TWO POPULAR FALLACIES.
[TO THE EDITOR OF THE "SPECTATOR"]
SIR,—I venture to submit to you the following as being two of the most popular, and at the same time the most fallacious, of all popular fallacies :—(1) That soldiers enlist in regiments being attracted thereto by the fine appearance of the uniform to such a degree that they would not otherwise enlist. (2) That the fact of their having to keep such uniforms ornate tends to inculcate in them a spirit of neatness and cleanliness to which they would not otherwise attain. With regard to the first, I would ask : Does the wonderfully simple uniform of the bluejackets deter men from enlisting in their ranks, and if so, why in this utilitarian age has not such a deficiency been remedied in spite of all sentiment to the contrary P As for the second, would any one who saw our naval representatives in the procession of Saturday, February 2nd, venture to assert that any regiment, however ornate, excelled them in neatness and cleanliness ? The arguments in favour of my contention are so numerous and so trite that I will not bore you with them further. You will probably say, " Then why write at all ?" My excuse is the following, which I quote from the Westminster Gazette : "The German uniform is to be changed to a grey brown. Everything that is not strictly utilitarian—tassels, lace, and decorations—is to be banished from the parade ground."—I am, Sir, &c., A YEOMAN, R.W.Y.
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