COMMENDED ESSAY, 1892. 
607 
combined with letting his men feel that in him they have a com¬ 
panion, friend, and adviser.” No man should join or leave a section 
of a battery without a personal interest being shown in him by his 
Sectional Officer. Individual characters must be studied, and instruc¬ 
tion adapted accordingly. The more a man is interested in his work 
the better he will do it. 
Lectures. 
An excellent outline of lectures on gunnery is given in the e< Manual 
of Field Artillery Exercises.” Subalterns who have sufficient zeal 
and talent to fill in this outline, with matter of wholesome interest to 
the men, will soon raise the standard of Fire Discipline in their bat¬ 
teries. A high ideal must be kept up. This is the only way in which 
men can be taught the spirit of devotion to duty on which a battery 
must rely in times of difficulty. Many of the minor episodes in 
Prince Kraft*s Letters ensure breathless attention ; and the story 
of the “ One Year Volunteer Klopsch,” well told, may have valuable 
results at practice. Soldiers in the present day are anxious to learn, 
keen to get on, and easily influenced. Fire Discipline requires that 
the fighting instincts and military qualities of each one should be 
developed to the greatest possible extent. It is equally important to 
cultivate the moral faculties. Self-control, self-reliance, intelligence 
and self-respect, are essential to the common end. Self-respect, above 
all, makes men truthful and loyal; armed with self-respect a man will 
not prostitute his work to a lower level than his best. Much may be 
done in this way to kindle esprit cle corps and raise the moral tone 
among men. For this purpose Smiles* books on “ Character ** and 
“ Self-Help ** supply many useful anecdotes; and it will repay any 
officer to study and adapt to battery requirements a paper on “ The 
Training of our Recruits,** by Colonel G. Hatched. 1 * 
Indeed, it is fatal to Fire Discipline that men should not be instructed 
in what is likely 7 " to happen in action. Most officers have some idea of 
shells bursting all about, of officers, men, and horses dropping under 
an enemy’s fire; but on this subject the mind of the ordinary gunner 
or driver is, more or less, a blank. Admiral Sir Geoffrey Hornby 
writes :—“ When men know and trust their leaders and comrades, 
and are thoroughly aware of the sort of danger they are likely to 
incur they are no longer to be startled, but will go quietly and reso¬ 
lutely into action as they would to a parade.** 3 
And he instances a well-known trait of English character : “ At the 
first moment of a mine explosion the miners will run ; but immediately 
after, though they are well aware of the danger, should volunteers be 
called for to descend plenty are to be had, and even men who have 
just escaped will return to confront any risk.** 
Short and well choseu stories of what has happened in war, such as 
“ Mercer’s Battery at Waterloo,** or Major Parsons* account of the 
“Ingogo River,** will raise the character of soldiers and stimulate 
their fighting instincts. 
1 “ The training of our Recruits.”—Colonel Gh Hatchell, £! R.TJ.S.I. Journal,” September, 
1891. 
^ “ The War Training of the Navy .”— i: U.S. Magazine,” September, 1890. 
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