(See Nos. 140, 143, and 144)
CAPTAIN T. W. KINKAID, U. S. Navy.—The contributions of Captains Fullam, Pond, and Johnston, and other members of the Institute have thrown much light on the subject of discipline in the navy, and have no doubt aided other officers in formulating plans for the preservation of discipline among their own commands.
But the articles above referred to have dwelt to a considerable extent on punitive measures; and it is my desire to offer a few suggestions relating to improvement of service conditions which would make discipline easier of acquirement for the enlisted man, if not actually attractive to him.
I present my suggestions in what I consider the inverse order of their importance:
THE INFLUENCE OF UNIFORM UPON DISCIPLINE.
It can be readily conceded that much improvement has been brought about in the underclothing of the enlisted force. This item may be considered fairly if not wholly satisfactory. But with the outer clothing the case is different. The barn door front trousers with their bell-shaped legs, the broad collar, the kerchief tie, and the absurd flat cap make up a uniform that hag often been described as grotesque.
I admit that a well-formed young man of neat habits, when rigged out in the regulation uniform of the enlisted man, may under favorable circumstances present an attractive appearance. But, take the average sailor on shore liberty, when he is not standing up for inspection by the officer of the deck: is there much to admire in his appearance? Is there anything about it to suggest military discipline?
The blue shirt is too warm for wear in summer weather and not warm enough to afford protection in cold weather. But fortunately an overcoat is available in cold weather.
It may be said that the cooler white uniform may be worn in warm weather. But when Jack is ashore at any season and wishes to visit the theatre or the homes of acquaintances he is practically on a shirt sleeve basis—a fact that must be mortifying to him. Surely he should have a lightweight coat for summer wear; and he should have a cap not unlike the one worn by chief petty officers. It will be easy enough to provide a distinctive cap for the latter.
I mention the matter of uniform at some length because the garb affects the spirit of the wearer, and, in the last analysis, good discipline rests upon the spirit of the men.
A smart looking uniform, at once comfortable and not too far removed from civilian fashions, would go far toward giving the enlisted force a feeling of contentment that would favor the cause of discipline.
RECEIVING SHIPS AND DISCIPLINE.
I believe that any naval vessel that is under-officered will have difficulty in maintaining a proper standard of discipline. This is especially true of our service, where the proportion of re-enlistments to the total of enlistments is not large.
There is one class of vessel that usually suffers from a shortage of officers, and that is the receiving ship. Sometimes there is but one commissioned officer on board. The result is often plainly evident in the appearance and behavior of the men that go on liberty from these ships. Out of uniform, slouchy, and noisy are expressions that too often are applicable to receiving ship crews. If they salute officers at all it is in a perfunctory and incorrect way. A ship of this kind may be considered a center of infection.
Another source of bad discipline or, rather, lack of discipline, is the torpedo vessel, especially she of the smaller class. The only remedy for such a condition appears to be to permit no recruits on torpedo vessels, and in fact no man who has not served with a good disciplinary record for a year on a larger vessel.
INFANTRY DRILL AS A PROMOTER OF DISCIPLINE.
As a constructive measure for the attainment of good discipline, I know of nothing that can be more highly praised than marching and the manual of arms. The infantryman gets the habit of obedience. In fact, amid the rapid succession of orders he has no time to think of disobedience. If the crews of receiving ships and torpedo craft were to get more of this kind of exercise, I am sure that the results could not fail to be most beneficial.
With increased attention to infantry drill on vessels of whatever class, mit should expect to see: smarter appearance of the men, a better standard of obedience under all circumstances, and improved respect for superiors. The good discipline of the Naval Academy is doubtless due in large part to the fact that the midshipmen are given a large amount of marching exercise and infantry drill.
Were a visitor on board one of our vessels, taken at random, to observe the enlisted force becomingly attired, messengers coming and going on the run, men saluting their officers properly or standing at attention at the proper times, he might safely conclude from these surface indications that efficiency prevailed on that ship.