New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-09-02
Troops in France Are Learning
Discipline Of Foreign Armies
Officers Are Inclined Approve Stratihed British System
but French Democracy Is Invading
the Ranks
By Haywood Broun

(Aceredi'ed TO the pe'shir1 ARMY IN Frdnce
for The Ne,C York Tyibsnc ard Sy,diedtel
AMERICAN EXPEDlTlONARf
ARMY, Aug. l5.-"The most important
factor in the American army Will
be discipline said an officer shortly
after the troops came out to
the training camps. "lf 1T has
good discipline it will be good
army; if il has bad discipline, II will
be a bad army. can watch regi-
ment stand at attention and tell you
whether or not it can fight effectively.
The question remains SIS 10 what sort
Of discipline the American army VIII
have. Some observers say that there
are two kinds Of good discipline
French discipline and English disci-
Mine. Under the French system there
are let-down periods. of duty an Of
ficer may fraternizc with enlisted men
70 an extent which would scandalize
the English army. This is due, in part,
TO the fact that the armies are COM
posed differently. The English army
is much more strstifed than the
French. It has, as the American army
had before the war, a distinct officers
class. An Erglishman of certain edu-
cation received a commission as a mat
ter Of course. Under the volunteer
system, which prevailed at the begin
ming of the war, the English volunteer
Of the upper or upper middle class
did no. offer his services until he was
prepared to fulfil the duties Of an
officer. The French draft, on the other
hand, thrust many distinguished citi-
zen into the ranks. A sergeant in
the instruction division here was one
of the most popular playwrights in
France before the war, and the other
day a crimy little man climbed from
from a coal cart to tell me in perfect
English tina. he had been an assistant
professor Of Romance languages in one
Of the great American universities
Cornell, think-before the call came.
Of course, when the word English
discipline is used II falls short OF the
British army. Australian discipline
and English discipline are vastly diff
ferent. There is a popular story about
an Anzac colonel in Egypt who drew up
his men and told them:
AN English general is coming here
to-day to inspect the regiment, and re
member, damn you, don't call me Bill
until he goes
Canadians Well Disciplined
An instructor at a British training
camp told me that the Canadians were
now among the best disciplined troops
in the army, but that the Australians
still gave occasional trouble. Every
now and then he said, "a couple of
them will sneak down in the woods and
camp out alone for a couple of days"
British officers will tell you that. al
though the Australians fight well, their
losses are much higher than they would
be with better discipline. II there is
such a possibility rs an absolutely dem
ocratic army, it has been much i'm
paired by the poor work Of the Russian
republican army. The scheme Of sub
hitting each plan of attack to the sol
diers before IL is ordered cannot be
said TO have proved effective.
The question of discipline in the
American army is complicated by many
factors. Before the war there was a
gulf between officers and men fully as
wide as that in the English army. II
was not due TO lack of democracy. II
wss q gulf founded on fundamental
differences or character and education.
On one hand, there was the officer class,
carefully selected and carefully trained,
and. on the other hand. the enlisted
men. haphazardly accepted from the
floating population. Professional armies
the world over are recruited largely
from the industrially inefficient during
times Of peace.
An American regular of no great
promise was hewailing the fact that an
officer had hoped him because he
executed a command imperfectly.
We'll" his companion answered,
wouldn't the farmer bawl you out if
he told you to feed the horses and you
didn't give them as much rs he told
you ," 1t was the typical point If view
of the old type of professional SOL