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Show The American Soldier. H A British observer of the Spanish-Ameri- H can war registered the opinion that "The H Americans are the worst troops I have ever H seen off a battle field; but on it they are the I best." Exactly. The Englishman all his life was I taught that an army is but a fighting machine H to be stopped, started and regulated by en- SB gineers called officers; that, like the machine, I they must not think but go and come as cer- I tain levers are touched. On the march from )fl the sea shore toward Peking, it is said the American contingent made a worse showing ' than the force of any other power, untii one !B day a great fight was sprung upon that Am- erican column and then the others saw some- I thing. S The stragglers were all in the ranks; they I took on the tread of tigers, when a company ' suddenly dropped each upon one knee and 9 fired, those who were watching through (U field glasses, saw a long line of the enemy go down under that fire, and in a brief space the remnant of the enemy were flying panic stricken. Then the soldiers who were all I sovereigns became careless again, swore at the road, hurled anathemas at the heat, and offered wagers that all the pig-tails in - the Celestial Kingdom werenot worth mak- jfl ing that march for. ; That is, American soldiers carry their ifl brains and opinions into a war with them and no drilling will eliminate those two fea- fl tures from them. Hence they are careless 1H and often fault-finding soldiers; everything jH comes in for criticism from the rations to fl the weather, but when a battle is set in array gH and some real work is to be done, then the jfl complainings cease, the carelessness is put kM aside, the old pride is awakened, the old H flag takes on new splendors, the training of a free people shines out and "knights fight V jH like nobles', squires like knights as val H Hantly and well." mM |