The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1914-11-15

the corporal in charge of his room. the
drill inst Tictor in charge Of him At drill,
the sergeant in charge Of his section or
troop. the on-commissioned officer under
whose supervision lac does his fatigues.
and n host Of other superiors. are all
capable OF either placing him in the guard
room 10 await trial or II informing him
that no IL under open arrest. and equally
liable for trial and this for offences which
would not count as such in civilian life. for
three quarters Of the military crimes
are not crimes al all in the civil code.
The average man. however, performs
work of average quality, avoid drunken
ness and keeps TO time, the result being
that he does not undergo punishment
Barrack room life for the Secruit is
fairly simple matter. He makes his own
bed and sweeps tho floor round il. He
| folds his blankets and sheets to the pre-
scribed pattern; the way in which he
folds his kit and clothing also is regulated
Tor him by the company or squadron au-
thorties, and for tho rest he is kept too
busy throughout the day at drill and TOO
busy throughout the evening in preparing
for the next days drill. to get into mis-
chief to any appreciabe extent The
recruit who involves himself in crime is
more often than not, looking for trouble
With regard 10 the composition of the
new army it may be- said that the standing
of tho men has altered material! iy since
the outbreak of hostlities though this ~
in keeping with the trend Of thought and
feeling that has been evident since the
end Of the South African campaign Up
to the end of the nineteenth century there
still remained obscure provincial centres
in which II was supposed that only
wastrels would enlist, with view q get .
ting an easy means Of livelihood; further
back. this conception of the army was a
very common one II is hard to say at
what period of British history such an
idea gained currency, unless the employ
ment OF mercenaries previous TO the time
Of the French revolution may have given
It birth. For. long before Waterloo, the
British soldier gave ample proc? Of the
stuff of which he is made and there u not
"A battlefield Of history from which there
has not come some instance Of elf-denial
or devotion tou Comrade which affects
among the ranks of the British army the
existence Of the highest principles by
which humanity is actuated
As character studies, Kiplings SOL
diers are mastery works but they
bear little relation TO the soldier
OF to-day. who. even as an Infantry
man, is required To bc an educated man In
certain directions. since he lives ina welteI
Of wind gauges and trn jectory. decima
points and mathematical calculations with
regard to the accomplishment Of his
duties The public AZ "a whole has beer
waking up to these facts slowly-very
, slowly but II has taken the world catas
trophe of a general European war tC
shake the public entirely from its apathy
and cause il to realize that the army is ar
agglomeration of men in the highest sense
OF that little three lettered word There
is to-day among all ranks and classes O
rea lizotion of the good that IL and always
has been in the army; there Is n new in
terest in soldiers. in military movements
and in all that pertains TO the theory nnc
ractice of war. and this augurs well foi
tho future Of members Of the new army
both on duty and among their friends.
One thing that men and officers alike
in the new army should be made to real
ize is that the possession OF a good xii
carries one half OF the way on active
service: the things that carry the other
half Of the way are not to be purchased