Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-02-15
A SOLDIER is A
COG IN A MACHINE
Must Learn to Act With the
Others in Order to Be Effective
on the Firing Line
Bv HECTOR MacQUARRIE. 1t. R. F. A,

VT MAY be making a commonplace asser-
| ,,o, 90 saw that n knowledge of effective
dlscipline, It's Importance and signihcanee
the thing that makes the perfect soIoler'
n short explanation of matter ABOUT w''o'
many pages could be written may be Oh "S-
sistance to the man who wants to KNOW
-Four wears ago the men and women oil ti'ls
country together with the people oil ul, un
Britain were able to live In comlo'', 49,,
state of coma clinging anectionately 10 w
half-truth that one volunteer Is equal 10 wv, wv
or even three conscript soldiers tbs was
true n century ago. Then the profession oi
arms suggested at once deeds OF melodrai''a,,. ,,,
gallantry, wonderful cavalry charges ,ne
colors leading and shining brightly III '"e
sunshine deeds of manly generosity u
beaten foe, winter quarters. fraterniSatioh Vi
sentinels: but no high explosive shehS' w
permanent trenches, no poisonous gas Nv
auid fire, and. more important than any inns
else, no efficient autocracy existing III ''o
world.
A line of battle was thought Of in thousands
of yards never in hundreds of miles me
decorative appearance of the soldier OF cen
tury ago suggests more than anything e'Sc
the popular idea of warfare.
The volunteer in those days came fro.A the
thinking class of a community the conscrlp'
was dragged from the dark places OF ,he
country and spent campaign worrying .
uneducated head to what it all meant re
merely lived. or died, an object Of contempt
in the eyes Of the volunteer.
The army of Germany being a conscript
one it was not difficult therefore for us at
first TO picture miserable German caitfs
being whipped into battle by becorseted oiii-
GERS. and mown down by the brave Noluh-
teers Of the Anglo-SaXon races
The Conscript Is Disciplined
Today We have learned TO believe that II a
- cold to hptt
tccr he Is at least as good. lie certainly
proves himself more amenable to discipline.
because he often IS that type of individual
who finds 1t difficult to make up ms NINA
about anything lie is glad when the decision
is made for m. But let me explain why dls-
Cipline is so important
Discipline permits a man to keep two things
In their proper places his personal courage
and his fears
During a heavy and intensive lombard
ment preceding an attack. designed not mere
~ to destroy mater al but to destroy the
rowcr Of resistance Of the opposing infantry,
the bravcst man IN the world becomes as
little child with impulse-to get out of
it, to run for protection. Discipline turns
the impulse to run away into the impulse to
stand fast. The few poor cravens. recruits
often, who long to shout "Come lads. let's
get out of it" look at their compan ons and
see them dazcd perhaps, but still crouching
| close up to the parapct, ready TO spring
| the tiniest detail, when the bonbardment
| ceases and the enemy comes Oh.
| Let US imagine three companies attacking,
| each with an objective. The company in the
| center, unlike the other two, find the ell
| cmy weak. and after skirm sh succeed at
| once in performing their allotted task. There
| is another trench ahead. The going Is easy
| so they dash forward once more and sue
ceed.
| Confidence and courage take full possession
tl,,t, IL.
| forward. everything falling before them
| until they discover that they are under a
heavy rain of shrapnel and are being mown
down by their own artillery. They have
| of course, advanced into their own artery's
barrage, designed to prevent the arrival of
| enemy reserves The result is obvious They
| often cxterminated. and always dis
| couraged and hopeless and sometimes their
| allotted portion of the line of attack be-
comes open to the counter-attack of the
| enemy. The flanks of the companies on
| either SIDE exposed and the result may
| mean a complete failure in the whole scheme
| and the loss of many lives. Perhaps il may
| be urged that their officers should know
| better.
If they are alive they should know better
| but personal courage and personal initiative
| can both be found among officers, and they,
| too especially while young, require discipIin-
| ing.
| Again it may be urged that the artillery
| IN this case been at fault and that
it ought to have lifted its barrage when the
infantry of the courageous company ad-
| Vanced and then wedge would have beeu
driven into the enemy and an advantage
| gained
| This sounds plausil le. but We have learned
| that to depend upon telephone communica.
tions during an attack presents but Il for
| lorn nope Wires generally break, and even
| If the observing officer surv YES on account
| Of W-lV nd Jal