The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1868-06-27 00:00:00

Eti,c ,itourtriby o)serber.

STURDAY, JUNE 27, 1868.

THE VOLUNTEER REVIEW.
Tho volunteer movement hi s long slue de.
served the natne which the Peinea a Wulee
gave it —au inatitutiou. It has become as lunch
a part of the defensive force of the country AS
the army, imvy, or militia. Called jute exi4teuee
under the threat of war, it has gradually pro.
gressed in the appreciation of successive govern•
meats, sad in the eatecin of the country. We
cannot, indeed, wall value too highly the patri-
. .

otio spirit that animates our volunteers, nor do
we know how soon we may have to place partial
reliance on that spirit being embodied in action.
Their motto io" Defence, not defiance ;" but
even defence is war, and no one can say that
war will not again arise which shall necessitate
national dependence on the martial spirit that
animates alike soldiers and volunteers. Hap.
pity, we have been for years internally at peace,
and it has naturally been feared that the ardour
of our volunteers would abate ; but instead of
this it appears to increase, and on each occaaion
that large bodies of volunteers are called out,
they show that they have the honour of their
own body and the honour of their country at
heart.

We shall not be misunderstood when we say I
that i is the duty of tit° Sovereign to give her
eon t fiance and support to an institution which
has for is object the preservation of far more
ancient institutions, and among them that of the
throne. Of late the volunteers, iike lir Ma-
jesty's subjects generally, have felt that they
have been somewhat coldly treated ìu this res-
pect. The Queen has been unable to come so
prominently among her subjects at was her
wont previous to her sad affliction ; but recent
events have sitown that there has been us want

of atnetion toward's her people, and the,narrt.

tive of the great volunteer r.eview hi Windsor
Park shows how thorongh and genuine is the
kindly feeling of the Qiieen towards the people,
and the loyalty of the people towards the
Queen.
To maintain the eflhdeney of the volunteers
it is desirable to hava reviews, tido ma' eler,, and
other movements more or less kindred to actual

% iif-,ro ; :vat the spirit with which the volun-
\ ....eri ...titer on these operations is not less re- -
markahle than the enthusiastic interest which .
the country takes in them. The review of last
Saturday Wlli, on the whole, a fine spectacle,
and the narrative of the events of the day will
form an interesting and an honorable page in
volunteer annals. But iat looking at the whole
affair impartially we shad see that while we have
much to be proml of, we have something to he
a-dmaied of, and which on another occasion we
trust will be easily avoided. Let us take the
bright side first.
Tne readiness with which the volunteers give
up time, spend money, mud endure fatigue at the
call of their commanders, is what we are now so
much used to that we are apt to underrate it ;
tint it is woit'iy of the highest praise. Equally
deserving of praise is the conduct of employers, 1
who readily give the volunteers in such large
na-nbers the permission to absciit themselves
from their ordinary ditties. And the country
cannot but feel grateful to the Queen for mind.
Jesting, as she did, cow:kb/nee in her volunteers,
and a hearty appreciation of their loyalty and
patriotism. The scene of the review was em-
platically royal ground, anti the presence of so
large a slumber of the royal family not only gave
',fat to the spectacle, but impressed it with