The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1929-08-28
CHAPTER V

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has been shot down. Like comet
it bursts into a streamer Of smoke
and falls headlong. Kropp has lost
the bottle of beer. Disgruntled he
counts out the money from his
wallet.
Surely Hinrnelstoss was a very
different fellow as postman," say
I, after Albert's disappointment has
subsidized. Then how does it come
that he's such bully as drill-ser-
geant?"
The question revives Kropp, more
particularly as he hears there's no
more beer in the canteen. "It's not
only Himmelstoss, there are lots of
them. AS sure as they get a stripe
or a star they become different men,
just as though they'd swallowed
concrete
That's the uniform" I suggest
Roughly speaking it is" says Kat,
and prepares for long speech; "but
the root of the matter lies else
where. For instance, if you train
a dog to eat potatoes and then
afterwards put piece of meat in
front Of him, he'll snap at it, it's
his nature.
"And if you give a man a little
bit of authority he behaves just
the same way, he snaps at it, too.
The things are precisely the same.
In himself man is essentially
beast, only he buffers it over like a
slice of bread with a little decorum.
The army is based on that; one man
must always have power over the
other.
The mischief is merely that each
one has much too much power. A
non-com can torment private,
lieutenant non-com, a captain a
lieutenant, until he goes mad. And
because they know they can, they all
soon acquire the habit more or less.
Take a simple case: we are march
ing back from the parade-ground
dog tired. Then comes the order
to sing.
We are glad enough to be able to
trail arms, but we sing spiritlessly.
At one the company is turned about
and has to do another hours drill
as punishment. On the march back
the order to sing is given again, and
once more we start. Now what's
the use of all that? It's simply that
the company commanders head has
been turned by having so much
power. And nobody blames him.
On the contrary, he is praised for
being strict. That, of course, is only
a trihing instance, but it holds also
in very different affairs. Now I ask
you; Let man be whatever you like
in time, what occupation is
there in which he can behave like
that without getting crack on the
nose? He can do that only in the
army. It goes to the heads of them
all, you see. And the more in
significant a man has been in civil
life the worse it takes him"
They say, of course, there must
be discipline ventures Kropp
meditatively.
True" growls Kat, "they always
do. And it may be so; still it
oughtn't to become an abuse. But
you try to explain that to a black
smith or a laborer or a workman,
you try to make that clear to a
simple soldier-and that's what most
of them are here.
"Al1 he understands is that he has
been properly trained SO that when
he comes up to the front ne thinks
he knows exactly what he should do
in every circumstance and what
not. It's simply amazing, I tell you,
that the ordinary soldier survives
so long up here in the front-line.
Simple amazing"
No one protests. Everyone knows
that drill ceases only in the 'front.'
line and begins again a few miles be-
hind, with all the absurdities of sa-
luting and parade. It is an iron
law that the soldier must be en-
ployed under every circumstance.
Here Tjaden comes up with
flushed face He is so excited that
he shutters. Beanaing with satisfac-
ton he stammers out: "Hinmel-
stoss is on his way. He's coming to
the 'front.'"
Tjaden has special grudge
against Himmelstoss. because of the
way he abused him in the barracks.
Meanwhile, Hale sits down beside
us. He Winks at me and rubs his
paws thoughtfully. We once spent
the finest day of our army-life to-
gether-the day before we left for
the front.
We had been allotted to one of
the recently formed regiments, but
we're first to be sent back for equip
ment to the garrison, not to the re-