Page:Samuel F. Batchelder - Bits of Harvard History (1924).pdf/67



instinct for soldiering is deeply implanted in the human male from earliest youth. The semi-barbaric appeal of martial music and trappings is first felt, and childhood never tires of the drum, the trumpet, the cocked hat, and the flag. Later comes the development of the “gang spirit,” and the growing boy joins eagerly with his fellows in mimic marches, in shouts of command, and in concerted attacks on an imaginary foe. Later still is added the sense of reality and the appreciation of technique, so that the young man revels in the mechanism of a rifle and its possibilities, in the exactitudes of the drill manual, and the minutiæ of military etiquette. At this stage he either becomes a critical amateur of drills and parades, or—being at a highly impressionable age—he is easily influenced by the posture of public affairs and the trend of public opinion, and himself joins some warlike organization. That consummation often occurs while he is in college, as may be observed with approval among the undergraduates of to-day.