test out.

Sometimes--all this effort to make a man a soldier who does not possess
the necessary elements, is attempted through the "Plattsburg system" of
intensive training with the same result-- Again it may be tried through
numerous service schools--the General Staff--the War College course,
etc. But--eventually and inevitably without some one or all of these
basic elements to build on--to unfold, develop and train whatever of the
military spirit that there is in him, it will become necessary, sooner
or later to eliminate him from the game--i. e., to "Can" him. The writer
has scarcely ever seen it fail-- And when there has been any exception
to the rule through political pull or favoritism--and this incompetent,
would-be professional soldier is retained, disaster has been written all
over the pages of his unfortunate military career. All of our wars--the
Civil War--Spanish-American--and now our great World War have clearly
demonstrated this. It is pitiful therefore to see men struggling along
in uniform--absolutely incapable of acquiring battle instinct or battle
sense (simply because they cannot be taught) and the requisites for a
rough and tumble soldier in the field, capable of commanding men under
all circumstances of the emergencies and crises continually arising to
test out a man's military resources--and his ready adaptation to the
problems before him, etc.--because of the lack of just those elements
that go to make up the ever ready soldier. The education of such men
along military--but, more especially along the line of battle problems
is an offense to the nostrils and a clear violation of common sense,
besides giving most battle-service soldiers an indescribable weariness.

Courage Alone Not Effective

Courage, either in the Army or civil life, is a cheap commodity. Almost
every soldier should and does possess it to a certain degree. All
combative animals have it more or less. It certainly is not a rare
virtue in our service. The man who does not possess it is an exception
to the rule-- The point is, however, whether he has that amount of
physical and moral courage to a degree which, without common sense and
the military spirit--would make his acts a military success. The writer
thinks not-- Too much stress has been laid on the mere physical brute
courage of the soldier. Without it is combined with good military
sense--it is doubtful if possessing courage alone could ever make a
success of anything in