New-York tribune., 1916-01-17

..;... ,.o, Uepcororward all fared alIKe'
An o,c the snme food, slept on the S"'''
floor in similar blankets aud IN We', ,'
Fvcn the pyama no longer diYlded '"'''
An ,ooL ihoir share in scrubbng n0ofs M"
Washing dixics; and until the noVeI'y w,
81 oven these meninl and dirty jobs caugh'
n certain glamour from the great lue'' ~" -.
tboy svmbolized. Gradually all fodnd the',
lovcl The plausible were promoted, Iou""
wonting reduced and replaced ~ lne M"
n roaI grit and force Of character Mecha"-
ice ioined the machine gun section c'eiH'
came orderlies. signallers or telepnonlb'S' ','
dirtiest and most drunken or We o'u ~
Gicrs were reegated 10 the cooHh0use' H4'"
itv of opportunity had been granted ana 'n'
inequality Of man had been deinonstf"'''u,'
II was found that the best formula aiter a'''
was that Of St. Paul: "DiEefsi''e9 u s'''
but the same spirit"
or course. il was not perfect democracy
because of the existence OF the super
the officer. He rs really an offence against
democracy. He is what he is by divine right
whether of property or Of family influence
lie /, above the democratic law Of the pro-
motion Of the fttcst and the reduction OF IN ,
incompetent. Ills position IS, from the pom
of view Of this article, an anomaly, ana Is
ONLY rendered possible by the surYiVai III
the army Of democracy Of the ancient re-
ligion of the army Of arstocracy
An Ancient Religion.
This ancient religion Is called "nlHtary
discipline." Like other religions, IL mas ~
mvsteries. It's hierarchy, its doGmas anu ~
,it,,l We are only concerned with the last
two. Both relate to the status o. tne ', o'''e'
Tho dogmas define his position, and the ritua.
rolf
.fv. the dogmas are not required 10 square
.b,olu+ely with facts. nor is more than a
formal acauiesccnce demanded from thr
foithful. For example, it is dogma tha'
tho officer alone possesses common sense bu'
+, has bappened that an individual o'hcer mas
boen lacking in this gift, whereas the ser
ooant has possessed IL. In such clrcum'
stances an officer may borrow his sergeah'
common sense. and religion Is sausneu ,"
long "a only the officer exercises II. An o.
ccor may even borrow common sense from
r.r.,ate nroyiJed that il is done through the
Medium Of an y. c. o. Another dogma j.
that only officers can think. To safeguard
This dogma from rdicule il is necessary tha'
tho mon should be prevented from thinSing
Their attention is to be fully occupied WIN
',.lb mechanical operar IS the polishing
Of their buttons, in ori nat the ohcer H@'
think without fear 't.iadlcIon' Ia Wal
however. if all the officer are killed. the ser
gearts may think, and i they are hiiled tne
corporals NAV think, and SO on; but TINS Is
q relation of strict orthodoxy, concession
"a the logic Of facts which must not be per
mitted in any other circumstances. ne
ritual of this religion will be found N 'ne
official manuals. This account Of the super
lass NAV sound little bitter. 1t is not IN
ended 20 be so. Most officers Of the citizen
ornv have had an education in skeptcism
and possess a sense of humor They are
such good sportsmen that no one minus per
eorming the ritual for their benefit and as
often as not they accept it in the spirit IN
which it is given. n
In due course the citizen army reached the
frort Now the front may be divided INTO
two parts. the trenches and the rest camps
In the trenches the real white man maj "a,
and conclusively comes to his own. Inc
y,orn. no matter how exalted his rank auto
natically ceases 20 count. The explanation