Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1918-10-17
ny u. NJ. Forbes.


;.lic OF system which in other call
,nsS mas long passed away.-thc war
nas planted It's iron heel. On the bat
GUAR regiment their comrades-in arms
..Ssaohs 20. II Is true, unfortunately,
two ssf the Mere oe tG 'S of
which still regard themselves n$ just
., eut above their fellow nortais. but
great bulk of officers regard them
%ei"es rs nothing but inhnitesima!
units In a mighty organization out
earth has ever known. pa!try class
distinction they taboo. The stern ne
cG,Ssities OF war have, proved to them
Old prcjudices which in prc-war days
so often separated one corps from
SAW WOUNDED GENERAL
WITH HEAD IN CORPOHAL's LAP.
When amid the din OF battle men
aaetually bcheld. AS they did on Tho
Marne for instance. a wounded general
lying on the roadside. his head In 3,
assisting each other arm in arm over
turf slippery with blood: subaltcrns
and lance corporais hcrded together
under the same dismal roots: and
every man in n column. peasant and
iniilionaire alike, partaking of the
identically same food-the pre-war
snobbery, at one time the banc OF the
service. received mt that hour Il blow
from which never in its history will it
rally again.
Then, again, living In an atmosphere
apart the average British officer in
pre-war days practically knew nothing
ug TO nsGS the OF s Wnas was, h
IL the barrack rooms. the subaltcrn
and company commander were equal
feuds. the understandings. the mis-
UNDERSTANDINGS. the cllques. the GUS
toms; common 10 ievery community
prison. or "A convent, so far rs thew
affected the rank and file. might as
veil have been nonresident; az far as
Apart from the actual harefaced
facts o: case. an officer trying a man
a, the orderiy room knew absolutely
This he was little worse than the
average in the law court but had
lays las been a"a faar m TIN ds
pos!tione, !diosyncrasies, etc. OF their
men as they are no, nowadays. many many
stormy hut uncallcd- for stoicisn.
might readily have been remcdied.
Even when men were ordered TO the
guard room. 1t was only in rare in
stances that tho company officers We're
informed of 1t. 1; = private struck q.
noncom'nssioned officer. ,h.n the or
square 10 the company commando :ike
. shot; bu, woe betide the. 'uckless
wish; cGnsiEnsd 70 shokey me?eIy
il-grained y. &. O. OF his cr'c. The
oNcers would hear nothing un::! he
had spsn; "a nigh, in deter ds,Sn'i1n enc
spir iose which M existed e Setwix, i" orears
and men in prre-war days ar. talking
Of Of w eonts mex ,Sa 10 d mhs na M
casionally met on the football field
and cricket ground. but this w,s en-
regulations it is definitely laid down
that IL Is the duty OF every officer 20
make himself thoroughly acquaintc !
OF every man serving under him how
much this excellent injunction wai
carried out in practice is hara!r a
Ptior to the war. officers ana mer
led lives as widely different as i:
is possible TO imagine They No 10; only
viewed the world through totally diff
ierent spectacies. and regarded each
other as units of completely diverse
communities; but not even on maneu-
vfrs did they really get much in3iSh.
into each other.s ways Of thinking. de-
pito thc fact that they were Ger. MY
than ut any other period OF the year :
with all the unspeakable misery the
present war has mothered; his enc
benefit II has at least brought about
a vital change IL the unnatural and
alienater view Of f. the h o niirsr Tor INC
pcriis, the vicissitudes. the necessi. les
Of war have achieved in this way what
failed TO do When a captain or major
hrholds his men almost unable TO
stand from sheer fatigue: shivcrirg u:
the drenehing rain lying in ,o n:9od ID
presence of death Dust as the humble
,rivatc when he beholds his platoon
.hot from under hin). there instantly
springs up hetwiSt them iceung
such as in pre..war days never existed
from one years end TO anoihe.
To-,
w-;ch has gone far u s';.asn the old
eang-the would be eXclmsivists by
W Sime .go"crnedIis tn" 'os,uopoIitan
chnracter Of hundreds Of 10 Ia, Y bat
talions. many of which l Officers OF the
t n," command n:d Field n0.e..q coming If
this way in contact with classes of
men of whom. in the, days prior to
ing have Immensely broadened their
views All SORTS and conditions of men
are now placed under their ,jurisdic-
schooimasters and mechanics; archi-
srs oo and ths
ihese new levies have begun TO
make an ex;r?ordinary diseoyery.
socially impossible, as many Of these
DAYS. taken on the whole. n wonder
fully tolerable set OF pcoplc they are!
Though not one In ten OF them. prf.
man, II is simply surprising what
merit Is occasionally TO be found in
their, piebcian hearts, don't,you-
thing about these people is their ut
ter want Of awe when addressed on
sard with good natural tolerance,
Els voice and hauteur merely as cir
cumstances to he accepted with becom-
how lnE the old order of things has passed
away!
Moreover. the knowledge that the
does-now rise to commissioned rank,
has had q powerful effect In break
ing down what was almost the cruel
pared with tho or1cer of pre-war days,
the officer OF to-day has become human