From ‘The Psychology of Drill’, The Spectator, 20 February 1915:
One is tempted to divide all men under drill into two classes—the precipitate and the tardy. Every one who has listened to a drill instructor’s words knows that the first part of a command is cautionary. For instance, in “Right—turn” there is a pause between the two words, and the movement to the right takes place on the word “turn.” Some men cannot prevent themselves from moving at the word “right” Others are late on the second word. Surely this tendency must correspond to some constitutional temperament or innate mental quality. Shall we call the early movers impatient men and the late ones lethargic or slow-witted? Or shall we be as fanciful as Ringlake, and say that here, expressed in involuntary muscular action, is the difference between the man of impulse and the man of meditative habit, or between the realist and the idealist, or even between the Aristotelian and the Platonist? The drill instructor, we fancy, prefers the late to the early movers, just as a doctor feels more sure of curing a mild surgical case than a nervous disease.
Another interesting psychological state is that of the man who cannot keep time. It is a genuine disability with some. They have no sense of rhythm and beat, even as other people are colour- blind. It ie not an ear for music that is required, but exactly what we have said—a sense of rhythm. The instructor may shout “Left!” and stamp till everything moves with a sharp click like the ticking of a clock, but it is all lost on that man who is without the proper sense. For the others it is a real harmony of motion, such as Browning attributed to the creative power of the musician who takes three sounds and makes, not a fourth sound, but a star. With genuine lacunae of the senses it is useless for the instructor to be impatient. Jacks-in-office may fume at any and every mistake, even on the part of men who have not yethad time to learn, for thus— they think—they exahlhe importance of their position. But the wise, cool old N.C.O. is never impatient unless be detects wilful carelessness. Then he will launch a thunderbolt.
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