circumstance peculiar to the life of the soldier,
which makes martial heroism to be of an easier and therefore inferior
type. I refer to the fact that the soldier performs his deeds of valor
not only under the stimulus of "pomp and circumstance," but also under
the sweet influences of companionship. The soldier is always one of a
company or regiment. Except on occasional scout or sentry duty, he is
always moving with the collective motion of a great host of his
fellowmen. He is never working, fighting, suffering alone, and is
therefore never left to the heart-breaking task of bearing his burden in
solitude. On the contrary, as he walks, he keeps step with thousands of
marching feet; as he advances into battle, he rubs shoulders with his
"mates"; as he falls headlong in the trenches, he is picked up and
ministered to by the hands of those he loves. And out of this solace of
companionship, out of this inspiration of collective life, there comes
creeping into his heart a sense of uplift, a contagion of spirit, which
makes heroism inevitable. I have never seen this aspect of military
experience more wonderfully expressed than by Prof. Perry, of Harvard,
in an article in the New Republic, in which he describes his impressions
as a Plattsburgh "rookie." "Soldierly experiences," he says, "are common
experiences, and are hallowed by that fact. You are asked to do no more
than hundreds of others * * * do with you. If you rinse your greasy
mess-kit in a tub of greasier water, you are one of many gathered like
thirsty birds about a road-side puddle. If you fill your lungs and the
pores of your sweaty skin with dust, fellows in adversity are all about
you, looking grimier than you feel; and your very complaints uttered in
chorus partake of the quality of defiant song. To walk is one thing, to
march albeit with sore feet and aching back is another and more
triumphant. It is 'Hail! Hail! the gang's all here'--it matters not what
the words signify, provided they have a rhythmic swing, and impart a
choral sense of collective unity. * * * Every late afternoon," he
continues, "the flag is lowered, and the band plays 'The Star Spangled
Banner.' Men in ranks are ordered to attention. Men and officers out of
ranks stand at attention where they are, facing a flag, and saluting as
the music ceases. Thus to stand at attention toward sundown, listening
to solemn music sounding faintly in the distance, to see and to feel
that every fellow-soldier