above all a soldier
with the influences which encase him
is more likely to be good when he is
happy, and that he learns far more of
his trade when he can get pleasure
out of the hours that it does not claim.
Cities Want Soldiers.
The civil population has also to be
considered. They like to have the sol
diers in the towns and clamor for
them, from numerous reasons too evil
dent to mention. In fact, when new
creations bring up the question where
these troops shall be garrisoned, the
municipalities make offers to the gov
eminent, proposing to pay one-third(
one-half, or even more, of the total
cost of new barracks, if located in
their limits. The War Department
usually accepts the highest offer, pro-
vided military considerations do not
prevent. In the last year twenty-four
new regiments of field artillery were
added to the French army. This re-
suited in a fierce competition and
most liberal offers in half the towns of
France that wanted the new regi-
ments.
Lessening Desertion.
1t would seem that all of these con-
siderations apply equally to us, and in
the matter of contenting the men they
have a greater Importance. The
scourge of our voluntarily enlisted
army is desertion, the weakness of our
nation is it's ignorance of military
things. We have military virtues, we
have no military knowledge rich
field uncultivated. We grow every day
more like old Europe in our physical
surroundings, and hence in our occu-
pations and tastes and amusements;
the world grows smaller, the CONT
nents closer and more similar, with
each decade. Our frontier days are
over, and the call of the wild which
used to fill the ranks of our regiments
on the border with adventurous youths
thirsting for movement, for excite
ment, for action, is heard no more, or,
when heard, proves only an echo fol-
lowed by establishment and disgust.
Our soldiers live under most of the
work conditions of other men, only
when their labor is over they are not
free. They may not marry. Most of
them are about twenty-three years
old. The conditions of life at the aver
age military post, however healthy,
however sane, however comfortable
and praiseworthy in theory from the
point of view of the middle-aged men
who create and control them, are not
the conditions which make the man of
with much spare time on
MS hands satisfied with his lot or pre-
sent him as an object of envy to his
civilian comrades of the same ilk.
To recruit our army is at times well
high impossible and no measures have
yet succeeded in materially diminish
ng desertion.
1 believe that among the other very
'eal advantages which would come of
putting our soldiers in instead of far
away from towns, would be the elimi-
nation to a great extent of that ennui =,
which is like deadly poison in the
of our distant posts. 1t
would bring officers and men in con-
act with civilians, rubbing off the
prejudice and ignorance which exist
IN the one hand and the narrowness,
which is our curse, on the other. Both
classes need to know each other. /