Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1913-04-04
LASH Piled ON SOLDIERS
Enforcing Military Discipline One
Hundred Years Ago. YF,ss

Enforcing Milifary discipline Ohe
Hundred Years Ago. YE,gs
The other day, in London. Professor
Oman, who, though civilian, Is an
authoritative writer on military affairs,
delivered lecture on development Of
discipline, before an association Of
army officers. The lecture was his
torical dealing with the changes in
forms of punishment that the last GEN.
tury has witnessed. Going back to
the era Of the Peninsular War, when
Wellington was beginning to make his
mark broad and deep on history, Pro-
fessor Oman gave some startling sta
tistics he had dug out Of the official
papers of 100 years ago. Terror was
the method employed to enforce dis
cipline and decent living on the en-
listed men. One Of the lecturers
statements, that sometimes offenders
received as many as 700 lashes, caused
his audience of officers to sit up and
take notice. One or two inquisitive
spirits did more, says the Boston
Transcript. They asked Professor
oman for proofs. He produced them,
and the judge advocate general, who
was present, testified to the accuracy
Of the professors assertions as borne
out by the records of his department.
After all, 1t Is not wonderful that
British officers Of 1912 should be skep-
tical at the recitation of lists Of pun
ishments awarded by British officers
of 1912. The latter would have resent
ed with promptly drawn swords the
imputation of cruelty. They were sim
ply men Of their time, which, as the
Judge advocate said, was hard era;
ne supposed his hearers would say a
brutal era," when punishments which
we Of today would call inhuman were
regarded as matters Of course and at
tracted little comment, much less pro-
test. Flogging was long ago abolish
ed in the British army for most Of
fenses. 1t was reserved for some pc
culiarly degrading crimes until the
early sos, and then was abandoned al
together. 1t is doubtful If any of the
officers who listened to Professor
Oman had ever seen q soldier punish
ed with the lash.
Soldiers today are much better men
than were the soldiers who followed
Wellington to victory. His ranks con-
tanned many men who got their liv-
ing by their wits before they enlisted,
and there were others to whom the
obscurity Of the ranks was protection
against the consequences Of careers Of
crime. On one occasion, while In
southern France, Wellington. who
scrupulously paid for his supplies, ran
short Of French money, but had silver
bullion enough. He called for SOL
diers who knew something about coin
age, and forty responded, none Of
whom had got their training in the
mint They were in truth counter
feiters. who had outrun the law and
found refuge in the army. With the
aid of these "coiners' he coined
enough French money Of full weight
and value to answer his needs. 1t was
as good money as any in France, save
that 1t had been made by the enemy.
Now, in the British army, while scores
Of trades are represented, the more
merciful law Of 1912 would deprive a
commander Of that peculiar talent
which Wellington found so useful. for
counterfeiting which was punishable
with death in his time, is today a
prison offense. Counterfeiters are few
er than in 1912. For the same reason
soldiers are better because the world
Is more humane. The ranks no long
er include a large proportion of brutes
rendered more brutal by punishments
that inflicted horrible suffering with
out awakening remorse. The soldier
has improved along with the citizens.
The latter would cry out against the
draconic code that his great grand
father regarded as foreordained to be
Interchangeable and as admirably de-
signed for the protection of society.
The world lives and learns, learns that
humanity Is the best code to follow in
dealing with human nature.