The Burdens of World Power 13nature was based on its nineteenth century experiences: the
policing of the frontier, the absorption of immigrants into its
own ranks, and, as in the Civil War and in 1898, the necessity
of disciplining and organizing mass armies of civilians. Man,
in the Army's view, was by nature undisciplined, emotional,
and potentially violent, but he was also weak-willed, mal
leable, and always yearning for a secure place in a human
community more permanent than himself.
In an institution like the Army, man's adjustment was
accomplished by constant training in co-operative ventures
and by imposed and self-discipline. Through the paternal
guidance of one's superiors (those responsible for the adjust
ment process), one learned to equate his personal well-being
and goals with those of the institution. In the process of
socialization, happiness (the sense of belonging) lay within
every man's grasp, however limited his talents or humble his
origin. Of course, the practical purpose of this process was
to produce men who were willing to follow orders and die
in combat rather than disgrace themselves, their comrades,
and the honor of the regiment. In personal terms, the Army's
view of human nature put a high premium on such qualities
as honor, truthfulness, obedience, self-sacrifice, justice, and
loyalty, all qualities which could be inculcated in time. In
social terms, the Army emphasized order through social har
mony, co-operation, and education.
The Army's view of human adjustment became doctrine
when it was applied to the peoples of the Philippine and
Caribbean. Paternalistic guidance and long tutelage were the
Army's cures for the anarchy, corruption, and exaggerated
individuality which, as the Army saw it, were the inherited
ills of Spain's former colonies. The Army's colonial policy, by
both circumstance and conviction, was to substitute a benefi
cent military government for the exploitative, chaotic govern
ments of Spain or the indigenous political elite. The goal of
Army policy was to inculcate a sense of community and
order in the governed.
In the Army's colonial policy there was some appreciation
of the effects of poverty on human behavior and the im