Page:The history and achievements of the Fort Sheridan officers' training camps.djvu/388

 386 THE FORT SHERIDAN ASSOCIATION

to his lot at any time during battle; he further gains a broader viewpoint which enables him to appreciate the necessity for the issuance of orders and joins more intelligently in their execution.

Not only must the officer know, but he must be able to put what he knows into grammatical, interesting, forceful English. He must learn to stand on his feet and speak without embarrassment. I am told that in British training camps student officers are required to deliver ten- minute talks on any subject they may choose. That is excellent practice. For to speak clearly, one must think clearly, and clear, logical thinking expresses itself in definite positive orders. While self-confidence is the result of know^ing more than your men, moral ascendency is based upon your belief that you are the better man. To gain and maintain this ascendency you must have self-control, physical vitality and endurance and moral force. You must have yourself so well in hand that, even though in battle you be scared stiff, you will never show^ fear. For if you, by so much as a hurried movement or a trembling of the hands or a change of expression or a hasty order hastily revoked, indicate your mental condition, it will be reflected in your men in a far greater degree. In garrison or camp, many instances arise to try your temper and w^reck the sweetness of your disposition. If at such time you "fly off the handle" you have no business to be in charge of men. For men in anger say and do things that they, almost invariably, regret afterw^ards. An officer should never apologize to his men; also, an officer should never be guilty of an act for which his sense of justice tells him he should apologize.

Another element in gaining moral ascendency lies in the possession of enough physical vitality and endurance to withstand the hardships to which you and your men are subjected and a dauntless spirit that enables you to not only accept them cheerfully, but to minimize their magnitude. Make light of your troubles, belittle your trials, and you w^ill help vitally to build up w^ithin your organization an esprit w^hose value in time of stress cannot be measured.

Moral force is the third element in gaining moral ascendency. To exert moral force you must live clean; you must have sufficient brain power to see the right and the w^ill to do the right. Be an example to your men. An officer can be a pow^er for good or a power for evil. Don't preach to them — that will be worse than useless. Live the kind of a life you would have them lead and you w^ill be surprised to see the number that will imitate you. A loud-mouthed, profane captain, w^ho is careless of his personal appearance, w^ill have a loud-mouthed, pro- fane, dirty company. Remember what I tell you. Your company will be the reflection of yourself. If you have a rotten company it will be because you are a rotten captain.

Self-sacrifice is essential to leadership. You will give; give all the time. You will give of yourself physically, for the longest hours, the hardest work and the greatest responsibility is the lot of the captain. He is the first man up in the morning and the last man in at night. He w^orks while others sleep. You will give of yourself mentally, in sym- pathy and appreciation for the troubles of men in your charge. This one's mother has died and that one hast lost all his savings in a bank failure. They may desire help, but more than anything else they desire sympathy. Don't make the mistake of turning such men dow^n w^ith the statement that you have troubles of your own. For every time that you do you knock a stone out of the foundation of your house. Your men are your foundation, and your house of leadership will tumble about your ears unless it rests securely upon them. Finally, you will give of

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