The sun., 1918-08-15
The American Omcer and Soldier.

The American Omcer and Soldier.
The rules for the management Of
soldiers by which other nations built
up their armies, 1t was evident early
in the history Of our army, could not
be applied to the American soldier.
The reasons were many: we were
not military nation. we were sub
servient to no autocratlc control. our
people represented many races and
I'VE are oil s6vereigns in America"
An old and experienced nGny officer
i'll speaking of this condition said:
Young Americans are more difficult
to discipline than men of almost any
other nationality" He did not mean
that 1t was impossible to discipline
them, but that it required degree of
skill and tact such as was required
| in few other nations to make them
reach the high standard that was de-
manded in the American army, 1t Is
thus evident that one of the hard
problems which the young officer
faces is the handling Of his men
Curiously enough, there had been no
| book written on this subject in Amer
ica before THE Management of the
American Soldier" just lelblished by
Maior-General DAVID e. SHANKs. in
command of the Port of Embarkatlon
of this city.
| General SHANKs in conversation
with THOMAS +. RYAN, who has two
sons in the army, spoke of this lack
| in our war literature and also of the
necessity Of some such manual for
| the young officer. Mr.. RYAN offered
| to publish the look If General SHANKS
would write IT, The best part OF
this publication. thereforc-the fact
that 1t costs nothing TO the officer
who reads it's due to the generosity
ment put forward by its author. An
army officer of experience said that
he considered it an extremely valu-
able work upon the subject. 1t has
been highE approved by the War
Department and has been put into
the hands Of every officer In this
| country and abroad.
What General SHASKs has really
done Is to give the result of his own
experience and that Of the best Off
GERS with whom he has come in con-
tact in his service, service that be-
gan with his graduation from West
Point in 1884, extended over work
at many garrisons in the United
States and years as military eXecu-
tive in the Philippines. Treat the
soldier as n man; look him squarely
in the eyes when you speak to him,
and treat him justly" is one Of his
cardinal principles. I've American
soldier will endure privation and
hardship rs well as any other sol
der, but he does not like to undergo
them unless he sees the necessity of
it. AS an example General SHANKs
cites the case Of commanders who Il
few years ago sought to harden their
men by putting pieces of iron or bags
Of sand in their knapsncks on prac-
tice marches. The plan was discon-
tinued because the soldiers saw no
reason for inflicting upon them this
extra burden; it was obnoxious to
them because they objected "to being
used as pack horses"
The question Of discipline Is natu.
rally an important one to every Off
Ger. discipline is the very soul of
armies, difficult to acquire, but cap
able Of being lost almost immedi-
ately." The means of acquiring dis
cipline vary according to the charac-
terlstics Of the people, and the meth
DDS which succeed in one country
will fail utterly in another. An
American officer who would lash sol
der across the face for not properly
standing at attention, as q German
officer does, would last no longer
than it would take to convene n
court-martlal to try him." German
methods are so foreign to our whole
national character that they could
not be considered fr minute. 1.-The
true method Of establishing disci.
pline," says General SHANKs, sis by
reliance upon the pride of the sol
der, by appeals to his common sense
and by force of example" That
seems a good, clear statement of
Amerlcanism, as applicable to Other
walks of life as 10 the army.
The requirements OF the army regu
latIons and the customs of the service
regarding the relations between Off
GERS and enlisted men have often beer
difficult for Americans to understand
This requirement Is not founded upor
: any difference in social status, oil
upon any difference In culture or men
tai attachments. at Is founded sOlel,
upon the demands of discipline" say
General SHANKs, land discipline re
I qulrcs an Immediate loyal, Cheerful
compliance with the lawful orders O