The Bridgeport evening farmer. [volume] (Bridgeport, Conn.) 1866-1917, 1917-08-15

,(Preceding Lessons: 1. Your post of
Honor; 2. Making Good as a Sol
safEFsc-r-s--.-es@--s=.-sss
= The three basic qualities, Loyalty,
obedience and Physical Fitness, were
treated in the preceding lesson. There
is another group of three soldlerly
qualities that are especially needed
during the periods of training, march
ing and waiting Between combats.
They are:
Intelligence, N-E
Cleanliness. .-~,-ri $780, -, -.
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
servation and willingness to learn
There is plenty of need for 1nteln-
gence in modern warfare The Ma
tional Army will be forced to absorb
within a few months a, training which
would ordinarily extend over per-
iod of two or three years. Those
who intend to fit themselves for pro-
motion should study thoroughly the
manuals and the drill regulations
which affect their duties. In time
they should learn something about
making and map-reading, the
construction of field entertainments
training and care of horses, signal
ling, the handling of complex pieces
of machinery, and many other sub
5ects. -.
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 Bri-
fish forces of the, present war the
previous trade or training Of every
soldier was sooner or later utilized.
Cleanliness
Cleanliness is important everywh ere
but most of all in the army where
large bodies of men are brought to-
gether. In its true sense, it includes
not only keeping your body clean,
but also your mind end your actions
Fortunately, it is a virtue in which
Americansvgenerall rank high. There
should be little, difficulty-~in settling
a. satisfactory standard Ia the new
army. This is subject more fully
treated later in this course.
CIleerfulness
Cheerfu1ness is always prominent
trait of good soldiers. Here again
Americans may be counted upon to
make a splendid ssowing, even in the
face of any unexpected hardships or
difficulties that may be ahead of US
There, numerous episodes in
American History to justify
this cdnEfdehHD q AL
In January, 1853, the Union Army
lay in camp at Falmouth. Va. About
month before had occurred the dis
astrous and bloody defeat of Freder-
icksburg. In the North it was the
warkest hour of the war. Every
2 where outside the army there was
depression and fear. On January II
the comma nding generaf-ofdered the
g gs1S 3 ess s AHa nos "a d fosi
:. drfzzling rain set In: the ground
speedily became hkeSa sea of glue;
everything upon wheels sunk into the
bottomless mud; it took twenty horses
TO start single, caisson; hundreds
= of them died in harness; but still the
general persisted. But the rain per.
. sisted also, and it soon became a sim
pie impossibility to go forward" At
ter two days of effort 1t was neces
sary to have the men struggle anf
founder through the wilderness OF
mud back to their camp"
Picture starvation; recent defea'
with heavy losses; retreat; a cheer
less mid-winter camp; rain; cold
mud; discouragement at home; a Ions
march under the most trying condi
tons ending in a return to the samt
camping ground from, which thu
troops had started. A. little, grunb
Ii
pected But the men of 1853 wer'
too good soldiers to draw long faces
The historian goes on: THE marcel
was made in high good humor, TIL
soldiers laughing and joking at thei
ill-luck with that comic brightness
characteristic Of Americans in diff
cult circumstances"
Three Qualities OF Rattle
Finally, there are the three battl
qualities of the good soldier:
I y Spirit n
Tenacity
Self-reiiance
:. Unless. a man has these three quail
ities-even though he possesses a.
the other six in good measure-he
after all only campfire soldier.
Y : r Spirit
-5plIlL---iAS SPAItT--tS 1dE 1IOil
being mere hatred of the enemy o
blind fury, on the one hand; nor
1t mere passive obedience to orders
on the other. It means cool, self
controlled courage-the kind of cour
see which enables a man to shoot a
straight on the battlefield as he doe
in target practice. However, it eve
goes a step beyond that point Deci
ave victories cannot be won by mere
ry REFUSING the enemy "Only the OF
fensive wins" (Infantry Drill Regula
ton, paragraph 511)
Like all other qualities of soldie
spirit can be cultivated. An untrain
2 ed army seldom possesses it. But
can be developed. You can and wi
develop it until it becomes as nue.
a part of yourself as any of you
easy-going civilian habits are now.
sTenacity.
Spirit carries a body of soldiers for
ward. TenaeityDiis the quality tina
makes sthen1iqf 'sticlNY ,aoThe thoroug
soldier is never ready to stop fightin
until his part of the battle is wor
Tenacity was never better expresse
than in the words of John Paul Jofe.
Standing among his dead and wound
ed on his sinking ship which wa
leaking like basket" he reptile