The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram., 1917-08-15

~ "'"S" s"'s SooTse 10 merely IN.
SOLDIERY QUALITIES
laughing and joking at their ill-luck
with that comic brightness character
istic OF Americans in difficult circum-
stances"
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
ties-even though he possesses all the
other six in good measure-he is after
all only a campfire soldier
Spirit
Spirit--fighting spirits far from
being mere hatred of the enemy or
blind fury, on the one hand; nor is it
mere passive obedience to orders, on
the other. It means cool, self-control-
led courage-the kind Of courage
which enables man to shoot as
straight on the battlefield as he does
in target practice. However, it even
goes step beyond that point De-
cisive victories cannot be won by
merely repulsing the enemy. "Only
the offensive wins" Unfantry Drill
Regulations, paragraph 511)
Like all the other qualities Of SOL
dier, spirit can be cultivated. An un.
trained army seldom possesses it. But
it canabe developed. You can and will
develop it until it becomes as much a
part of yourself as any Of your easy.
going civilian habits are now.
s- Tenaeity
Spirit carries a body of soldiers for
ward. Tenacity is the quality that
makes them stick" The thorough
soldier is never ready to stop fight
ing 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 colors
of the enemy's vessel were hauled
down.
Self.Reiiance
Self-reliance is characteristic Of the
American, whether he is serving as a
soldier or In some civil occupation.
Much the same quality is sometimes
referred to as initiative" It is a quail
ity needed more than ever before in
present.day warfare. Major General
Leonard Wood, in his Introduction to
the Field Service Regulations of the
United States Army, says:
"Officers and men of all ranks and
grades are given certain independ-
ence 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 arrive.
Every individual, from the highest
commander to the lowest private, must
always remember that inaction 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 vir-
lie 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 a
man has discovered, when put to the
test, that he possessed these qualities
without having himself realized it.
But under civilian conditions it is not
easy to cultivate all of them.
In the army you will have your OPP
portunity in a few months of training
to strengthen these qualities in your
self. In so doing you will learn to
control yourself, to take care Of your
self under all conditions, to meet
hardship and danger unflinchingly, to
be fearless and self-reliant. At the
end of these few months of training
you will have gained immensely In Wig
or and in strength.