3. Method of Instruction of the Recruit.
1. When once the various motions have been learnt, it will be the exception and not the rule, especially with auxiliary forces, to instruct recruits by numbers.
2. The instructor muse be clear, firm, and concise in giving his directions. He must be patient, making allowance for the different capacity of the men whom he is training; and always bearing in mind that careful individual instruction is the best means of developing the intelligence, and therefore the foundation of military efficiency.
3. The instructor, who will invariably carry a whistle and, if the squad is receiving rifle instruction, a rifle, will teach as much as possible by illustration, either performing the movements himself, or causing them to be performed by a smart recruit, placed facing the squad. He will be careful, in order to stimulate the intelligence and interest of the recruits, to explain clearly, in simple terms, the reason of every movement and formation, and its application in the field.
4. Instructors should be encouraged, in giving the details of the different movements, to use their own words. So long as the instruction is clearly understood by the men it is quite immaterial whether the phrasing of this manual is adhered to.
5. When first taught his positions, the recruit should be properly placed by the instructor; when more advanced, he should not be touched, but made to correct himself when admonished. He should not be kept too long at any one exercise. Squad drill should be intermixed with instruction in the handling of the rifle and with physical training, and close order drill with skirmishing.
6. Short and frequent drills are preferable to long lessons, which exhaust the attention both of the instructor and recruit. Recruits should be advanced progressively from one exercise to another, and should not be kept back by men of inferior capacity, who should be moved into a less advanced squad.
4. Words of Command.
1. Every command must be distinctly pronounced and sufficiently loud to be heard by all concerned.
2. Every command that consists of one word must be preceded by a caution. The caution, or cautionary part of a command, must be given deliberately and distinctly; the last or executive part, which, in general, should consist of only one word or syllable, must be given sharply; as