ng to do, as the captain acknowledges, more than
could be hoped of ordinary recruits, we being (ahem!) of the intelligent
class. But intellectually we are uneven, some of us plainly not being
born to be soldiers, so that with the best of will they lag. Again, the
Plattsburg movement has reached the stage in which the men have not all
come with the same impulse to serve the country, a considerable
proportion being, as it were, substitutes, being sent by the public
spirit of employers who cannot come themselves. The motive is excellent,
and they choose, I make no doubt, the best men available among their
clerks. But not all of these are suitable material, some being here for a
lark, and some being too young to be serious. Such fellows impede the
progress of the others. When the movement takes still wider scope, or
when we reach the stage of compulsory general training, evidently the
leaven that pretty successfully leavens this lump will then, being much
diluted, have harder work to do, and to make the mob into a regiment will
take double the time. Finally, I have already spoken of another of our
weaknesses, the inexperience of our non-coms. Most of our corporals are
here for the first time; many of the sergeants, though familiar with the
corporal's job, are new at the higher work. Indeed some of them have
never worn stripes before. They are therefore so necessarily intent on
guarding against their own mistakes (which still are plentiful) that they
can't give enough attention to the blunders of the men. Nor, as I have
said, do I think that the professional non-com will help us here, unless
specially chosen for understanding the Plattsburger. The martinet
drill-sergeant whose severities the docile German may bear, would never
be tolerated among us. What we need is to make it a matter of pride for
the veterans of one camp to come back and serve as corporals in the next
and as sergeants in the next. With regular non-coms in the way there is
no chance for the civilian to make himself a valuable reserve man; but if
he can be tempted by promotion to come again and yet again, he is not
only now serving the training cause better than anyone else can, but he
is building up a body of responsible men whom the country can call upon
at need.

Theories, my dear mother, theories. I will test them on the hike.

--It is the end of a day which I shall look back upon with respect.
Curious that when at breakfast someone asked me if I found th