Evening star., 1921-04-24
ARMY STAFF SERVICE
ENTITLEDTOREWARD
Recent Promotions Considered as Marks
Of Distinction for Some and as
Incentive for Others.

1t was manifested yesterday in the
service that won the distinction.
There are exceptions to this rule,
but they are very rare and very
conspicuous. 1t is as the bestowal
of the few distinctions available that
the present list of promotions is con-
sidered
Two COnsiderations to Govern.
In their DISPOSAL two considera-
tions must be dealt with-firse the
faiue OF the services rewarded, and,
second. the effect of such reward on
service yet to be rendered No man.
however able and Industrious. NAV
hope in a peace-time army for the
rewards of ability and industry usual
In other professions. He can never
make himself rich by his profession
OF soldier. and his sphere of infu-
| ence in that profession is a very
limited one. His ideal must be- and
is, primarily one of service. But he
should be allowed nationally to hope
| that the few promotions available
VIII go to those who. by ability and
accomplishment. have merited them.
IL personal favoritism or political in.
fuence throws those all too few dis
tinctions to men who have not
Herlted them. or to men whose serv-
ice 10 inferior in accomplishment the
erect upon the morale of a corps of
officers is intellectually bad. They
thlnk. and with reason, that there ID
little sense in giving long years of
devotion to a Service the meaRer
! rewards Of which may be COM
/ mandeered by inferior accomplish
ment armed with personal or DO
litical pull Such conviction is
devastating to the morale of any
! service: its ideals are lowered or de-
stroyed. and men of ability and am
bition get out of it, and their places
are not adequately filled In the
light Of these facts. the bestowal Of
promotions at this time puts a heavy
| responsibility on those making the
decisions. The army, bearing, as il
! does. the germ of our wartime eff
hciency. must attract to its service
able men. and able men will not
enter or remain in a service whose
| rewards are the sport of personal
, or political favor.
STAFF and Line Duty.
In awarding these promotions for
wartime service there comes up, iR-
evitably. the old problem Of the reia-
tive value of the work of the STAN
and of the line. In an army, as in all
organizations for Accomplishment
there must be the men who plan and
! the men who put those plans into ac-
ton; there must be the administra-
tive and the executive elements. They
are essentially interdependent And
modern warfare, with its enormous
| complication Of machinery, has not.
only made it beyond the power Of any
one man to function in both elements
at the same time. but has made the
two services more than ever dependent
upon each other. No man. however
great a leader Of men in battle, can
accomplish results il the organiza-
tion behind him fails to function. IL
supplies do not come up. or il reserves
;; and reinforcements fail-nor can
very genius Of leadership and cour-
age prevail IL the principles of STRAIT
egy back OF his orders are faulty or
based on mfsinformation.
1t is unquestionably true that the
ability and devotion Of the men work.
Of the lines are as essential to victory
as the ability and devotion of the men
who. under the menace of death and
mutilatfon, carry the army forward
at the front. II one or the other fails
the result 10 the same: Defeat
The man who risks his life in battle
must always have our hearts acclaim.
but in the cool matter of just reward
it Is contribution to the accomplish
ment of result. e., service-that
must be considered. apart from admi-
ration OF courage. 1t is rather gIo-
rious fact that soldiers Of all grades
prefer active field service to service
on the stan, and in considering serv-
ice, courage-the essential of an army
is taken as a matter of course.
To decide the comparative value of
different mems service in the line, or
OF different mems service in the stan
is a simple matter; but to decide the
relative value of service in the line
with service in the staff is very difi-
cult Such decisions must be made,
however. and made with deliberate
Enthusiastically at this time when
war service is involved. and when the
justice of the decisions made is more
than ever essential as having a vital
effect upon the spirit of the service
that spirit that in the future may be
called upon. as it has been called
upon in the past. to safeguard the
greatness and prestige Of this coun.