Evening star., 1917-10-03
chasseur. We may not be built that

chasseur. We may not be built that
way.
So that our men are being carefully
| trained at the butts. 1t may be that
they will not be able to stop a charg-
ing line by rifle fire. In that case
they can fall back on the grenades.
They are being as carefully trained
in throwing grenades as they are in
any other department of modern war.
But the officers who have toted the
dead spits and images of these young
sters through the Philippines, where
stumps. and through Alaska. and into
China, say they are cool enough in
action. They don't rattle worth a
cent They think these lads can be
trusted-after the preliminary trench
hardening-to stop the kaiser's best
line with rifle fire.
Natura1-Born Rifle Shots.
1t was an odd and unexpected thing
to find that these boys are natural
born rifle shots. The officers frankly
did not look for it. Not one young
American in a thousand nowadays
ever picks up big game rifle and not
one in ten thousand has a chance to
shoot one. 1t must be that We have a
good eye" nationally. These clerks
and farmers and factory hands who
volunteered for the first force are fiat
tening themselves on the ground and
cuddling up to the stock and squirting
along the barrel as though they were a
generation of Daniel Boones. They
are not making clean scores, of course.
But they are shooting marvelously
well-so we'll that If the improvement
continues we will send an army Of
snipers into the field. If the boys hold
their nerve charging enemy cannot
who know the breed, say that holding
the nerve is the best thing an Ameri-
can does.
To say they are shooting Infinitely
better than their French instructors
is not to say anything at all, for the
French do not worry about the indi-
yidual rifieman. But it was a sur
prise to find that the American ma
chine gun teams are faster and better
shots than their instructors. This
statement is made after observation,
and it is confirmed by statements of
Frenchmen and Americans alike. The
fellows"-that's the true slang name
for the American soldier-take to ma
chine gun shooting like thirsty ducks
to a pond.
Set Up Machine Gun, Blindfolded.
1t is a point Of honor for them that
every man in each team shall be able
to take down his gun and set it up
again while blindfolded. If anything
happens to the gun in action it may
it up at night. when no light can be
shown. The man who, after a fair
time of training. cannot do this cannot
last in a team. If his officer did not
see his inability his mates would ask
that he be relieved-by the process of
asking him to ask. This is only q
great game they are playing at yet.
They take pride in the perfection with
which they play the game.
After watching the blindfo1ded boys
go at this work one begins to believe
that there is something in that belief
in American hardness that we have
all cherished. Then one sits on the
hillside and smokes a pipe and watches
boys who were at the bench four
the machine gun the best men
the French army can produce and who
have fought throughout the war. In
the unit of chasseurs which has been
teaching one Of our units twenty three
officers have been killed Of the twenty
five with whom they began the war.
That is all that need be said Of the
Speed Learned From French.
At rifle, automatic rifle and machine
gun shooting we bid fair to excel any
troops on this side. The French do not
the first days of the war. They prefer
the grenade. Yet it is incontestable
that our men have not the troutlike
speed in bayonet practice of these chas-
seurs. The Americans are speeding up
every day, but they have not yet ap-
preached their instructors in pace.
THAT is the great lesson the French
have taught US so far" several officers
have said. 1.-The need of speed"