The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1873-04-12 00:00:00

t§t ,stourlirOgt (*tau.

SATURDAY. APRIL 12, 1872.

OUR CITIZEN SOLDIERS.

Next Monday will have been the first Easter
Festival upon which, for many years past, our
Volunteers have nut assembled in their tens of
thousands to pass in review, as it were, before
the eyes of all Enghind. And why this excep-
tion? Soule six weeks ago a meeting of volun-
teer officers was held in Pall Mall, at which it
was decided that the Easter Monday review
must this year be abandoned; and abandoned
it consequently is. The meeting was a private
one, and the only reasons mane public for the
decision arrived at were that the movement Wltti
now looked upon but coldly by those at head-
quarters, and that the railway companies had
intimated their intention to increase the charge
for the conveyance of the troops, guns, and
horses. Under these circumstances no doubt
the volunteer officers were justified in arriving
at their decision. But who will be found to
justify those by whom, or the means by which,
they were driven to arrive at such decision?
We can most of us remember with what en-
thusiasm the inauguration of the Volunteer
movement was hailed by all ranks throughout
this country. JiLiw it was applauded by ministers
of state and approved by the hignest military
authorities we cannot but remember. it was
then regarded as a very necessity to our national
existence; the voluntary defence of our hearths
and homes, having tue additional advantage of
being inexpensive. And where is the difference
to-day ? Surely we are as much in danger of in.
vasiou now as we were twenty years ago, when
the then Dictator of Europe was our friendly
ally. "t he idea of England ever being invaded
may appear ridiculous to many minus, but then
things, however improbable, may still be possi-
ble and there can exist no reason why we
should not be prepared for such a possibility,
however improbable it may appear.
It is not easy to assign any reason why the
Volunteers shouid now be snubbed by the powers
that be, after having so long been caressed by
the powers that were. They are as fine a body
of wen now as they were ten years ago, and far
more efficient soldiers to boot. They are as full
of enthusiasm ft a they ever were, and they con-
tinuo to be, what they have always been the
best behaved and best educated army in the
world, flow, or against whom have they sinned
that they should be subjected to a rebuke too
practically painful to be silently borne ? The
answer should come from the authors of such
uurderited rebuke.

It may be argued that the doing away with
the Easter Monday Review in uo way endangers
the existence of the Volunteers as an efficient
force ; any more than a similar abolition would
affect the ellic,ieucy of regular troops. Such
argument would be false upon the very face ;
for whilst the regular army is made up of men
Alio are ptid for the duty they perform, our
mt.zen soldiers are, as their name imparts, a
bo ly of men a hose only reward are the gratitad,..
atm approvet ot the yountry which they have
voluutarily .mroilud themselves to protect and
defend. To the im'sreikea expression of such
gratitude and auprov..l upon one day in the
year they naturally ha& eagerly forward; and
during the twelve 111011014 seek to qualify them.
selves to deserve. Do away with this incentive,
• and you strike a death blow at the movement,
for men will tiro of soldiering simply for the
soldiering sake. If moo are asked to struggle,
they must, be offered some prize to strogule for;
awl the one grand prize for which the volunteer
has hitherto striven all the year round is the
prosonoe and applause of his fellow-oeuntryrnen

and fair country-women at the Raster Monday
Review. Let us hope that the authorities will
re.garil ti matter in this light, and that the
error which has been committed this year will
be rectified before the Easter of 1874 comes
round.