imself--he owes it to his comrades, to his company--he
owes it to his country, for just so far as a soldier is slack so far
does his company suffer; his shabbiness reflects first upon himself,
then upon his company and finally upon the entire Army.

It is a fact known to students of human nature that just in proportion
as a man is neatly and trimly dressed is he apt to conduct himself
with like decency. The worst vagabonds in our communities are the
tramps, with their dirty bodies and dirty clothes; the most brutal
deeds in all history were those of the ragged, motley mobs of Paris in
the days of the French Revolution; the first act of the mutineer has
ever been to debase and deride his uniform.

The man who misbehaves himself in uniform in public creates a bad
impression of the whole command, as a result of which his comrades
must suffer. Remember that a man in the uniform of a soldier is
conspicuous,--much more so than a civilian,--and consequently any
misconduct on his part is more noticeable than if done in civilian
clothes. The man who deliberately besmirches the uniform of his
Country's army by appearing in public drunk or by other misconduct,
not only fouls his own nest, but he also dishonors the uniform worn by
his self-respecting comrades.

It is a well known fact that laxity in dress and negligence in
military courtesy run hand in hand with laxity and negligence in
almost everything else, and that is why we can always look for certain
infallible symptoms in the individual dress, carriage and courtesies
of soldiers.

_Should a soldier give care and attention to his dress?_

Yes; not only should a soldier be always neatly dressed, but he should
also be properly dressed--that is, he should be dressed as required by
regulations. A soldier should always be neat and trim, precise in
dress and carriage and punctilious in salute. Under no circumstances
should the blouse or overcoat be worn unbuttoned, or the cap back or
on the side of the head. His hair should be kept properly trimmed, his
face clean shaven or beard trimmed and his shoes polished, his
trousers pressed, the garrison belt accurately fitted to the waist so
that it does not sag, his leggins cleaned, his brass letters, numbers
and crossed rifles polished, and his white gloves immaculate.

_Should a man ever be allowed to leave the post on pass if not
properly dressed?_

No; never. The Army Regulations require that chiefs of squads shall
see that s