The Big Stone Gap post. [volume] (Big Stone Gap, Wise County, Va.) 1892-1928, 1916-12-20

can be procured for service in
the Army at fifty cents a day.
I is stupidity, nsinine. goose and
bull-moose ali combined.
The service isT harder, much
harder, than IN civial life,
whether in peace or war. Har,
der in peace. because more
monotonous, and because he
who enters here must say good
by 10 every vestige of personal
liberty-He must rise by the
bngle, eat by the bugle, drill,
shovel and ditch by the bugle,
and by it go to dusty or mud
dy bed. If he was born with a
brain, he is unfortunate. The
enlisted man should leave it at
home when he joins the Army.
Harder in war, because war
maneuvers test strength and
endurance to the limit, and be-
cause the danger Of personal in
jury is many-fold grenter than
i'll civil life. The coal digger
makes from two to five dollars
y day. He is an uaskjile6 Iaborer.
His high wages are paid as
compensation for the risk of
personal injury from slate falls
and the like. Why should n
soldier not receive like com
pensat;on.
Third The Gulf bctween Officers
and Nem.-Ohicers in the Army
and National Guard are con
sidered "Gentlemen" and re.
ceive everywhere az such. They
attend the balls, hops, banquets
and other social functions, Civ
en- by the elite in every com
munity.
Enlisted men. on the other
hand, are "Men" not "Gentle-
men" They cannot eat with
an officer, or dance or play or
sing with an officer or where an
officer is. The lady who re.
ceives or goes with an enlisted
man is blackiisted by officers
wives, daughters and female
friends. She must choose the
one or the other Very .tcw have
sufficient standing and person
atty to breach the custom and
90 with both, The result is
that enlisted men, generally are
debarred from female society.
except of the lewd.
There are in the National
Guard many enlisted men who
go in the best society in their
home towns. To them the Gus
tom is calling beyond endur-
ance. Not only this, but they
must salute and stand at atten.
ton whenever an officer speaks
to or approaches them. Effort
is made to teach them that this
is but the "friendly greeting"
of "the free man" handed down
from Knight-errantry of the
Middle Ages. But the men
don't look at it in this way.
They regard it, call it what
you may, as a badge, n token,
an acknowledgment, of servili.
ty. The custom should be
abolished except when on ac.
tual duty.
Never will we be able to get
req! manhood in requisite nun
beers to roluatarHy join the army.
whether the Regulars or the
National Guard. until we bridge
this gulf between officers and
enlisted men.
Thirty-five years ago | was
Captain of Company E(cavalry)
of Louisville Legion. There
was no such gulf in the Militia
in those days. The enlisted
man danced at the hops at the
Armory and at the encamp
ments along with the officers
and officers wives and danph-
tiers and sweethearts. His social
standing as n soldier was the same
as, neither better nor loorse than. his
soc'at standing as a ciuiliaa. If.
as tho one, he was entitled to
dance with the belle of the ball.
so, as the other, he danced with
the belle of the ball, and vice
versa
Did it interfere with dis cip.
line? Not at all. On the con-
lrary It made for good fellow