DRILL AND DISCIPLINE.
[To THE EDITOR OP THE "SPECTATOR."] SIR,—In the Spectator of January 19th in the article on "Drill and Discipline" I find the following :—" If a plain and unornamented dress is good enough for the bluejacket, it should be good enough for the soldier, for though we would never prefer the sailor to the soldier, it must be admitted that as a fighting man the sailor is certainly his equal." As on the Royal Navy "the safety, honour, and welfare of this country mainly depends "—at least, if my memory is right, so says the Naval Discipline Act, or words to that effect—also, as we live in islands under circumstances which make us wholly dependent on the sea and sailors for three-fourths of our food-supply, and with the command of the sea kept by ships and sailors we are free from invasion, and our soldiers can prosecute such wars as are necessary for the holding of our outlying territories,—without in any way objecting to the preference, it would be interesting to know, unless it is a case of "Dr. Fell," why the sailor is not to be preferred to the soldier, why any comparison is made between the two ; indeed, what is the cause of the opinion? There does not appear anything leading to it in the article, and though sailors and soldiers come from a common stock, their life and training leave them with scarcely an idea in common.--I am, [Our correspondent has totally misunderstood us. We were only anxious not to seem to exalt the sailor above the soldier, when in fact we hold that no comparison disparaging to either should ever be made between them. As the children say, "we like them both best," and think that this should always be the attitude of the country in regard to the sister-Services.--ED. Spectator.]
Previous page
