26 PINK AND SCARLET 



Personal experience on active service has seen 

 this process actually take place in one body of men, 

 through want of regard for appearances on the part 

 of the officers, and prevented in another body, serving 

 in the same place and under the same conditions, by 

 due regard for them. In the first case razors were 

 thrown away on board ship, thus the men landed on 

 the scene of action feeling and looking dirty. Then 

 they were allowed to lose (or rather throw away) 

 their helmets, which had to be replaced by " swash- 

 buckler " hats {i. e. the sort of soft wide-awake hat 

 universally worn by civilians in Africa). Excellent 

 hats these are in their way, but they were not 

 uniform, and uniform means discipline. 



The rest soon followed — dirt, standing anyhow in 

 the ranks, etc. It is easy to go downhill ! They 

 looked at each other, and saw that they looked like 

 blackguards, and they became them, got drunk, got 

 out of hand, and did many things that got them and 

 their Corps a very bad name. 



It all came from the throwing away of the razors 

 and the losing of the helmets ! 



In the other case razors were taken, and the men 

 made to shave whenever possible, and they were not 

 allowed to lose their helmets. In a word, appear- 

 ances were kept up as far as circumstances permitted, 

 and keeping up appearances means with the soldier 

 keeping up discipline. 



Is this not why the Iron Duke liked his officers to 

 be dandies? Is it not also a reason why hunting, 

 which teaches a man to dress himself beautifully in 



