The Press.
London, England, 1857-12-26 00:00:00

THE STAFF COLLEGE.

THE establishment of a Staff College at
Sandhurst is the first step of any conse-
quence towards effecting an educational
reform in the army which has been
achieved by the Council of Military Edu-
cation since their appointment in March
last. The circular memorandum containing
the regulations of the college will be found in
another portion of our columns, and we are
bound to say that the regulations in them-
selves appear to be excellent. The changes are
important, the course of study recommended
is comprehensive, and the advantages obvious
to all. The old senior department "at Sand-
hurst, converted into a " Staff College,'
will receive thirty students from the
different arms of the service. Every candi-
date for admission must have been three years
in the service, and, if a subaltern, must have
passed the regimental examination for his
troop or company. The admission into the
college will be determined by the result of a
competitive examination, and the successful
candidate will be required to pursue a speci-
fied course of study fan• two years, with perio-
dical examinations. The names of those who
have passed the final, or as it were " degree,"
examination will be arranged in three classes
according to merit. " After the Ist January,
NW—that is, after the first batch of students
admitted in February next have completed
their course—" no officer will be appointed to
the staff who shall not have gone through
" the Staff College, or passed the final exami-
" nation of that college (par. 13), with the ex-
" ception of those who shall have attained at
that date the rank of lieutenant•colonel, and
"in every case excepting officers of proved
" ability in the field." This, of course, is the
pith and point of the whole affair, and will, we
believe, secure in future the services of a most
efficient st.iff. The last exception in favour of
officers of " proved ability" will, we feel
sure, be approved by all, inasmuch as the
man who shows practically that he is fitted
for a certain service must at least be as eli-
gible as he who is judged to be so from his
theoretical attainments. The first exception
is probably made in consequence of the diffi-
culty which would be found in filling up the
higher stall appointments by officers holding

1244

only the rank of captain. It is, however, only
provisional, and will ceaso altogether in the
course of a few years.
On the whole, the regulations appear to be
excellent; neither do the requirements for
admission or for the final examination seem
to be placed too high.
Apart from the more technical subjects, we
would especially call attention to the .para-
graph which states that, "in regard to mili-
" tary history, the candidates will be required
" to state the course and extent of their read-
" ing, in order that the Council of Military
" Education may select for each some one or
" more important campaigns, which he will be
" expected to describe in detail." No one can
have read the memoirs of our ablest general
since 1815—we mean the late Sir CHARLES
NAPlER—without perceiving the great benefit
he derived from a constant study of the most
remarkable campaigns of his predecessors in
the art of war ; and we trust that this, with
the other regulations, may at least induce young
officers to study their profession. Let them
remember the advice given by Sir CHARLES
NAPIER to a young ensign. " Keep up," he
said, " all knowledge that you have acquired,
" and gain as much inure as you can. By
" reading, you will be distinguished ; with-
" out it, abilities are of little use. A man can-
" not learn his profession without constant
" study to prepare ; especially for the higher
" ranks, because he there wants the know-
" ledge and experience of others improved by
" his own. But when in a post of responsi-
" bility he has no time to read, and if he
" comes to such a post with an empty skull it
" is then too late to fill it, and he makes no
" figure. Thus many people fail to distin-
" guish themselves, and say they are unfor-
" tunate, which is untrue—their own previous
" idleness unfitted them to profit from fur-
" tune."

The concluding par. (la) of the new regu-
lations states that " any candidates who
" shall have proved their fitness for employ-
" ment in the Ordnance Survey, or in the
" Topographical Department . . . . will
"be named in the annual report of the
" Council of Military Education to the
" Secretary of State for War, as deserving em-
" ployment in those services." This is not an
unimportant change, for the Ordnance Stir
vey during the last thirty years has been
intrusted solely to the corps of Royal
Engineers, who receive twice and a
half their regimental pay for the per-
formance of its duties. Now these ap-
pointments will be thrown open to the whole
army, and are likely to form no small incen-
tive to exertion throughout the service.
The survey was for many years undertaken
by the Artillery in conjunction with the Engi-
neers, and there can be no doubt that the
Staff College will be able to turn out officers
of all arms fully competent for the most
scientific operations. The Topographical De-
partments also of the War office and the Horse
Guards have been recently amalgamated, and
will offer employment to a limited number of
officers chosen from the several branches of
the service, who will be paid at the same rate
as those engaged on the survey. It will thus
be seen that the increased study prescribed
for the army is not without its countervailing
advantages.
The effect of this important step towards
the educational reform our army remains, of
course, to be proved. But we have little
doubt that the least it will do will be to create
for the army an efficient staff. We shall
watch the progress of this institution with no
little interest.