FEAR AND THE SOLDIER.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LIII, Issue 16169, 4 March 1916, Page 4 (Supplement)

FEAR AND THE SOLDIER.

,:, ; MODERN CANDOUR. A huxwikd years ago no officer, unless lie was a famous general, would ever have confessed that ho was frightened m battle. Now every one confesses it in ft letter about the taking of Kut, for instance, an officer wrote that ho had been more excited, more frightened, and more tired than; ever beforo in his life. JLho old convention of fearlessness and fearless behaviour has gone altogether; for wo have come to the conclusion that it is not tlio best way to overcome fear. The modern soldier docs not tell lies to.himself about himself, in tho hope that ho may make them true. He does not say to himself, " I am not afraid. I do not know what fear is. 'It would be disgraceful in me to feel fenr." Rather ho says, " I am afraid, but I will not allow my fear to affect my conduct." Old Attitude and the New. This change has not been produced by any systematic teaching; it has happened because the modern mind is moro aware of i.tsolf than tho mind of a hundred years ago, and less able to deceive itself. Wo cannot now convince ourselves that we are not afraid when we are; nor can we convince ourselves that others are not afraid when they are. Our method, therefore, is not to "deny tho facts about ourselves, but to face them; and in this matter of fear it seems to work better than the old method, for soldiers now aro certainly less' liable to panic than, they used to be. In the past, we may tako it, panic came when soldiers could no longer conceal the truth about themselves from themselves or each other. It was assumed that none of them was feeling fear, that it would bo disgraceful in any of them to feel it;, and then suddenly the assumption broke down; the disgraceful thing had evidently happened; they were no longer brave like soldiers, • but cowards like common men. They could not trust each other, and so they ran away. . Modern Soldier at Ea;e. Now the assumption is rather that soldiers aro common men, tho fear in each one's mind 'is not a guilty secret that ho hides from -the rest.-It-is not- disgraceful to be afraid, but only to yield to fear. The truth is known from the first; and so the common knowledge.of it does not produce panic. ' ■' Thus the modem soldier is more at ease with himself than the old one. He can bear a longer strain, because ho does not begin •by . posing to himself. as a hero. There is less pipeclay in his mind, as on his uniform, mid tho mind, like the uniform, .wears better. There is no attempt to work a miracle of conversion upon him by some arduous and mysterious process; lie is meroly taught his job in the belief that, when he knows it, his human and normal sense of duty will mako him do it in the face of danger. This belief lias been magnificently justified. The modem soldier remains to himself an ordinary man, but he is no ordinary soldier. He has learnt to master fear by confessing it; ho has learnt to manage himself by knowing tho truth about himself.