Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-02-15

logical and convenient both for you and
them, since you must appear when Il fresh
sentry is posted. II of course never occurred
20 you that the major possessed u reason for
the short two-hour period, and that while this
may keep sentry more alert and more use
ful. since the Germans are exactly $500 yards
in front of u.s. 1t also gave man but little
chance to sleep while on duty IL our men
are going TO be killed they must be killed by
the Germans and certainly not by "A careless.
lazy n. {. .. like you appear to be-
This may seem brutal to folks living at
home. II is not. 1t merely displayed the
horror ! felt at the idea of one of my men
getting into trouble through bad discipline.
Some days they have to work very hard and
four hours seem a very long period at night
time.
The corporal reduced, of course, and
! know is perfectly certain that my action
displayed slke for him. This, of course,
was quite untrue. but he was a menace TO
the sons of many women of Great Britain.
He was clog In the wheel of discipline and
had to be removed. This illustrates how
efficient discipline works for the comfort of
the many. Again and again one finds spoiled
men, naturally good fellows but who have
started crime sheet through lax disc plne
on the part of the N. c. o.
What Saluting Means
OF course discipline has many aspects,
some OF tnem strange ana utfCult to under
stand. A well-disciplined company never fails
it's commander. Its crime sheet is low. It's
members are always clean and tidy, for an
untdy, dirty soldier is never any good. The
men salute the'r officers, not as sign of
bondage but rather as an expression of man.
ly courtesy, even If the officer be an imposs-
bic person, for they know they are not sa-
luting him personally but that they are pay
ing tribute to the person he represents, the
commander-in-chief of their nation, the Pres
ident who is the soldier-citizens personal
representative. Besides they know that II their
officer is "a fool there Is not the slightest need
for them TO be likewise A disciplined COM
pany or battalion generally has that great big
thing, valuable In any organization, esprit dc
corps, Perhaps this makes rs members de-
spise the men of every other company or
battalion, though this is not a bad condition
Of mind for a soldier, when il is based OIL
knowledge of the fact that there are certain
things that his company cannot possibly do
And real obedience Is never gained by bru-
tality, the resort of the man placed IN a
position that he cannot hold down, but more
often by the display of good common sense
on the part OF the commander and some
times a little love and affection thrown in.
To me an understanding of perfect dis
cpline Is the most effective thing any soldier
| can learn, for 1t works In all direct ons ant
| chiefly does 1t make the life of privat.
| more happy and comfortable for disciplin,
! must De appheu very nrmly to the quarter
master sergeant and his staff so that q
word sometimes hardly in the form of =
| command from an ofiicer will produce ra
! tons when needed clothing at the right mo
| ment and many other little tn ngs that ar,
! renerally forgotten in a unit where the offi
GERS prefer familiarity to friendship, as the,
| slouch about regard ng themselves as perfec
| leaders. because the untidy, sloveniy men the,
lead succeed in hiding the contempt they feel
| The whole thing ought not to be dlficul
over here, where discipline is based on tn
word come" and not as among our dea
| enemies, on the word go"
OF course there are many other things on
| might talk about that are important bu, "dis
ciplne' is the portmanteau word, for /
| covers everything.