The daily banner. (Cambridge, Md.) 1897-2008, 1917-08-16
Lesson j..

(Lesson 81
Nine SoIdierIy Qualities.
preceding Lessons: l. Your Post
OF Homer; ,. Making Good as a
SOldier.)
The three basic qualities, Loyalty,
Obedience ana Physical Fitness, were
treated i'll the preceding lesson. Ihefe
is another group of three SOldierly
qualities that are especially needed
during the periods OF training. march
ing and waiting between comDatS.
Thy are:
Intelligence.
Cleanliness.
CheerfulneSS.
Although these qualities are asso-
ciated chiefly with camp life, they are
Of course scarcely less helpful in all
other phases OF military service.
Intelligence.
Intelligence does not necessarily
mean education. but rather quick OBJ
seI.yation and Willingness 10 learn.
There is plenty of need for intelli-
gence in modern warfare. The Ma
tional Army will be forced to absorb
within few months Il training which
would ordinarily extend over Il peri
Cd of two or three years. Those who
intend to fit themselves for promo
ton should study thoroughly the
manuals and the drill regulations
which affect their duties. In time
they should learn something about
map-making and map-reading, the
construction of field entertainments,
training and care of horses, signal
a HANDLING nf nInv njnpnS
of machinery, and many other sub
jectS.
Any practical knowledge that you
may now possess will surely be use
full and helpful to you in the army.
Capt Ian Hay Beth, of the English
Army, points out that in the first
British forces of the present war the
previous trade or training of every
soldier was sooner or later utilized.
Cleanliness.
Cleanliness is important every
where. but most of all in the army
where large bodies of men are brou
ght together. In its true sense, it
includes not only keeping your body
clean, but also your mind and your
actions. Fortunately, it is a virtue
in which Americans generally rank
high. There should be little difficult
ty in setting a satisfactory standard
in the new army. This is a subject
more fully treated later in this
course.
SheerfulneSS.
Cheerfulness is always a promi-
nent trait of good soldiers. Here
again Americans may be counted up
on to make a splendid showing, even
in the face of any unexpected hard
ships or difficulties that may be
ahead of us. There are numerous
episodes in American military his
tory to Justify this confidence
In January, 1868, the Union Army
lay in camp at Falmouth, Va. About
month before had occurred the dis
aStrouS and bloody defeat of Fred
erickSburg. In the North it was the
darkest hour of the war. Every
where outside the army there was
depression and fear. On January p,
the commanding general ordered the
troops to break camp and move for
ward. At the same time "a cold
drilling rain set in: the ground
speedily beanie like sea of glue;
everything upon wheels sunk into
the bottomless mud; il took twenty
horses to start a single caiSSon; hun
dreds of them died in harness; but
still the general persisted. But the
rain persisted also, and it soon be-
came a simple impossibility to go for
ward" After two days of effort it
was necessary to have the men strug-
gle and founder through the will
derness of mud back to their camp"
Picture the situation: Recent de-
feat with heavy losses; retreat,
cherries mid-winter camp; rain;
cold; mud; encouragement at home;
long march under the most trying
conditions ending in a return to the
same camping ground from which
the troops had started A little
grumbling might reasonably have
been expected. But the men of 1868
were too good soldiers to draw long
faces. The historian goes on: The
march was made in high good hu-
NOR, the soldiers laughing and jok-
ing at their ill-luck with that comic
brightness characteristic of Ameri-
cans in difficult 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 quail
itieS-even though he possesses all