Richmond planet. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1883-1938, 1918-06-08


1t mus be cause l git SO cold. Man.
Down there in Texas there amt no
SHOW, and If the Colonel says that
the auditorium kin be used for drills
and such things, I'm wild i'm
If the auditorium served no other
purpose than as an ideal place for
indoor instruction in winter and re-
Great on during the evenings thereby
increasing the efficiency of the men
and adding to their chances for whip.
ping the Hun and returning home
alive, it would be we'll worth the
time and money spent in its erection
but its greatest purpose and value
lie in the wonderful esprit de corps
t tends to develop in the regiment.
Napoleon said. according to Gen
cral ]omini. BATTLES cannot be won
by troops possessing no esprit dc
corps Colonel Moss, the command
or Of the regiment, who has perhaps
written more books than any other
American army officer living. in
writing of esprit dc corps in his man
nal for officers, says: ESPRIT de corps
is that feeling of loyalty, pride, and
enthusiasm Of the officer and soldier,
first and especially. for his own par
ticular regiment or corps: second and
generally for the army to which he
hcloMEs---foundcd in each case on the
glorious traditions of the past. on
the patriotism and efficiency Of the
present ana on the determined re-
solve in future war and peace to up
hold tho prestige, tho honor. the
tradition Of the army, the regiment,
or corps--nay, go further, and i'll
tradition. by adding something there
to by individual acts of his own
"Whatcvcr means tend to create.
uphold. and. increase prestige and
honor must of necessity preserve and
strengthen esprit dc corps. for these
are the living spring that give it it's
life. and ii has need Of al Of them.
The traditions of tho now Nero
may be traced in the history of the
great Chaka in the Valley of the Nile.
thousands Of years ago: Hannibal,
greatest Of tacticians," in the war
between Carthage and Rome: Lou
venture in the Haitian rebellion
against tho mighty Napoleon: At
tucks. as the first casualty in An,"r-
ica's first battle against the tyranny
of George III on Boston Common;
, black sailors with Perry tn Lake
Erie; Black Samson at Brandywinc:
Peter Salem at Bunker Hill: Caraoy
at Fort Wagner the oath and 25th
Regiments Of Infantry ana the 9th
and 10th Cavalry at IGl Cancy and
San Juan in Cuba and during the
instruction in the Philippines; and
the feat of the 10th Cavalry at Car
rial while with the Punitive Expo
dition in Mexico.
The place of honor held by the
Negro in the profession of arms is
prcdicated upon the enviable and
cherished facts that he has never had
Il traitor within his ranks and has
never had the blot Of cowardice upon
II s spotless cscutcheon. His prestige
Is based upon tho high regard as a
fighting man in which he is held by
all fighters whom he has opposed,
whether they be white men, black
men, or brown men.
1t may be rather far-fetched to the
uninitinted to connect the building
Of an auditorium on bleak Long Is
land in the year Of our Lord 1918
with recital of the Negroes prowess
as fighter, and with compendium
of his traditions, honor and prestige .
| but beyond and above every other
consideration the object of building
the costlieSt, largest, and finest build
ing in any cantonment in the country
was to create anew, revive, stimu-
late, foster, and perpctuate these
very things. Without these things
the Negro would be as helpless
against the willy Hun as If the Coy
eminent had sent him into battle
unarmed.
He needs these things worse than
most white soldiers do. An cpitmc
of the reasons why America entered
the war has been terscly set forth in
the slogan, ''To make the world safe
for Democracy" In his mind he
confuses principles of democratic
government with the Democratic
party, and his bellicose enthusiasm
suffers in consequence Of his confus-
ion.
He knows but one thing, and that
is blind, mswerving, and undivided
loyalty to the flag for which his faith
crs have bled and died. That is not
enough. He must either accept the
democratic principles for which his
country wages war or q cause must
be created for him. He must have
something to fight for, something that
he understands and is in accord with.
What has the auditorium to do
with principles, causes, dreams. aud
morale? 1t has inestimable value
as creator of morale. There is a
breaking-point in the collective
nerves OF any command when, after
the fearful scenes of battle, the will
of the organization is no longer able
to drive it's legs forward. BY train
ing the moral qualities we seek to
raise this breaking point.
Study OF the moral factors that
animate men is therefore Of the
greatest importance. From associa-
ton with thcm you must learn how
best to appeal to their higher quail
tics. You must know what are the
principles. rights, or posses ;ions, in
timatcly. rcr onal y AMI Enthusiastically
theirs, which the enemy ieopardiZcs
and for which thcv will FIGHT till they
conquer or them jc-vc3 are hopelcssly
defeated.
Today there il not time for com
handing officers to study mon i'm do.