From the Commander-in-Chief, who puts into execution the conceptions of his own brain under the pressure of responsibility and shifting fortune, and the Brigadier, who must act independently according to a given general scheme; to the dispatch rider, surrounded with dangers, and left to his own resources in the enemy’s country, and the youngest private in the field fighting for his own hand, and striving for victory in the face of death; everywhere in the wars of to-day, more than in any other age, personality dominates all else.  The effect of mass tactics has abolished all close formations of infantry, and the individual is left to himself.  The direct influence of the superior has lessened.  In the strategic duties of the cavalry, which represent the chief activity of that arm, the patrol riders and orderlies are separated more than before from their troop and are left to their own responsibility.  Even in the artillery the importance of independent action will be more clearly emphasized than previously.  The battlefields and area of operations have increased with the masses employed.  The Commander-in-Chief is far less able than ever before to superintend operations in various parts of the field; he is forced to allow a greater latitude to his subordinates.  These conditions are very prominent in attacking operations.

When on the defensive the duty of the individual is mainly to hold his ground, while the commander’s principal business is to utilize the reserves.  On the offensive, however, the conditions change from moment to moment, according to the counter-movements of the enemy, which cannot be anticipated, and the success or failure of the attacking troops.  Even the individual soldier, as the fight fluctuates, must now push on, now wait patiently until the reinforcements have come up; he will often have to choose for himself the objects at which to fire, while never losing touch with the main body.  The offensive makes very varied calls on the commander’s qualities.  Ruse and strategy, boldness and unsparing energy, deliberate judgment and rapid decision, are alternately demanded from him.  He must be competent to perform the most opposite duties.  All this puts a heavy strain on personality.

It is evident, then, that the army which contains the greatest number of self-reliant and independent personalities must have a distinct advantage.  This object, therefore, we must strive with every nerve to attain:  to be superior in this respect to all our enemies.  And this object can be attained.  Personality can be developed, especially in the sphere of spiritual activity.  The reflective and critical powers can be improved by continuous exercise; but the man who can estimate the conditions under which he has to act, who is master of the element in which he has to work, will certainly make up his mind more rapidly and more easily than a man who faces a situation which he does not grasp.  Self-reliance, boldness, and imperturbability in the hour of misfortune are