THE GOOD OLD BRITISH CHEER.

Oamaru Mail, Volume I, Issue 278, 14 March 1877, Page 3

THE GOOD OLD BRITISH CHEER.

Tito oil custom of cheering r.t the time o£ uluirLfinif w 'th the bayonet, is order, dto hj,.% n-'-'iih-Kilii I ;..*.• tilt; UritUU army. doubt fc;,at si:c i an i- !, ' i ■• :■ J Veil, will be hailed ivi ■. \ •■'• ■-.' tettou. It is only a ! ■ i \y above t . since , ~ , . ■ •uLal'ly had * sititv,il. ('••. ■ . . ■ ■■;'•■.! iti nut army, was ■i'- ■ ■■'<. i our fiiliu rs of not i ! 'li ; ■■'. o ..i--. «'fl' njlUCUlhev fit-' reluctance of the tank and tile to abandon ib^ami how, luny after the order wiim uivvn to i:llH'L,'i-v to [ l\:Yeut the Wiihklio.vu shout, ftoui rising to the soldiers' I:ps. lu tltu mind of many it vet. ran t' e mere actum of at ti.e double v. as iriavsnarably connect d with tlutt ot'shoufiny but- indeseribabL war cry which n;u known by thu name of cheering, and a mechanical impulse that had become deeply ingrained n I.U nature, made it impossible for ;t time tlutt he should obey the order to charge n ithout in the luxury that used to accompany it. TUoau who imagine that the iu:port.aue.j of such it luxury is insignificant commit a very great mistake. It las played a more curious and influential part in history than anyone would at urst sucht suppose. Reaikrs of the Gaulish taiupai .us of Julius Cicsar know that at a very critical moment the Unions w-ere discountetod and almost thrown into lifter confusion, by l. n piovci iiLf and unaccustomed veils of tin: Belgian hordis advancing to the aitaek. ami this idfhoiiLck the Itouuttt so Id. it r* themselves were pert', ctly auctiSfUittl to shout on the charge. The Very same commander, who hadso striking an td'eetof the practice, witness.'d anotheraml a still nn Te remarkable instance at the- baUlo of Pharasulia. tt is well known that at t'ti-< battle t'oni[iey orderod his soldiers t > stand still and- receive in silence th" attack of Hiwtar's legions. His idea was that the wash) of breath, involved lev the sharp run anil the loud shout tuiyht simply be economised and reserved "for solid ruuscuh.r action. t"!ut the event belied his theory. and it was always said that t'tesar attributed the speedy defeat of his adversary t" tlio mistake no uiado in depriving his soldiers of this accustomed moral incentive.