"Henry, you are too good a fellow to hold such ideas; and besides, you
are wrong about their being ignorant, or vulgar either. I am beginning
to believe that every individual can teach us something which, if we use
the knowledge properly, is bound to help us and make us better men. If
you hope to become a successful officer you will have to know your men,
how to treat them and to deal with them; you will have to make their
interests your interests to a great extent; but if you despise your men
because they all don’t happen to measure up to your standard, socially,
mentally and morally, I’ll tell you right now you’ve got a hard row to
travel ahead of you, old boy."
"Your argument doesn’t appeal to me, Dick," responded Henry, with a
little coolness in his voice. "I reckon I’ll get along. So, as we can’t
agree on that point, let us cut out the discussion and get our quarters
policed up. It is nearly time for mess call."
It was Saturday morning, and the quarters of the apprentices were due
for an extra cleaning, for on this day of the week the Commanding
Officer of the Post held his weekly inspection, and woe betide any
luckless youngster whose bunk was not properly made up, shoes not
accurately lined and shined, or whose steel clothes locker was not in
"apple pie order."
Each boy had his own work to do. The narrow aluminum painted bunks were
carefully aligned along either wall of the long room. Folded back on
the wire springs towards the head of the bed were the mattresses in
their immaculate white covers; on top of each mattress were the folded
sheets, their smooth edges to the front. Next came the pillow in its
linen case; and finally surmounting these were the gray blankets with
the initials "U.S.M.C." woven in dark blue lettering across their
centers, while plainly in view were the owners’ names in white stencil.
In the five-foot spaces between bunks were the dark, green-painted steel
lockers in which were stored toilet articles, knickknacks, and wearing
apparel. Each bit of clothing was laid with the folded edge outward and
flush with the front of the locker shelves.
The hard-wood floors needed but a careful sweeping and dusting, for
Friday is field day in every Marine Corps garrison, consequently the
scrubbing and preliminary polishing had been previously attended to.
The work was barely completed when the blaring call of a bugle announced
breakfast.
"Soupy, soupy, soupy,
The worst I ’ve ever seen:
Coffee, coffee, coffee,
Without a single bean:
Porky, porky, porky,
And not a streak of lean."
Thus sang the bugle!
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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