the Heroic Virtues 223 



gles as that which ended in ensuring independence to 

 Cuba, and in giving to the Philippines a freedom to 

 which they could never have attained had we per 

 mitted them to fall into anarchy or under tyranny. 

 It was a pleasant thing to see the way in which men 

 came forward from every walk of life, from every 

 section of the country, as soon as the call to arms 

 occurred. The need was small and easily met, and 

 not one in a hundred of the ardent young fellows 

 who pressed forward to enter the army had a chance 

 to see any service whatever. But it was good to see 

 that the spirit of '61 had not been lost. Perhaps the 

 best feature of the whole movement was the eager 

 ness with which men went into the ranks, anxious 

 only to serve their country and to do their share of 

 the work without regard to anything in the way of 

 reward or position; for, gentlemen, it is upon the 

 efficiency of the enlisted man, upon the way he does 

 his duty, that the efficiency of the whole army really 

 depends, and the prime work of the officer is, after 

 all, only to develop, foster, and direct the good quali 

 ties of the men under him. 



Well, this rush into the ranks not only had a very 

 good side, but also at times an amusing side. I re 

 member one characteristic incident which occurred 

 on board one of our naval vessels. Several of these 

 vessels were officered and manned chiefly from the 

 naval militia of the different States, the commander 



