New Britain herald., 1917-08-15

was made in high good humor. the soldiers laughing and joking at their ill-luck with that comic brightness characteristic of Americans in diff cult circumstances
 Three Qualities of Battle.
 Finally. there are the three battle qualities of the good soldier:
 Spirit,
 Tenacity,
 Self-reliance.
 Unless a, man has these three uual ities-even though he possesses all the other six in good measure-he is after all only a campfire soldier.
 Spirit
 Spirit-fghting spirit-is far from being mere hatred of the enemy or blind fury, on the one hand; nor is 1t mere passive obedience to orders, on the other It means cool, self-con- trolled courage-the kind of courage which enables a man to shoot as straight on the battlefield as he does in target practice. However, it even goes a step beyond that point. Deci- sive victories cannot be won by mere ly repulsing the enemy. "Only tho offensive wins.' (Infantry Drill Regulations, paragraph 511.)
 Like all the other qualities of 8 soldier, spirit can be cultivated. An untrained army seldom possesses it. But it can be developed. You can and will develop it until 1t becomes as much a part of yourself as any of your easy-going civilian habits are now.
 Tenacity.
 Spirit carries a body of soldiers for ward. Tenacity is the quality that makes them "stick'' The thorough soldier is never ready to stop fighting until his part of the battle is won. Tenacity was never better expressed than in the words of John Paul Jones. Standing among his dead and wound ed on his sinking ship which was "leaking like a basket" he replied to his adversary's invitation to surren- der Sir, I have not yet begun to fight" Two hours later the battle came to a sudden end when the col ors of the enemy's vessel were hauled down.
 Self-Reliance
 Self-reliance is characteristic of the American, whether he is serving a, oNSo" patton. Much the same quality Is sometimes referred to as "initiative.' It is a quality needed more than ever before in present-d day warfare. Major General Leonard Wood, in his intro- duction to the Field Service Regula- lions of the United States Army, says:
 "Oficers and men of all ranks asd grades are given a certain lndepen- dence in the execution of the tasks to which they are assigned and are ex- pected to show initiative in meeting the different situations as they ar rive. Every individual, from the highest commander to the lowest pri- vate. must always remem Der that in- action and neglect of opportunities will warrant more severe censure than an error in the choice of the means"
 Making Yourself Stronger. The nine qualities which have just been reviewed are those which every one of us would like to have for him. self They are the essentials of verjle and successful manhood, whether in the army or out of it. Even the moral weakling and the stacker in their hearts admire these qualities.
 Doubtless you have developed some of them already-perhaps all of them to a greater or less extent. Many man has discovered, when put to the test, that he possessed these qualities without having himself realized 1t. But under civilian conditions it is not easy to cultivate all Of them.
 In the army you will have your opportunity in a few months Of tram ing to strengthen these qualltles Ill yourself. In so doing you VIII learn to control yourself, to take care Of yourself under all conditions, to meet hardship and danger unf1inchingly, to he fearless and self-reliant. At the end of these few months of training YOU will have gained immensely in yigor and in strength.