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Clje j&rtoicrs' Journal. WEDNESDAY MORNING, AUGUST 10,1504. R. A.. CASSIDY, Editor and Publisher. AMy: LI. BRADLEY;,- - - Proprietor. I ■ —————————M— OUR VOLUNTEER AGENTS. The following persona are announced as our apcents at the places standing in connection witli their names, and are authorized to receive subscriptions and con tributions for Thk Soldiers' Jouknal: Miss Amy M. Romans, East Vassalboro', Maine. Miss Mary P, Looks, Charlestown, Muss. Mk. Q. T. Crawford, Camp Agent. Mr. J. I. StkwabT, Canvassing Agent. We still invite the co-operation of our friends every where, to increase the circulation and Influence of our paper. Contributions, Intended for publication, must be accompanied by the name of the author to insure in aartton. Advertising.---A limited amount of advertising in serted at ten lor the first and five cents per line for each subsequent publication. Tiie cash must accompany all orders. All Oommm. Irations, and other mail mutter, in tended for Thk Soldiers' Journal (except such as Is prep, red in this camp, sliould be addressed to 241,' l<' tftreet, Washington, D.C. No notice taken of commu nications unaccompanied by the name of tiie author. PBOSPBCTUS. "THK SOLDIERS' JOURNAL," PUntISHRD KVKRY wednrstiay at RENDEZVOUS OF DISTRIBUTION, VA., HKCENTLY CONVALESCENT (AMP, VA. At the subscription price of $:i,OO per annum, payable always in advance. Single OOploa XTive Cents ench. The proceeds resulting from its sale to be devot ed to a fund for the maintenance of the or phans of soldiers who have fallen ,or may yet fall, in defence of the cause of the Union Its primary objects will lie to promote the interests of the soldier in the ranks. To this end it will contain all necessary Information as to the methods of keep ing In good order their account* with the Obvernment, The soldier in hospital will find in our columns in «tructions how to procure pay and clothing when en titled to It; what are the requisites exacted by the Government when furloughs are granted; and dis charged soldiers will be put In U c way of procuring prompt settlements of their accoi .;ts without the in terference of claim agent*. Aside from tiiis THE SOLDIERS' JOURNAL will •tontaiii interesting original and selected reading mat ter, ft is tiie intention of those engaged in its publi cation to make its pages lively and readable, and it is believed that tiie varied talent pledged to its support will enable it to take at least a respectable rank swnong the journals of the country. Superiors to their Inferiors. In order to the maintenance of a proper degree of discipline among soldiers, tho principle that subordinates should not only obey with unques tioning willingness the orders of, but treat with all duo respect, their superiors, must be kept prominently in view. The inculcation of this principle, so essential, in the opinion of military men, to tho efficiency of military strength and the success of its operations, is recognised and enjoined by Army Regulations as one of thelirst duties of an officer. In no relation does the adage, "familiarity bre-ds contempt" so fitly apply as in tho intercourse between tho soldier and his oflicer, but, at the same time, under no circumstances is the authority which rank con fers so frequently abused, and instead of creat ing respect engenders a hatred moro pernicious in its results than tho most unrestrained associa tion could pro luc3. Official authority in our army has degenerated, in many cases, from the dignified demeanor which is the result of con scious intellectual and martial superiority to that of a snobbish and contemptible tyranny, and In such cases soldiers entertain for their su periors a degroe of disrespect which sours every attractive feature of military service. This su perciliousness is confined in a groat degree, strange to say, to the men who possess few of the qualifications requisite for a skillful officer, having been appointed, through the influence of friends, to positions in the military service from civil life. Very few of those who have received military educations but have learned to enforce discipline and at the same time win the esteem of their inferiors, and it is a relief in these days, and makes us think better of our military sys tem, when we hear the old regulars speak in terms of unqualified admiration and affection of the officers under whom they served years ago. As far as we are able to judge from observation and experience, the stars, eagles and leaves are much more approachable and considerate to private soldiers than tho bars, and this circum stance accounts in a great degree for the almost idolatrous respect entertained by soldiers for their Held an I general, while they execrate the very names of their line officers. In many cases soldiers submit to injustice and loss without complaint, because, through fear of being treat ed indifferently, they fail to reveal their griev ances to their immediate superiors. This practice of treating private soldiers with indifference and setting aside their claims is not co»tiiied to military officers, but constitutes what seems to be one of the new phases of civil life. Tiie uniform which at one time elicited admira tion for the wearer has become the badge, we were about, but hesitate, to say, of contempt.— Perhaps, as in the case of unrestricted inter course between superiors and inferiors, " famil iarity breeds contempt," but, in the congest now in progress in this nation, where the private sol dier bears so important a part, and where hirs services are so indispensable Tor the preservation of the law which afford* security to all, it would be well that th person in citizen garb should see to it that the propensity which engenders a feeling of indifference Cor the uniform of the private soldier does not have a similar tendency When applied to familiarity with higher and no lier associations, for we hold that the person who loves not the miwi who exposes his life to defend can have little affection for the government itself, and devoid of patriotism he is destitute of of avcry sentiment that -joes to make up the sum of true moral excellence. We are happy to know, however, that there aro officers, in every relation and situation, who study to benefit and accommodate their infe riors, as there are also citizens who treat with all due consideration tho soldiers of the Union, without distinctions of rank or grade. Tho for mer are found in every regiment and depart ment, the luttor are met in every city and village of the country. We need not particularize, but this much we will say, that tho soldier who sur vives the war will not forget his friends, and those who spurned him because he was an infe rior or a soldier may rest assured that they will also be remembered and, if circumstances per mit, properly rewcirdsd. * M > 1 Hacked Down. —The whole country will re joice to learn that the Union officers in the hands of the rebels who were placed within range of the Union guns at Charleston, by way of deter ring General Foster from shelling the city, have been exchanged for an equal number of rebel officers placed under their fire in retalliation. — The pride and brutality of the robols have for once been made to succumb to a species of reas oning which is well adapted to thoir capacities. Soldiers' Libraries. While the Sanitary and Christian Commission* are busily engaged in the philanthropic work of clothing tho needy, foeding tho hungry, mol lifying tho wounds, assuaging the pains, and imparting spiritual consolation to the heroes of our national struggle, there aro acl.ivo minds and hands at work at home, collecting and pre paring boxes and packages which, although they may not contain either lint or bandages, will contribute almost as largely toward the re lief and elevation of the soldier as the labors of either of the two great commissions. Next to proper medical and surgical attendance and spiritual instruction, the sick orwoundod soldier requires something to preserve his mind from engaging in those reflections that produce des pondency, or, worse than thaf, lead to the em ployment of time in games and amusements that tend to immorality and extravagance, and that which has proven most effective for good under these circumstances is good reading mat* ter. It is impossible for our friends to fully realize the amount of relief they afford by the contribution to soldiers' libraries of books, mag azines, etc., which after being read by them, are thrown aside to become food for the moth, and we are glad to see that the frequent presentations of this subject to them by the press and the agents of our various relief societies have been attended with such signal success. Not only have tho old magazines and books which works of the more modern issue have supplanted on the shelves of the homo libraries bmen sent out for the entertainment and edification of the sol dier, but the standard historical, theological,, biographical, poetical, scientific, dramatic, and misee'la: eous works of the day are to bo found among tho bioks contributed, and who shall undertake to estimate tho benefits resulting thcrofrom. We hope the friend? oi the poldier will not grow weary in well-doing, but taking ou-agt oy what they have already accomplish ed, press forward untiringly in the good work to which they have devoted themselves, md relin quish their efforts only when every hospital and camp throughout the land is supplied with a li brary sufficient in variety and extent to gratify the taste and supply the wants of every class and grade of tnen represented in our armies.— Educate the head of the soldier and his heart will be better able to appreciate the momentous issues ho is fighting to establish. In a cause like that for which our government is battling, the soldier should not be ignorant of the principles, iuvolved, and nothing is so potent for the dis semination of wholesome political principles as a judiciously selected library. While packing your boxes with lint, bandages and remember that it will not be considered out of place, but, on the contrary, emir.ently ate, to fill up small vacuums with volumes from the shelves of the home library or nearest stand. Conspiracy.—A short time since much sur prise was created by the arrest of several prom inent secessionists of St. Louis, Mo., the cause of their arrest being unknown. It has since trans pired that they were connected with a conspir. any extending throughout tho entire Mississippi Valley, having for its object the erection of a Northwestern Confederacy. The Washington authorities have now in their possession testi mony that implicates many prominent men, C, L. Valandigham being conspicuous. It is be lieved that tho recent guillera movements in Mia souri havo connection with this conspiracy,