Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: should be so voiced as to be heard distinctly by all the men who have to execute them. In drilling a platoon do not swell the sound to a size used to reach a company ; and for a company bring out sufficient volume and clearness to carry to the last man. There is a tone at which each voice carries best. Each man must find it for himself. To make commands understood, enunciate carefully with lips and teeth. Sound especially first and last letters of words. Officer's posture adds to effect of command. His personality is impressed on his men largely 'by his voice. A sufficient interval should be allowed between the preparatory command and the command of execution, proportioned to the size of the command, so that each man has time to grasp the movement before execution is required. Preparatory command should be vibrant and cheerful — not a harsh tone that grates on the men and antagonizes them. The command of execution must be short and sharp; drill can be made or marred by it. Voice Culture. Mastery of the voice is a necessity for every officer; for without it the giving of commands will soon mate his throat look and feel like a piece of raw Hamburg steak. Quality of voice is more effective than quantity. Brute force may produce a roar that has tremendous volume at a short distance; but the sound will not carry unless it is so placed that it gets the benefit of the resonance spaces in the head. If the tone is produced properly, so that it has the singing quality necessary in all right commands, quantity of ton© will come of itself. This singing quality has nothing to do with music; it may be attained by a man who can hardly distinguish a bar of music from a bar of soap. It depends upon three principles, which are very simple in themselves but can not be applied witho... --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.