Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1850-12-27
From the London Times.
WHY GERMANY Ia A,uned

| why Oermahy Is Armed.
j IF anythng were wanting to Justify even {anati.
cal horror of war; it would be the aspect of Europe
at this moment. Such as Austerlitz or Bor-
odino or Lepsc such story that of the PENN
sula is horrible and appalling, but coming in
the midst of angry passions and bloody retaations
it imposes the reason with show of necessity and
drags the soul down into the annostes of the strug
GLE In the present instance there is neither reason
nor provocation. Europe is under without any
assignabe cause. Two great empires speaking the
same language not only neig hboring but even in
termixed, members of an ancient confederation, and
with the same real interest, bringing into the
field against another, not only every soldier but
almost every capable of bearing arms. Prussia
has called out her militia from every village and
town, and put them in notion from end of her
struggling possession to the other Austria has sum-
moned to the points of collision the tribes that guard
and disquiet her sembarbarous frontiers. On either
side France and Russia are ready to pour hundreds
of thousands into the arena, should the game
| begin. But what is there for two millions armed
men to decide that could not be settled by two
of peace? What is there for hundred and fifty
millions of human beings to become enemies about
Mr.. Golden tells story of boy at Captain 81
borne's exhibition who puzzled his father with the
question, What the battle of Waterloo fought
about " The'father mil ht at all events have an
swered that it concluded the longest and most bene-
| fetal peace the world has yet seen. But what ac-
count can be given of the present general armDg
that the most intelligent child would be likely to un
derstand? One thing at least is clear-that ths
| greater part OF the EVIL is pfOuuced Dy NSeI
provokes army and the ri7ay is only bounded by the
inability of the population to produce more armed
men or that, if it be asked why Europe is armed,
the best after all that can be given Isl - Be-
cause it is armed'
The stav-at-home inhabitants of the blessed isle
can hardly conceive what it is to live under military
empire in fact, in any of the four great Powers
of Europe. Our army is comparatively small, and
half of Il is always out of the way Though press
es rather heavily the purse it does not offend the
sense demoralize society to anything like the
tent the foreign armies do We have not several
thousand soldiers lounging about every considerable
town, getting into all kinds of mischief and becom-
ing more and unfit for any honest occupation.
We do not villages emptied of able-bodied
men. and the laborous works of husbandry left to
of all ages, working under the orders of hus
bands or fathers who have spent the best years of
their life in military service, and are disqualified
as they indisposed for agricultural labor. All
this may be seen abroad anywhere, from the Bay OF
Bscay to the Caspin Sea. On a former occasion we
have described what any may in days journey
from this metropolis, in the magnificent old cities OF
Rhenish Prussia but as Mr.. Golden has just dash
edit off with his usual felicity in his speech
we think it common Justice to take his description:
{" -Four millions of men-the flower of Europe
from twenty to thrtythree years of age, are under
arms living in idleness. There men in the
country parts there; the doing their farm
} work, toilng up-to their knees in manure, and
amidst muck and Dirt at the age of thirty and forty
They may be seen thus employed, tanned and bag
gard and loodng hardly like the fair sex. They do
be clothed in military coats and may carry muskets
On their shoulders--a scandal to civilized and a
Christian age'
We can answer for it from the evidence of our
senses that this is exaggeration, and, it only
aims to gveone aspect of the fact it only gives
half its horrors. If be inquired why the country
women on the Continent are SO ill-favored mascu-
line and coarse compared with own village girls
: and danes, why foreign husbandry continues IN
primitive and barbarous state, or why the poor
Villagers content with such humble fare, why
the statistics of the foreign cities prove fearful an
amount of decentralization or lastly why foreign pop
ulatiOns prone and apt to arms, and so tOrm
dable in insurrection, is sufficient for all
those questions and that is that nearly the whole
population early kidnapped, so to speak, from
useful employments to be crowded IN garrsons and
cities and pampered in dleness to practice every
vice and forgets every useful and honorable accom-
plishment
The coast of the vast operations witness
in Germany is too great and too manifold to admit of
any estimate. We may know what the Prusslan
Landwehr is paid to be idle, and what it costs in
meat, drink, and clothing. But it can never be
known how much that country will lose by the sud
den withdrawal of some hundred thousand men from
the fields just ut the time when they wanted to
prepare for next years harvest To similar
may be ascribed the numerous famnes which have
accompanied war. and dealt destruction than
the sword and the spear
Thus while these nations are increasing their
debts, they still curtang their powers of
production While there more to be fed, there
are FEWER ct all TINS happens IN a time OIL
peace, with nothing but the threat and apprehension
Of war. Germany is as yet only fighting with
r shadow. There is quarrel but what may be set
tied in amicable conference, and need never have
arisen.
At present the real quarrel is a rivalry of arma-
ments-which shall show most The only check
on SO foolish competition is general agreement to
reduce these excessive preparations When the Rus
f sian and German powers next meet at Warsaw they
will set themselves ght with the world and do much
to redeem the credit of Kings fthey agree to reduce
their armies in certain proportion, to keep only
: a certain number under arms. This might be done,
for it has been done frequently. The path of peace
once entered there may be rivalry in this di
rection as great as that which is hurrying myriads
to cruel and fracricdal war. England and France
have already effected large reductions during the
last year, and may effect more why should they not
press the Austrian, Prussian, and Russian Govern
ments the wisdom of following their example before
= they stumble into which this generation may
l. not live to see the end of
The Dukes' Room a Walmer Castle.
This Sanctum is a room of but moderate size, with
out ornament, and very plainly and scanty furnish
.IoH hIfn 10 1u >.