A Man Who Is Not a Man

A Man Who is Not a Man

By a Soldier in the Army, a Native Son of Utah

In the beginning when God created man in His own image

and gave to that man the very attributes of a deity, I wonder if

he did not expect that man, whom he had clothed with the gift

of free agency, to be a man.

Since I left my home a few months ago and went into the

service of my Country as a soldier, I have come in contact with

so many men who are not men that I have been prompted to

write this article for the Era.

I know a prominent educator who has put forth much effort

toward lifting the standards of his school, and aiding and helping

every student under him. Yet in spite of all of his efforts, he

does not have the love and respect of his students, for they look

behind his kindnesses to them and see a man who is not a man.

How then could they respect him? He does not work to bring

his school into prominence, and to make his students efficient

men and women merely because he loves them and desires to

have them advance for their own sakes and for the sake of the

community in which they live. He does it because he loves

himself and wants people to recognize him as a great educator.

He works to please people who have influence, and labors to

meet with the approval of the men who gave him his position.

Their principles are his principles, and their will his will. In

his efforts to make himself prominent he has reduced himself

to a slave who acts as men with influence direct; having no

principles of his own which do not agree with their principles,

he is a man who is not a man.

No organization in the United States has more power to en-

force law than the army. When a person is given a position of

authority in that organization, he must be respected, and his

orders must be carried out. Make a man an officer in the army,

A MAN WHO IS NOT A MAN 337

and in a very short time he will show whether he is a man or

not.

A private in one of the branches of the army, because of

previous military experience, was made a first sergeant and put in

charge of one hundred fifty men. When he received his posi-

tion, he knew that what he said would hereafter be law to those

one hundred fifty men who were under him. That private who

was promoted to a position which gave him authority immedi-

ately became so important that he ordered his men, once his

associates, around like they were cattle. He knew that he was in

a position where they could not harm him, and that he had the

whole United States government behind him, so he could do al-

most as he chose. He made them work hard, he treated them

so unfairly that they were almost afraid to speak in his pres-

ence, and if they did not act just as he wanted them to act he

punished them. Everything he did was within military law,

so he had a right to do it. He was so small that he could not

respect the feelings of his associates. He is a man who is not

a man.

I know another person. A man I love. He joined the army

when I did. We were assigned to the same post in the same

service. He believes in the same religion and came from the

same state that I came from. We have been associates. We

were both given positions of authority. Just a few days ago I saw

him unjustly order his men around, and unjustly exercise his

authority over them, in the same tone of voice, in the same

manner, and with the same vile language as an associate officer

does. Only yesterday he went to town, and because others were

having a good time, he had one; because other officers did cer-

tain things he did them. He acted as others acted, and did as

others did.

As I saw him do as he did, I wondered if he, who knew bet-

ter, who came from the same state and from among the same

people, who belonged to my Church, and held the priesthood

of God; I say I wondered if he would so forget himself that he

would follow others and act as they act, regardless of what they

did! I wondered if he was going to prove that he is a man who

is not a man.

Oh, Men, Let Us Be Men Who Are Men!

San Antonio, Texas