LETTERS TO TEE EDITOR

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1767, 4 June 1913, Page 10

LETTERS TO TEE EDITOR

THE PRESS PERSON IN CAMP. Sir,—Spatchcocked in among last week's news in I'm-: Dominion -came a -reminder lrom -Mr. A. do B. llrnndon to reporters, gently' warning them (1) that some of J them aro more worms in tlio field of military science; (2) Hint soino of them are whales in the -sen of sensationalism. 'J'hero seemed ah:o to bo a hint in Mr. Brandon's letter that (he reporter, of the future had better take his hat and his boots in his hand when ho goes prowling about niiiilary camps, or, otherwise. Lis undesirable presence and his unwelcome writings might interfere with a great patriotic movement designed, inter- .ilia, "lo prevent the rapine of our women." The rapine of our women! AS'cll, how is that for tlio ultra in sensationalism ? Unless one's outlook is so dim that lie believes in the moonshine of "Yellow Peril," wo havo only one enemy on hand in tho general warfare business at present, and as it happens that foe (Germany; '= the* most righteous nation on earth. Tlwj lorded it in France in 1871, and, if Ultra had been much rapine, does Jlr. Brandon not think that those very impressive personages—tho French novelists—would havo let tho four corners of tho world hear about it? So muich for sensationalism. _ Isow for that giant thing—military science-nand the reportorial worm. In 1808 thene was an Easter manoeuvre camp at Johnsonville. The attackers (Blue) planned and carried out a night march into Wellington. Tactically speaking, the operation amounted to suicide. With bullet? in the rilles, this stupid streak of nothing would havo ended in one of two things— (1) slaughter of a number of innocents, (2) tho white flag. Tliis was a movement planned by ofiicers supposed to be versed in military science, and they must have believed in it or they would not novo carried it out. Who saw the unsoundness of it first? Why, none otluor than tho ■reporters. A year or two afterwards camo othel manoeuvres at Johneonville, memorable enough because Lord Kitchener looked on. On that occasion tho littlo mimic battlo w'as almost an exact replica (for position) of tho Battlo of Woerth. Tho attack wa4 organised by Colonel Bnuchop, and was a double flanking on?. In Teal battlo it would havo blotted tho defence out, but, strangely enough, when -tho troops marched back to camp the rumour was oh every tongue that "Lord Kitchener" had staled that tho attack had failed. Tho men who were putting the rumour about were officers. Tlio men who put tho true light on it- finally were th'o reporters. One would certainly not like the Bng< lisli officers now doing duty in New Zea-1 land to imagine that the foregoing is a diatribo on officers in general. Hardly anyone understands tho splendid, but difficult, work which they aro carrying out. better than tho . reporters. Hardly anyone, too, meets more- weird people m tlio course of an ordinary day's work than tho reporter, and (perhaps) it is just because ho meets these that whatever kindly feeling is left in the poor cynic blazes out into a genial glow when the course of duty takes him into contact with what he believes to bo an upright and capable man wearing tho uniform of his Majesty tho ICing. Tho splendid pattern sot in New Zealand by the general officer commanding the forces and by his very able right hand man (tho Director of Military Instruction) has impressed many of tho reporters of New Zealand, but at tho same time they do not wish ex-volunteer officers to coino pushing the doctrine of "Hands Off" on to them. Ohe of tho best works on military history ("Battles and Loaders of the American Civil War") was devised and planned by two newspaper men—tho subeditors of the "Century Magazine, and much moro could bo said of the writings of Sir Wm. Russell and other pressmen. Critics such as Mr. Brandon, if they knew reporters, might be surprised to find how much the latter really do know about tho military art. I onco had a conversation with Jlr. Brandon on military science, and on that occasion ho mentioned to me (not without groat approval), "A Staff Officc-T's Scrap Book, as a- somewhat momentous work on the Japanese War. _ 1 found it a book of personal and social rossip, -with some considerable reference to cighth-rato. matters in minor tactics. Nearly everything that a hard student of military science might want to know was missing.—l am, etc., utkO.